This clock is operated by weights that, under gravity, drive the hands of the clock in their rotational movement by means of a gear train.
See weight-driven clock mechanism in : french | spanish
drum
Cylinder around which the weights’ cord or chain winds when the clock is rewound.
weight
Heavy body that hangs from the main wheel; its descent provides the necessary energy for the clock’s mechanism.
ratchet wheel
Toothed wheel having only one direction of rotation; it is kept in place by the click.
main wheel
First wheel in the gear train that transmits the driving force of the weights to the other wheels to turn them.
pendulum bob
Weight attached to the end of the pendulum rod.
click
Small lever that is engaged between the ratchet-wheel teeth and prevents it from rotating counter to its normal direction.
pendulum rod
Rigid bar to which the pendulum bob is attached.
center wheel
Wheel that is connected to the hands and causes them to rotate on the dial.
fork
Part that is operated by the escape wheel to cause the pendulum’s movement.
pinion
Small wheel with teeth that is mounted on a shaft and transmits the rotational movement of one wheel to another.
suspension spring
Small rigid plate from which the pendulum hangs.
pallet
Anchor-shaped part that frees and constrains the escape wheel’s teeth to maintain the pendulum’s back-and-forth movement.
winding mechanism
Device that raises the weights to start anew the cycle of the clock’s mechanism.
hour hand
Metal needle that points at the 24 hours of a day on the dial.
minute hand
Metal needle that points at the 60 minutes of an hour on the dial.
third wheel
Wheel that receives energy from the center wheel and drives the escape wheel.
spindle
Cylindrical part that transfers the rotational movement of one part to another.
escape wheel
Last wheel of the gear train with special teeth that causes the clock to operate regularly and continuously and controls the movement of the other wheels.
