Diastimeter, J. Goldschmid, Zürich, Österreichische-Venezianische Kriegsmarine, 1840

historicacollectibles.com/en/binoculars-and-telescopes/di...

This is the first telescope in the world equipped with a rangefinder, at the time called "Diastimeter" or "Distanzmesser" (Distancemeter), built by Jakob Goldschmid in Zürich in about 1840, for the Artillery of the Österreichische-Venezianische Kriegsmarine.
The telescope, made in five sections (or stages), completely in brass, extends for a total length of 78 cm open and 34 cm closed. It is equipped with a mechanical guillotine telemetry system, integrated in the eyepiece tube, which allows to detect the distance between the observation point and the target framed in the objective.

During observation, by rotating the telemetric mechanism, two opposing metal "eyelids" can be seen inside, which when closing (or opening) form an ellipse. It follows that, the more precisely the shape of the target is placed inside the profile of the ellipse, the greater the precision detected by the mechanism suitable for detecting the distance will be; this will consequently allow artillery fire to be carried out, obtaining the best results even on targets placed at great distances.

The unit of measure used on this meter to measure distance is the "Schritt" or "Step".
The maximum distance that could be detected was 10,000 Schritten, while the minimum was 300.
Just above the name of the producer J. Goldschmid Zürich, we find the wording "Cav a '9'.
The attribution of the telescope to the Österreichische-Venezianische Kriegsmarine is established by defining the precise historical period and following a logic. While the latter had a well-established military naval flotilla, the Königlich Preußische Marine, it never achieved such sea power, as it essentially concentrated its strength on the land army.

Taken on: October 26, 2023

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diastimeter

diastimetro

telescope

teleskop

entfernungsmesser

telemetro

telemetre

telemeter

schritt

step

measurement

distanzmesser

kriegsmarine

germannavy

germannaval

german

navy

naval

army

schritten

flotilla

flottiglia

monokular

monocular

pocketscope

scope

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