Clock

Clock

Any instrument other than a watch for measuring or indicating time, especially a mechanical or electronic device having a numbered dial and moving hands or a digital display.

Industry: Chronometry

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Clock

Sweep second hand

Chronometry; Clock

A hand positioned in the centre of the clock that sweeps, in a circular motion, around the dial; also called centre seconds hand.

Sweep second

Chronometry; Clock

The introduction of the dead-beat escapement enabled the seconds hand of a longcase clock to advance without the slight recoil which is evident with the anchor escapement. This permitted a much ...

Suspension spring

Chronometry; Clock

The spring steel strip from which the pendulum is hung. Kinking of the suspension spring through careless handling is the most common cause of a pendulum rolling as it swings.

Rolling-leaf pinion

Chronometry; Clock

To reduce friction, lantern pinions are sometimes made with the leaves pivoted to allow them to rotate.

The principle of the rolling-ball clock was defined by Galileo: a ball rolling down a constant slope takes the same time to cover the same distance at any part of the slope. This principle was first ...

Roller

Chronometry; Clock

In the lever escapement, the cylindrical metal piece mounted on the balance staff and carrying the impulse pin; it also performs the safety action. In English work, the single table roller with ...

Rococo

Chronometry; Clock

The decorative style which succeeded baroque during the first half of the 18th century. Compared with the monumental symmetry of baroque ornament, the asymmetrical shapes of rococo are lighter, more ...