This is from Celstaire's on-line Catalog...
"Manufactured in the former East Germany, this sextant has, until recently, been one of the most popular of low cost metal sextants in Europe. Lately, however, economic difficulties associated with German reunification have caused its price to increase dramatically without an attendant improvement in quality. It is constructed of lightweight aluminum alloy, with wooden handles (a lower quality, and less expensive metal handled model of the Drum Sextant is sold in Europe), and comes in a wooden carrying case. A distinguishing feature of this sextant is an enclosed drum clamping device which keeps water and dirt away from the tangent screw. It is unlighted, but has an optional detachable lighting unit available when purchased with the sextant. The Drum sextant is available with either whole horizon or traditional split horizon mirror. It is supplied with a 4x40 telescope as standard equipment." It apparently is still in production. The Chinese-built sextant Celstaire introduced about 15 years ago all but stole Freiberger's marketshare, if I'm not mistaken. The aluminum metal used was a problem at sea since it wasn't adequately protected from salt water. Jack
