An indicating instrument includes a dial plate, a casing disposed behind the dial plate, a drive control section disposed in the casing and a rotary shaft driven by the drive control section. The rotary shaft is comprised of a pair of thin shafts respectively supported by a pair of bearings and a thick shaft connecting the pair of thin shafts. Each thin shaft has such a length and an outside diameter that the ratio of the length to the outside diameter provides a sufficient bending strength. Therefore, the rotary shaft rotates smoothly and a pointer carried by the shaft indicates accurate values of a vehicle operating condition.