Thomas Mudge
*
entered his apprenticeship with famed watchmaker
George Graham
*
at the tender age of 14 and took over his business
in London after Graham’s death. Mudge was an ingenious watch-
maker and probably already invented the free-sprung lever
escapement
*
in 1759 as he worked on a chronometer. Its
characteristic element is the lever whose shape is reminiscent of a
ship’s anchor, and it is the connecting part between the escape wheel
*
and the balance
*
. Mudge and his contemporaries did not recognize
the importance of this escapement, and Mudge didn’t live to
experience the triumph of his invention. Only later did numerous
improvements made by capable watchmakers contribute to the fact
that 99 percent of all portable mechanical watches are today
outfitted with this escapement.
The Swiss lever escapement
*
and the Glashütte Lever escapement
belong to the grouping of club-tooth lever escapements
*
, which
evolved from English lever escapements
*
. The Swiss lever escape-
ment also falls into the category of free-sprung Lever escapement
because the balance
*
freely oscillates up to the inversion point after
being moved by the pallet
*
lever.
The impulse pin
*
, also called the release
*
pallet, is located on the
balance staff and takes over the motive impulse from
the pallet lever. Generally, the impulse pin—like
the two pallets on the pallet
lever—is made of synthe-
tic ruby
*
because of its
low friction
*
coefficient
and low abrasion.
The Swiss lever escape-
ment has become the
most utilized escapement in
portable timekeepers mainly because it
has a relatively simple design with robust
characteristics that protect it from shock, making
good rate results possible.
Set-Up of the Mechanica M2
If you now take the time to try to understand the procedures
taking place in your Mechanica M2, you will be able to share our
enthusiasm for watchmaking and look at your clock through
different eyes in the future.
Swiss lever escapement
(from 1855)
The Development
of the Escapement
Technology and Function
of the Mechanica M
2
62
63
Escape wheel
Pallet lever
Balance
The
Dial train
Page 84
The
Escapement
Page 64
The
Gear train
Page 78
The
Spring barrel
Page 79
The
Click
Page 80
