A combination of parts designed to perform a given function. A timepiece (a clock or watch), is a piece of mechanism designed to indicate the time; it includes various organs, each of which is a piece of mechanism with a clearly determined function, e.g.
Chronograph Mechanism: Set of parts for starting, stopping and returning to zero the second-hands and the time-cumulating counters' hands of a chronograph.
Repeating Mechanism (Repeating work): Set of parts for releasing the strike and operating the hammers of a repeating watch
Winding-Mechanism: mechanism that winds the mainspring
Setting-Mechanism: usually connected to the winding-mechanism by common parts for altering the position of the hands of a watch.
Source: G.A. Berner 4-language Glossary, 1988 re-edition, courtesy FH, Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, Bienne, Switzerland
Older mechanical pendulum clocks with electrical windingmechanisms were derived from mantel clock movements in which the striking train was modified to generate the trigger pulses for the external dials.
The control mechanism has the task of momentarily activating a contact once a minute (for a duration of several milliseconds up to a second) to send a positive and negative impulse to the secondary clocks.
Mechanical power for driving the inductor is also (or mainly) provided by the drive weight.
The earliest record of a mechanicalclock with an escapement, which is believed to date around 1285, was a reference to a payment for a hired clock keeper at St. Pauls in London.
All the early mechanical timepieces are believed to have had a verge and foliot as the control mechanism for measuring the passage of time.
The control mechanism consists of an oscillating device that prevents the gear train from rotating, except at specific intervals, when it releases one tooth of the last gear in the train.
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