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on 10/14/04 6:43 PM, Bill at billyrem42@EARTHLINK.NET wrote:

>> where did you get these numbers from??
>> Is this only Celestaire sales or you somehow
>> managed to find out the global sales??
>> (I understand that there are commercial secrets.
>> But are these the numbers of ONE DEALER?
>> Or the US? Or of something else).
>>
>> The Russians (Soviets) are apparently out of business.
>
> I did not ask my source(s) for permission to quote them.
>
> As stated, my question was an estimate of current annual world-wide sales of
> all manufacturer's sextants.  Short of the sources names, you have exactly
> the information I was provided with.
>
> Sorry, but I can't tell you what I don't know.  I can only guess, noting
> that Celestaire does not sell Frieberger, and their catalog states 16,000
> Astras in 17 years (so less than the current 1500 units stated, but that
> average could be skewed) that this is an "estimate" of all dealers sales.
>
> Nonetheless, thousands ;-)
>
>> (It's hard to believe that Tamaya sells only
>> 30 sextants per year. This would not compensate
>> their expenses to produce them.)
>
> Agreed.
>
> Bill
>
To All,

Let me get Bill off the hook here. The figures he quoted were from me re
Celestaire.  The Astra numbers are good.  The Freiberger and Cassens & Plath
numbers are my informed estimate.  The Tamaya figure was given to me by an
knowledgeable French dealer.  I did not know about the current Russian
situation.  I visited the factory in St. Petersburg in 1992, but could not
work out a deal with them, but they claimed to be still in production.

It seems to me that Nautical Almanac sales would be more germaine to
understanding current usage than new sextant sales.  I submitted this data a
year or two ago to the List.  I will dig them up again if someone requests.

Ken Gebhart

   

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