Model of an English lever escapement with precision regulator by Bennett
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
late 19th century
This late 19th-century demonstration model of an English lever escapement is signed Bennett – 65 Cheapside, London, Clockmaker to the Royal Observatory. The source describes a circular three-quarter plate movement featuring spotted plates, screwed pillars, and a fusee with chain drive.
Fitted with a right-angle pointed pallet English lever escapement, it incorporates a massive gilt balance cock, a tangent screw regulator with a silvered scale, and a plain balance with a blued spring. The movement rests on a turned ebonized circular base.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Escapement & demonstration model
- Diameter
- 5 5/8 in (14.3 cm)
- Regulator
- Tangent screw regulator with silvered scale
- Signature
- Bennett – 65 Cheapside, London, Clockmaker to the Royal Observatory
- Escapement
- Right angle pointed pallet English lever escapement
- Place recorded
- United Kingdom
- Movement Layout
- Circular ¾ plate movement with spotted plates, screwed pillars, fusee and chain
- Maker / attribution
- Bennett
Design
- Visible features
- • Circular movement mounted on a turned ebonized wooden base supported by small feet • Gilt brass pillar framework supporting an upper plate • Fusee cone and chain visible between plates • Vertically mounted circular silvered regulator scale with pointer • Glass dome mentioned in auction text is not present in the photograph
- Identity and Attribution
- Catalogued as a late 19th-century model of an English lever escapement with an unusual precision regulator, the piece is recorded as signed 'Bennett – 65 Cheapside, London, Clockmaker to the Royal Observatory'. The assembly is documented with a diameter of 5 5/8 inches (14.3 cm). Specific individual movement serial numbers or secondary maker marks are not recorded in the source text.
- Mounting, Features, and Condition
- The movement is set on a turned ebonized base supported by small feet, and visual inspection shows a vertically mounted circular silvered regulator scale with a pointer. The catalogue description records the base as being paired 'with glass dome', though no dome is present in the accompanying photograph. In addition, the cataloguing notes an explicit mechanical fault: '(lower pivot of staff broken)'.
- Movement Architecture and Escapement
- The mechanism features a circular three-quarter plate configuration with spotted plates, screwed pillars, and a fusee with chain. Visible observations confirm a gilt brass pillar framework holding an upper plate, with the fusee cone and chain positioned between the plates. The escapement is described as a right-angle pointed pallet English lever escapement. The governing assembly includes a plain balance with a blued spring mounted beneath a massive gilt balance cock that incorporates a tangent screw regulator with a silvered scale.
Identification
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Source notes that the lower pivot of the staff is broken
- Research required: Glass dome mentioned in catalogue description is absent from image