Pocket watches · Escapement
Lever-Escapement Pocket Watches
VerifiedPocket watches regulated by a detached lever escapement, the design that eventually displaced verge, cylinder and duplex work almost entirely.
Mechanism
The escape wheel is locked by the pallets except during a brief unlocking and impulse phase each half-vibration; the balance is otherwise detached from the train, giving good isochronism and robustness.
Typical characteristics
- Pivoted pallet lever with two jewelled pallet stones
- Fork and impulse-pin action on the balance roller
- English (right-angle) or Swiss (straight-line) pallet layouts
Identification characteristics
- Pallet fork visible under the balance when the balance cock is lifted
- Right-angle English pallets versus straight-line Swiss/American layout
Collector significance
The dominant mechanical watch escapement for over two centuries and the basis of virtually all factory production after 1880.
Known variations
- English lever
- Swiss (straight-line) lever
- Pin-pallet lever
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Gazeley, W. J., Clock and Watch Escapements
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.