Graham perfects the dead-beat escapement In 1715, English clock and watchmaker George Graham perfected the design of the dead-beat escapement (originally invented by Richard Towneley in 1675). Apparently, Graham did this by modifying the anchor escapement to eliminate recoil. This allowed the pendulum to swing freely in a natural manner and thus greatly increased accuracy. Going forward, the dead-beat escapement became the escapement of choice for all fine pendulum clocks. It is also known as the Graham escapement.
