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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Nuremberg, Germany · 1756–1821

David Beringer

Partially verified

Maker of wooden cubic sundials, compasses, and globes

Life & work

Born in Nuremberg in 1756 to an awl-smith, David Beringer was admitted as a master compass maker on April 29, 1777.

Shortly after achieving master status, he married Anna Ottillia Hofmann and established a professional association with the compass maker Georg Paul Seyfried. Beringer’s workshop activities were also supported by his younger brother, Paul Philipp Beringer, who worked for him as a compass maker. The maker is noted for creating cubic wooden sundials, which often bore the signatures of both himself and Seyfried.

The fuller biography summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.

Training, contributions & innovations

  • Beringer produced instruments that utilized adjustable latitudes and incorporated compasses into their design.

Documented works

  • His instruments are held in international collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford.

Collecting significance

The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.

Firms, key models & movements

No firm, model or movement in this encyclopedia is yet recorded under this maker's name.

In the object catalogue

2 catalogued objects are recorded under David Beringer. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.

Diagram

12345let downstripcleanoilregulateorder of work; never skip letting down the mainspring
Schematic: order of work at the bench. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. David Beringer, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  2. Beringer, David/nl, Watch-Wiki, retrieved 2026-11-03
  3. Beringer, David/de, Watch-Wiki, retrieved 2026-11-03

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.