1999 Wild NA2-GPM3 combination.This was a superb donation to my collection in 2009. Being a left-over in an inventory, the previous owner had little use for it and decided it would fit better in my collection than on the market. Made by Wild Heerbrugg the instrument is of Swiss origin and signed both 'Leica' on one side and 'Wild NA2' on the other. The instrument is the direct successor of the Wild N2 in my collection. The NA2 was originally developed by Wild in 1960 and modernised in 1981. After Wild Heerbrugg merged with the Cambridge Instrument Company plc to form the new Leica Holding B.V. group on April 2nd, 1990,1 Leica continued the production of the Wild instruments and this is why both company names are shown on the instrument (see figure 3 and figure 4). This particular NA2 was sold to the Netherlands in January 1999, while the GPM3 parallel plate micrometer on top of it dates from 1982.2 Accuracy With only the Wild N3 being more accurate the NA2/GPM3 combination is a much more sophisticated instrument than the NK10 in my collection. Similar to the 1960s Zeiss Opton Ni 2 it is a combination of a compensated level and a separate parallel plate micrometer that allows readings down to 0.1 millimetres, while estimating another decimal is possible. The settling accuracy of the compensator is about 0.3" (0.04mm at 25 metres). The original 1960 model allowed to level a 1km double run - using the parallel plate micrometer - with an accuracy of 0.4mm (1σ, 68%), while this modernised version was further improved to 0.3mm (1σ, 68%). Unlike the NK01 and NK10 this NA2 has no horizontal circle in its base. The 'K' in the type number of the first two indicates whether or not a level has a horizontal circle ('Kreis' in German). Equipped with a horizontal circle this instrument would then have been a NAK2. Notes[1]: http://www.wild-heerbrugg.com/History.htm[2]: Many thanks to Jürg Dedual from the Swiss Wild Heerbrugg virtual archives for checking the selling date and manufacturing year for me. If you have any questions and/or remarks please let me know. |
Surveyor's crosses... Geodetic Sextants... Theodolites... Total Stations... Levels... Standards... Tools... Firms...
20th c. hydrostatic level 19th c. water bottle level 19th c. Secrétan Egault 19th c. Tibaut Lenoir 1928 Carl Zeiss Nivellier I 1926 Wild NKII 1924 Carl Zeiss Nivellier II 1948 Wild N1 1932 Carl Zeiss Nivellier III 1951 Wild N2 1965 Wild NK01 1965 Wild NK10 1961 Wild N3 1970 Wild NK2 1977 Wild N3 1999 Wild NA2-GPM3 20th c. Cowley 1960s Zeiss Opton Ni 2 1960s Jenoptik Koni 007