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Object Overview
Before us is a rare Shut-up Hunter Case Barometer produced by the German instrument maker Gotthilf Lufft and dating to approximately 1880 — an elegant pocket aneroid altimetric barometer executed in the form of a pocket watch. At first glance, the instrument is almost impossible to distinguish from an expensive late nineteenth-century hunter pocket watch: the same case proportions, the same characteristic fluted crown, the protective hunter-type cover, and the suspension ring for a chain. Such resemblance was far from accidental — manufacturers deliberately sought to give portable scientific instruments the appearance of familiar pocket watches, transforming the barometer into an elegant accessory for the traveller, engineer, or mountaineer.
The 53 mm case is made of brass and features a classic hunter-case construction with a hinged protective cover. The term itself originated in horology and referred to a “hunting” case fitted with a metal cover protecting the glass and dial from shocks while carried in a pocket, during horseback riding, or throughout travel. In the case of a barometer, such a design had particularly practical significance, since the thin glass and delicate pointer mechanism were considerably more vulnerable than those of a watch.
2663
aneroid capsule tensioned on a C-spring
brass, copper, glass, nickel silver, steel
Especially striking is the large fluted crown, almost entirely identical to the winding crowns found on late nineteenth-century pocket watches. Here, however, it performs a dual function. On the one hand, rotation of the crown operates the altitude scale of the instrument; on the other, pressing the crown opens the hunter-case protective cover in exactly the same manner as on a pocket watch. The construction is completed by a small suspension ring, to which a chain or carrying strap would typically have been attached.
The front of the case is adorned with a slender polished brass bezel holding an exceptionally thin flat mineral glass crystal. The rear cover contains a calibration aperture, yet the cover itself remains removable, thereby allowing access to the movement for servicing and adjustment.
The dial is made of silvered brass and possesses a characteristic two-part construction. The principal fixed circular plate is secured by two screws and carries the concentric barometric scale. Above it is mounted a rotating cylindrical drum with a toothed edge; this geared rim engages with a pinion driven by the fluted crown. It is upon this rotating drum that the nonlinear altitude scale in meters is engraved, extending to 3500 meters.
The barometric scale engraved upon the main plate is calibrated in centimeters of mercury over a range from 48 to 78 centimeters. Unlike domestic aneroids of the period, the instrument entirely lacks textual weather indications. This emphasizes its specialized nature: it was intended primarily for altitude determination rather than household weather observation.
The instrument is powered by a temperature-compensated movement bearing the number 2121, distinct from the serial number 2663 engraved upon the dial. At the heart of the mechanism lies an aneroid capsule tensioned against a C-shaped steel spring. Motion is transmitted to the pointer arbor by means of a miniature fusee chain, allowing a smoother and more uniform transfer of force from the capsule to the pointer. The main frame of the movement bears the Lufft company logo, confirming the instrument’s manufacture.
Overall, this barometer represents a characteristic example of that brief late nineteenth-century period during which portable scientific instruments still retained a close relationship with the traditions of high horological craftsmanship. Here, engineering precision is combined with jewel-like compactness, and the instrument is perceived not merely as a measuring device, but as a carefully executed object of personal use.