Anchor Escapement

In horology, the recoil or anchor escapement is a type of escapement used in pendulum clocks. An escapement is the mechanism in a mechanical clock that maintains the swing of the pendulum and allows the clock's wheels to advance a fixed amount with each swing, moving the hands forward. The anchor escapement was probably invented by British scientist Robert Hooke around 1657, although some references credit clockmaker William Clement who popularized the anchor in his invention of the longcase or grandfather clock around 1680, and disputed credit for the escapement with Hooke. The earliest known anchor clock is a tower clock built at Wadham College, Oxford, in 1670, probably by clockmaker Joseph Knibb. The anchor became the escapement used in almost all pendulum clocks. A more accurate variation called the deadbeat escapement was invented by Richard Towneley around 1675 and introduced by British clockmaker George Graham around 1715. This gradually superseded the anchor and is used in virtually all modern pendulum clocks.