Escapement Papers ISSUE 01
ISSUE 01the bench publishes numbered issues

Every figure here carries its unit, the position or angle it was taken at, and a source. The fourth cell, the lift angle, is what makes the other three usable.

Method: how this bench grades a movement

issue ISSUE 01checked 2026-09-16responsible Escapement Papers (a named bench, not a person)

Where the figures come from

Every number on this bench is one of four things: a rate in seconds per day with the position it was taken in, an amplitude in degrees with the lift angle that produced it, a beat error in milliseconds with the instrument that measured it, or an angle in degrees of escape-wheel or balance rotation. A figure missing any of those is not published here.

The four cells, defined

CellUnitWhat it requiresTrap
Rateseconds per daya stated positiona rate without a position is an average of nothing
Amplitudedegreesthe lift anglewithout the angle the number is wrong by the ratio of the two angles
Beat errormillisecondsthe instrument's resolutiona machine that reports to 0.1 ms cannot resolve 0.05 ms
Lift angledegreesthe movement's published valuea default is a convenience, not a specification

How sources are chosen

A source is used only if it is a specific document that supports a specific sentence on the page, and only if it can be opened. Reference encyclopedias, national measurement institutes and collections are preferred because their entries can be checked. Trade and enthusiast publications are used only where they are describing a procedure, and never for a comparative claim.

What this bench measures and what it does not

The bench writes about mechanisms and the numbers attached to them. It does not sell watches, does not rank brands, and does not accept advertising. Where a page quotes a manufacturer's figure it says so and names the document. Where a page quotes a reading taken at this bench it gives the position, the lift angle and the instrument.

The bench does not open cases and does not teach anyone to. Every procedure here is one that can be done with the watch closed, or by a watchmaker who is already qualified to open it.

References

  1. Ref 1Measuring Instruments, Horopedia – Watchmaking Encyclopediasupports the instrument class the readings on this bench come from
  2. Ref 2Quality Testing, Horopedia – Watchmaking Encyclopediasupports the quality-testing framework the readings are judged inside
  3. Ref 3Precision, Horopedia – Watchmaking Encyclopediasupports the precision framing used for every rate figure here

One link, one document, titled as it titles itself. No home pages, no search results.

Set this page down Set this page down when you know which cell is a reading and which one is a disclosure.