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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Movement · Bar movement

Bar movement with Geneva lever escapement no. 16670

Partially verified

This nineteenth-century Swiss bar movement features a Geneva lever escapement and is preserved in the Science Museum Group collection under object number 1916-287. Described by the source as incomplete, it was donated to the museum by Evan Roberts in 1916. The visible plate side shows gilded bars and bridges held by blued steel screws alongside an exposed gear train and balance assembly. The balance cock is fitted with a blued regulator index pointing toward stamped 'A' and 'R' markings, and the museum's acquisition number is visible on one of the brass bridges.

Top-down view of Swiss bar movement no. 16670 showing balance assembly, bridges, and blued screws
Top-down view of Swiss bar movement no. 16670 showing balance assembly, bridges, and blued screws — Science Museum Group. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk
Category
Movement · Bar movement
Maker / attribution
Not established
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
1916-287
Source-reported date
1801-1900
Country
Switzerland
Source-reported serial
16670

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Identity and Escapement Classification

This horological component is catalogued by the Science Museum Group as a Swiss bar movement, bearing the number 16670. The institution records its date of production within a broad nineteenth-century range of 1801 to 1900, with the maker catalogued as unknown.

The institutional record designates the mechanism as incorporating a Geneva lever escapement. Catalogued under object number 1916-287, the item is classified under the category of Time Measurement and described as both an instrument component and a pocket watch.

Evidence for this section
  • “Bar movement with Geneva lever escapement no.16670”
  • “Made: 1801-1900 in Switzerland maker: Unknown”
  • “Category: Time Measurement”
  • “type: instrument component and pocket watch”

Visible Architecture and Mechanical Layout

Visual observation of the movement reveals gilt plates and separate bridges fastened with blued steel screws. An exposed gear train, mainspring barrel assembly, and balance wheel are visible on the plate side.

The balance cock is fitted with a regulator index featuring a blued steel pointer directed along a scale marked with 'A' and 'R'. In addition, the museum accession marking '1916-287' is visibly marked onto one of the upper gilt bridges.

Evidence for this section
  • “Gilt plates and separate bridges secured with blued steel screws.”
  • “Exposed train wheels, barrel assembly, and balance wheel.”
  • “Regulator scale on the balance cock engraved with 'A' and 'R' and fitted with a blued steel pointer.”
  • “Museum accession marking '1916-287' stamped or scratched on an upper bridge.”

Condition State and Provenance

The object is explicitly described in the catalogue record as incomplete. The available documentation and image depict an unhoused movement assembly, with no case, dial, or hands described.

The item entered the museum collection in 1916 as a donation credited to Evan Roberts. Further details such as physical dimensions, jewel count, and specific regional origin beyond Switzerland are not recorded in the source record.

Evidence for this section
  • “Bar movement with Geneva lever escapement no.16670, incomplete, 1801-1900, Switzerland”
  • “donated by Evan Roberts in 1916”
  • “credit: Mr. Evan Roberts”

Open research questions

  • Does movement number 16670 designate a production serial number or an ébauche batch number?
  • What specific missing components led to the institutional designation of 'incomplete' beyond the absence of a dial and case?
  • Can the specific Swiss workshop or canton of origin be identified from bridge shapes and any under-dial markings?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Bar movement with Geneva lever escapement no. 16670
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
EscapementGeneva lever escapement“Bar movement with Geneva lever escapement no.16670”
Date of manufacture1801-1900“Made: 1801-1900 in Switzerland”
Country of originSwitzerland“Made: 1801-1900 in Switzerland”
Condition noteIncomplete“Bar movement with Geneva lever escapement no.16670, incomplete, 1801-1900, Switzerland”
DonationDonated by Evan Roberts in 1916“donated by Evan Roberts in 1916”
Object Number1916-287“Object Number: 1916-287”
Maker attributionUnknown“maker: Unknown”
Collection categoryTime Measurement“Category: Time Measurement”
Artefact typeinstrument component and pocket watch“type: instrument component and pocket watch”

Visible details

  • Gilt plates and separate bridges secured with blued steel screws.
  • Museum accession marking '1916-287' stamped or scratched on an upper bridge.
  • Regulator scale on the balance cock engraved with 'A' and 'R' and fitted with a blued steel pointer.
  • Exposed train wheels, barrel assembly, and balance wheel.

Research qualifications

  • Source notes the maker is unknown.
  • Movement is catalogued as incomplete, lacking dial, hands, and case.

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Bar movement with Geneva lever escapement no.16670 | Science Museum Group Collection

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record c7009e81df

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.