The sextant has an anodized brass triangle-pattern frame and a wooden handle. The tangent screw and clamping screw are positioned on the back of the index arm. The instrument has four shades, two red, one green, and one orange, and three horizon shades, one green and two red. Index-glass adjustment is made by a capped screw and on the horizon-glass by capstan screws.

Attached to the sextant is a magnifier, which is now missing, on an 80mm 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 190 mm in length with an inverted image and cross wires. A second telescope is 76 mm long with an erect image and a wide objective lens (star finder). A third telescope is 84 mm long with an erect image. Accompanying the sextant is a sight-tube, which is 82 mm in length, and a green shaded eyepiece. A second eyepiece and adjusting pin are missing.

The instrument has a bronzed limb with an inlaid silver scale from -5° to 150° by 10 arcminutes, measuring to 125°. The sextant has a silver vernier measuring to 2 arcseconds, with zero at the right.

The sextant is contained in a square fitted wooden box, with a certificate of examination of the Deutsche Seewarte Hamburg in the lid, dated 18 February 1938.