The sextant consists of circular dark-lacquered brass plates with a lid that when screwed on the back of the instrument serves as the handle. The index arm is moved by a central screw. The sextant has two index shades, in red and green, which are moved by levers. There are no horizon shades. The index-glass is non-adjustable and the horizon-glass is moved by a milled key shipped in the upper plate.

Attached to the sextant is a single lens magnifier on a 50mm swivelling arm. The telescope is 51 mm in length with an erect image, and is shipped in the instrument. It is fitted pinhole with a sighting shield with sliding retraction and a red shaded eyepiece. The sextant is contained in a round leather carrying case, with its strap missing, marked on the lid, ‘R. A. Oliver’. A paper label stuck on the side of the case is marked, ‘A. H. Oliver R.N’.

The instrument has an inlaid silver scale from -2° to 134° by 30 arcminutes, measuring to 125° (the digits are read from the pivot). The sextant has a silver vernier measuring to 1 arcminute, with zero at the left.