Tic-tac escapement A tic-tac escapement is a type of escapement, specifically a form of anchor escapement in which the anchor spans only one to three teeth of the escape wheel. Clockmaker Joseph Knibb is credited with creating this mechanism, which he used in his Velvet Dial Grand Sonnerie Table Clock made around 1675 (coming soon to Clocktime) and Roman-Striking Table Clock dated 1677.