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conventional movement tensioned on a C-spring
aluminium, cast iron, glass, iron, mercury, nickel silver, plastic, steel
This is a Soviet Bakelite Barometer Altimeter, model year 1940, manufactured by OKB-3 of Plant No. 133 (2nd Moscow Instrument-Making Plant). The case is made of thick-walled bakelite of a rare deep brown-burgundy tone, which reveals under light a complex marbled pattern: swirling curls and semi-transparent “patches” of caramel and smoky-amber hues, reminiscent of burl walnut grain. This wood-like effect is not imitation; it is the natural result of pressing phenolic resin with filler, which formed a unique, unrepeatable pattern in each individual piece. To the touch the material is warm, glossy and smooth, yet very dense—resistant to cracking, warping, moisture, and time.
Bakelite was created in 1907 by the Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. It was the first fully synthetic plastic in history, not derived from natural polymers. The material proved to be non-flammable, electrically insulating, and resistant to chemicals and humidity, which made it ideal for instrument-making, telephony, radio equipment and aviation. In the 1920s–1940s bakelite became a symbol of technological culture: it signified durability, precision, modernity, and was associated with the “new era of engineering.”
The bakelite rotating bezel secures the mineral protective glass with a monolithic strength uncommon for plastics of the pre-war era. The instrument is equipped with a suspension ring at the top and originally comes with a leather carrying case. Its primary purpose was field use: for aeronauts, mountaineers, geologists, and military signal and observation units.
The dial is produced by gas-thermal aluminum deposition followed by matte finishing. The markings are hot stencil lithography. Two concentric scales are present: the outer scale is altimetric, in meters, from –400 to +4000; the inner scale is barometric, calibrated in centimeters of mercury, from 46 to 80. A blued-steel pointer travels along the dial. Instead of a traditional glass-mounted trend indicator, a small reference pointer is integrated into the inner surface of the bezel, a method commonly found in pocket barometers.
The instrument is equipped with a small curved mercury thermometer with a Celsius scale ranging from –20 to +50°. The thermometer is mounted on the inside of the dial, and its readings are viewed through an aperture in the dial plate.
At the heart of the instrument is a finely made high-grade movement: a sensitive manganese-nickel (nickel silver) aneroid capsule is tensioned against a counteracting C-spring, balancing the weight of the atmosphere. This steel spring, elegantly shaped like a swan’s neck, is coated with a thin layer of bakelite—the same material used for the case! Another notable feature is the fine transmission conductor: a slender metal line carries the motion of the capsule from a small lever on the main arbor to the pointer shaft. Instead of the more familiar fusee chain or silk thread, a copper wire line is used, freely winding on the pointer arbor.
The instrument was assigned to the Moscow Directorate of the Unified Hydrometeorological Service (EGMS)—this is indicated by the official service stamp applied directly to the protective glass, signifying its use within the regional network of observation and warning stations.
EGMS (Unified Hydrometeorological Service of the USSR, from 1929) was the nationwide system of meteorological observation and forecasting under centralized administration. The Moscow Directorate was its regional branch for Moscow and the Central region: it operated observation stations, issued weather warnings, and supported aviation, river and railway transport, and industrial facilities. In 1936 the system was consolidated into the Main Directorate of Hydrometeorological Service (GUGMS) under the Council of People’s Commissars; in the late 20th century it evolved into Goskomgidromet, and in the 21st century into Roshydromet with regional hydrometeorological centers.
Thus, this barometer is a distinct object of its era, combining the technical thought of 1940 with the aesthetic expressiveness of early synthetic materials. It carries the character of a time when science sought to be not only accurate, but also beautiful.
