British Mk III compass: real or not?

[ziomanno]

Dear collectors, I would appreciate your opinions on this compass that I bought some years ago. For what I've found on the web, she bears some genuine features, but I'm not confident with the markings on the back.
Any input?
TIA.

[harryamb2]

nothing wrong with it,it has the WD arrow mark as all equipment had.

[karkee]

I hate to say it, but the brass work looks a little crude to be British-made. It looks more like an Indian reproduction...

I've seen other copies with very similar markings...

Solid Brass Nautical British Military WW2 Mark III Prismatic Pocket Compass | eBay

[ziomanno]

I've seen the specimen you linked, but it's very different. This is a small guide with differences between a real one and a repro:

https://thejungleisneutral.wordpress...ompass-part-2/

More or less, the one I have seems to match the good one depicted there, except for the black paint and the "logo" on the back.
This one is the twin of mine, minus the markings:

1941 MkIII British Marching Compass

[karkee]

Interesting links...maybe it is a good one then!

[jimpy]

Looks OK to me.

What might sound like a silly question Ziomanno, does it feel really heavy for it's size? Because, if I remember rightly, they are heavy pieces compared with their size!

Regards etc

Ian D

AKA: Jimpy

[ziomanno]

Oh yes, quite heavy indeed. Above all if compared with the Mk I model, also made of brass.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Here is mine:

MKIII British Army Compass

[ziomanno]

Hi Adrian; actually there are some differences between your compass and mine. The most notable are the shape of the arrow and the letters in the maker's logo (all are capital and none is underlined on my specimen). Also, the s/n on mine doesn't have the letter B, as the majority have.
Other than this, it seems a period object, still working and with a mother of pearl card (that I guess isn't an easy item to forge).
What puzzles me is: if someone has been so able to reproduce the whole compass, down to the smaller details, why wasn't he able enough to copy the correct font and shape of the maker?