A CLOCK, ONE CONTACT AT A TIME
One tooth. One beat.
The weight supplies the energy. The pendulum sets the pace.
An escapement connects them: it stops the wheel, gives the pendulum a small push, then lets the next tooth escape.
FOLLOW ONE BEAT
Choose a stage to freeze the contact.So which part drives which? The weight turns the wheel. A tooth pushes the anchor only while sliding over an impulse face. The pendulum swings the anchor back and forth, deciding when each tooth can pass. The anchor’s two working tips are called pallets.
About this model & sources
This is one Graham (deadbeat) escapement. The two contact enlargements show the same geometry and instant as the main view. The circular locking faces hold the wheel still while the pendulum swings; the sloping faces transfer energy near the middle of its swing.
For clarity, the weight drives a demonstration drum directly on the escape-wheel shaft. A real clock places a gear train between its driving weight and escape wheel. The drum and cord are in front of the wheel; the shortened pendulum rod is behind it, on the anchor shaft. The swing angle is not exaggerated.
Idealizations: rigid parts, frictionless pallet faces, a damped pendulum, no elastic bounce at impact, and a low-inertia wheel constrained by contact during impulse. Play at 1× for natural timing. Use 0.1× or the stage buttons to inspect the brief release.
References: Mark Headrick, Anchor Clock Escapement · AWCI, Clockmaking Elements (July 2010) · Henry T. Brown, movement 289.