Georg Friedrich von Reichenbach (24 August 1771 – 21 May 1826) was a German scientific instrument maker.

When he was 19, Reichenbach received a grant of 500 gulden for a journey to London, and introductions to the engineers James Watt and Matthew Boulton.

He returned home in May 1793 and attempted improvements in the military workshops in Mannheim and Munich, with the help of his father.

[1] In 1811 resigned from the army to devote his time to his scientific work and in 1814 withdrew from both of the companies he had been involved with, founding with T. L. Ertel a new optical business, from which he retired in 1821, when he obtained an engineering appointment under the Bavarian government.

This had already been done by Ole Rømer in around 1704, but the idea had not been adopted by anyone else, except in the transit circle constructed by Edward Troughton for Stephen Groombridge in 1806.