This Henry Crouch “Crouch Premium” Binocular Microscope was manufactured under the No. 1,003. This extraordinary device represents the best example of the excellent quality achieved by English manufacturers during the 19th century. It is a microscope manufactured with a great mechanical adjustment and with all the optical accessories that were known at that time. These types of luxurious and extraordinary gadgets were not used as working instruments but as expensive presents. All of it is made of brass, which due to its little use still maintains the original enamel.
The two optical tubes can be adjusted by means of a screw by varying the interocular distance. The coarse approach is carried out by means of two wheels that act on an endless screw; the micrometric consists of a small horizontal wheel located in its front part. It has a revolver with two simple objectives. Its plate is rectangular and moves in all directions thanks to a complex and precise system. It has three types of capacitors: a simple one with a wheel with nine openings, and also two composite optical capacitors. In order to obtain incident light, it has a large eight-cm “bull’s-eye” magnifying glass. in diameter and with a foot 30 cm high. This device is one of the first to have a three-point foot, a circular rear, the iconic “Crouch foot” or “English foot”.
Its large cherry wood case measures 44x24x22 cm. It contains seven objectives and three eyepieces, has three circular slides (live box) for the observation of small insects and three tweezers for handling samples. The microscope is 47cm high and its foot is 20cm wide and 15cm deep. On the back it bears the manufacturer’s name and its manufacturing number 1.003. Henry Crouch manufactured 10,145 microscopes. This Premier model was included in his catalog published in 1877 in the American Journal of Microscopy. It is also referenced in the Billing’s Catalog, 2nd edition on page 141, fig.264.