The quintant has an anodized brass triangle-pattern frame, with a wooden handle. The tangent screw and clamping screw are positioned on the back of the index arm. The instrument has four grey shades and three grey horizon shades. Index-glass adjustment is made by a screw and on the horizon glass by capstan screws.

Attached to the quintant is a magnifier on an 85mm 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 184 mm in length with an inverted image and four cross wires. An extra drawtube is 81 mm long with an inverted image and two parallel cross wires. A second telescope is 83 mm long with an erect image. Accompanying the quintant is a sight-tube, which is 80 mm in length, two shaded eyepieces in red and grey, and an adjusting pin. The magnifying glass and an unidentified part are missing.

The instrument has a polished brass limb with an inlaid silver scale from -5° to 170° by 10 arcminutes, measuring to 155°. The quintant has a silver vernier measuring to 10 arcseconds, with zero at the right.

The quintant is contained in a square fitted wooden box.

The sextant once belonged to the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII (1841-1910).