The quintant has a silver frame and fittings, with an ivory handle. Mounted at the centre of the frame in silver relief is the three-feather crest of the Prince of Wales inscribed with his motto ‘Ich Dien’ (I serve) on a ribbon. The lower decoration includes a British ensign (by implication the general red, senior ensign at this date) and the Royal Standard, with thistles, roses, clover and a daffodil symbolizing Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales. The tangent screw and clamping screw are on the back of the index arm. The instrument has four shades, three grey and one green, and three horizon shades, two grey and one green. Index-glass adjustment is made by a screw and on the horizon glass by capstan screws.

Attached to the quintant is a magnifier on an 82mm swivelling arm with a frosted glass shade. There is also a threaded telescope bracket in two parts, fitted for correcting collimation error. It has perpendicular adjustment made by a rising-piece and a milled knob. The telescope is 149 mm in length with an inverted image and two parallel cross wires. An extra drawtube is 51 mm long with an inverted image and two parallel cross wires. A second telescope is 85 mm long with an erect image. The sight-tube is 81 mm in length with two mauve shaded eyepieces and an adjusting pin.

The instrument has a silver limb with an inlaid gold scale from -5° to 160° by 10 arcminutes, measuring to 142°. The quintant has a gold vernier measuring to 10 arcseconds, with zero at the right.

The quintant is contained in a rosewood keystone box lined with blue velvet and bearing on the lid the crest of the Prince of Wales in silver.

This instrument was shown by Janet Taylor at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London and was later presented to the Prince of Wales (subsequently King Edward VII, 1841-1910).