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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Component record · Case

Bell and Gong Assembly

Partially verified

The sounding element struck by a clock or repeater hammer.

What it does

Produces the audible indication of time.

How it works

Bell alloy and thickness, or gong wire length and coil, determine pitch and duration of tone.

Evolution

Coiled gongs largely replaced bells in later domestic clocks and repeaters.

Known variations

  • Single bell
  • Nest of bells
  • Coiled gong
  • Rod gongs

Identification for collectors

  • Replaced sounding parts usually differ in tone and mounting from originals.

Common failure modes

  • Cracked bell
  • Detuned or bent gong

Diagram

count wheel or rackdetenthammer and gongwarning piece
Schematic: striking and sounding work. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. de Carle, D., Practical Watch Repairing
  2. de Carle, D., Watch and Clock Encyclopedia
  3. Daniels, G., Watchmaking

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.