Hooke invents the anchor escapement Around 1657, the anchor escapement was first applied to a clock. There is argument over whether scientist and polymath Robert Hooke or clockmaker William Clement invented it, but credit is widely given to Hooke. The anchor escapement allowed the pendulum to become longer, with a narrower arc and a slower isochronous swing (than it did with a verge escapement), greatly improving the accuracy of timekeeping. However, it did have two disadvantages: (i) it was sensitive to any changes in drive force because the pendulum was always being pushed by the escape wheel; and (ii) it is a recoil escapement which causes wear to the movement and varies the drive force to the pendulum, resulting in inaccuracy. Image Credits Robert Hooke, Engineer. Rita Greer, 2009, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons Anchor escapement. 'Abbott's American Watchmaker, An Encyclopaedia for the Horologist, Jeweller, Gold and Silversmith'. George Henry Abbott Hazlitt, 1898, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
