Complication · Striking & chiming
Night Silence (Silence en Veille) Mechanism
Partially verifiedA selectable feature allowing the owner to disable a clock's or repeater's audible striking for a chosen period (typically overnight), without altering the going train or the underlying strike-count mechanism.
Definition
A selectable feature allowing the owner to disable a clock's or repeater's audible striking for a chosen period (typically overnight), without altering the going train or the underlying strike-count mechanism.
Historical origin
A long-standing feature of higher-grade striking clocks, particularly French and English bracket and mantel clocks from the eighteenth century onward, generally implemented as a simple lever or dial selector marked 'strike/silent' (or the French 'sonnerie/silence'); a related idea appears in some repeating watches as a mechanism to disengage the gongs while leaving the going train and repeating work otherwise functional.
How it works
In the simplest and most common form, a lever selector on the clock's dial or backplate disengages the striking train's warning or locking mechanism, or lifts the hammers clear of the bell or gong, so that the going train continues to run and keep the striking sequence 'primed' internally but no audible strike is produced until the lever is returned to the 'strike' position.
Because the underlying count mechanism (count-wheel or rack, see those entries) continues to operate normally in the background in most designs, returning the selector to 'strike' typically resumes audible striking in correct synchrony with the current hour, rather than requiring the clock to be re-set.
In repeating watches, an equivalent 'silence' function is far less common than in clocks and is usually implemented instead via a discreet, non-audible tapping form (see the Dumb Repeater and Réveil à Toc entries) rather than a selectable mute lever on an otherwise normal loud repeater, since disengaging and re-engaging repeater hammers reliably in a small watch movement is mechanically more demanding than in a clock.
Pocket watch context
Occasionally found as a slide or lever silencing the alarm or, less commonly, repeating function on higher-grade pocket watches and combination alarm/repeater pieces, allowing the owner to prevent an unwanted chime at an inconvenient moment.
Wristwatch context
Rare in wristwatches; most modern repeating wristwatches do not offer a selectable mute and instead rely on the owner simply not activating the repeater slide, though some specialist alarm wristwatches include an audible on/off selector for the alarm function specifically.
Clock context
A well-established and commonly encountered feature on French and English bracket, mantel and carriage clocks, usually marked with a simple 'strike / silent' selector on the backplate or dial, allowing the household to silence hourly or quarter striking overnight without stopping the clock.
Identification
- A dedicated lever, slide or dial marking (often reading 'strike' and 'silent', or the French 'sonnerie' and 'silence') distinct from the general going-train winding or setting mechanisms
- Activating it silences audible striking while the clock continues to run and keep time normally
- Should be distinguished from a clock that strikes on the hour only versus one that also strikes the quarters (a different selectable feature, sometimes combined with a silent option in the same selector)
Servicing notes
The silencing lever's engagement with the hammer lift or warning mechanism should be checked for correct clearance during service; incorrect adjustment can cause a partial, muffled strike rather than either a clean strike or true silence, and can also cause the striking train to run on unchecked if the lever fails to re-engage the locking mechanism correctly.
General guidance only. Complicated mechanisms should be assessed and serviced by a qualified watchmaker or clockmaker specialist, not adjusted at home.
Diagram
Sources & references
- Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers
- de Carle, D., Watch and Clock Encyclopedia
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.