A number of years before the BBC started to broadcast shipping forecasts and weather reports (November 1922), Negretti & Zambra patented the weather ‘forecaster’ to allow both professionals and the man in the street to predict the weather with more than 80% accuracy (the result of 10 years’ research).

Negretti & Zambra’s patent –  No. 6276/15 – was applied to pocket ‘weather watches,’ wall-hanging ‘weather foretellers,’ static ‘desk forecasters,’ and smaller celluloid pocket and larger brass desk-intended revolving circular ‘forecasters.’

Besides the obvious and pressing need of safety for fishermen and sailors, N&Z also marketed these instruments to organisations involved in leisure use, such as golf clubs. An extremely expensive deluxe version for travellers and explorers was offered in a pigskin case with velvet lining, and comprised a 4″ diameter aneroid barometer inheriting a number of characteristics from the weather watch, as well as a brass easel-stand revolving forecaster.