Glossary · Regulation
Timing machine
A bench instrument that listens to a watch's escapement and displays rate, amplitude and beat error graphically.
Explanation
A timing machine (timegrapher) amplifies the sound of the escapement and displays rate, amplitude and beat error, historically as a printed trace and now digitally. It revolutionised watch adjusting in the 20th century. Readings depend on position, state of wind and lift angle setting, so they are diagnostic aids rather than verdicts.