Machines · Study 063
Escapement Clock
A mechanical clock face showing your real local time, with its gear train turning behind the dial and a pendulum swinging once a second.
What you're looking at
The hands are driven by your device's clock, so the time is correct. Behind the translucent dial, three meshed gears turn at rates tied to the seconds, and the pendulum completes one swing each second. The second hand moves in discrete ticks, the way an escapement releases a wheel one tooth at a time.
The idea behind it
A pendulum clock keeps time because a pendulum's period depends almost entirely on its length. Christiaan Huygens built the first one in 1656 and cut the daily error of the best clocks from many minutes to a matter of seconds. The escapement does two jobs: it counts the swings and gives the pendulum a small push to keep it going.
Try this
Compare it with your watch. The second hand ticks, and the pendulum swings once per second.
