La Filotecnica Barometer-Altimeter and Company History Added
A rare early La Filotecnica pocket engineering barometer-altimeter, dating from around 1895–1915, has been added to the collection, together with a new history of the Milanese scientific instrument maker.
A new instrument has joined the collection: a pocket engineering barometer-altimeter by La Filotecnica, Milan, dating from approximately 1895–1915. Serial number 886, it is an early example of a specialised orometric barometer — an instrument designed primarily for determining altitude and differences in elevation from changes in atmospheric pressure.
Its unusual pressure scale of 46–76 cm Hg is deliberately matched to a rotating nonlinear altitude scale extending from sea level to 4,000 metres. A movable magnifying lens allows precise readings of the finely divided scales, while the compact temperature-compensated aneroid mechanism makes the instrument particularly suited to engineering, surveying, topographical and mountain work.
Alongside the instrument, the website now includes a new history of La Filotecnica, the important Milanese manufacturer and supplier of scientific, surveying and precision instruments. The company offered equipment for engineers and surveyors ranging from theodolites and levels to meteorological instruments, providing the historical context in which this unusual barometer-altimeter was produced and used.