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Bonniksen Speedometer

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I am a collector of vintage instruments and have quite a few Bonniksen. I recently purchased this large Bonniksen 100 m.p.h. time and trip speedometer and was wondering if anyone else has seen one this size and has any information on it.

Kev

 

Published:
Thursday March 6th, 2025
K. J. Boosman
07 March 2025, 10:23
I agree with Lester. Perhaps this was done to match other instruments in a dashboard and possibly quite recently, as it looks very well-executed. It has a more 1930s appearance and the way the glass is fitted to the instrument is unlike the way Bonniksen used to do. Those Bonniksens are beautiful instruments!
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Kev Bishop
07 March 2025, 16:01
It may well have been built to match a large Jaeger rev counter; perhaps that’s why they used a similar bezel. I'm not sure about recently, though, "due to it being well-executed" as Bonniksen work was all well-executed. I did speak to the British Bonniksen specialist Steve Knight (The Bonniksen Boy) who said it was clearly original. It also has a Bonniksen number stamped in the rear of the case so I'm not sure. I do love these Bonniksens, too.
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Lester
06 March 2025, 22:18
I have an instrument with some similar features. To my mind it seems that the instrument featured in your article has been modified with the larger face and in so doing, the trip control that should be operated from the front has been cut off.
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Kev Bishop
07 March 2025, 09:56
Thanks for your input, Lester. Yours is a dash mounted one where the trip knob has to come out of the front for access most of the Bonniksen I see are motorcycle ones which have the trip knob on the rear. I have a girder-fork mount which fits perfectly on the rear so maybe it is for a motorcycle. It doesn’t look like it’s been modified and the case is machined from one solid piece, but you never know; if it has been modified it’s been done very well.
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