The octant has a hornbeam frame and limb with a brass index arm, fittings, and a brass stop for the index arm. There is no tangent screw and the clamping screw is located on the back of the index arm. The octant has two index shades, one in blue and the other is missing. Index-glass adjustment is made by a screw and on the horizon glass adjustment is made by a screw, a lever and a clamping screw. The sight vane has one pinhole. Engraved floral decorations are found on the entire index arm of the octant as well as at the ends of the brass scale. The octant has no box.

The instrument has a surface-mounted brass transversal scale 90° to 0° by 1° for zenith distance, measuring to 90°. The scale can be read to 5 arcminutes by a division on the fiducial edge at the end of the index arm.