Theodolite Tecnomasio Longoni Milano.

The origins of the company Tecnomasio go back as far as 1863 when mechanical and civil engineer Luigi Longoni, instrument maker Carlo Dell’Acqua, and optical scientist Ignazio Porro founded a company in Milan. Porro left the company in 1864 to be replaced by photographer Alessandro Duroni forming the company “Duroni, Longoni, Dell’Acqua”. Duroni gave up his stake in 1866 and Dell’Acqua in 1868 making Longoni the sole owner. In 1870 Bartolomeo Cabella joined the company. Longoni died in 1871, and Cabella became the director of the company.

This piece is absolutely beautiful and is labeled with the name of the director Luigi Longoni , which I believe dates around 1866 because on the base of theodolite there is engraved the logo “Longoni Dell’Acqua” that is, when they were only two partners in the 1866. This antique tool would have been used in construction and engineering operations, and is a very high quality technical tool. All this piece is made of brass. It sits on a swivel base, and has a number of attachments included in the box.

This piece is antique but only shows little signs of wear from use and storage over the years. All the knobs and dials work very smoothly as intended. The lens are clear and clean without fungus inside, no scratch or whatever and the focusing of the scope is smoth and precise. All the original accessories are included, those you see in the pictures, a level that work perfectly, the air inside is perfectly working, screwdriver, cap for the scope and a guidebook for engineers full of formulas from that era. The box is made of walnut and is complete with the original key. Overall this is in fantastic condition for its age. The theodolite is 38cm long and the diameter of the base is 18cm. The box is 40cm long 25 wide and 15cm high.