Experimental tribological analysis of the Swiss lever escapement

To obtain better understanding of this contact, an analysis based on high-speed camera observations on “new” and “aged” mechanical watch movements, coupled with observations of components at various stages of wear is proposed. The influence of the power reserve on the dynamics of the escapement and the difference of speed profiles between the input and the output pallet are shown, and the reconstruction of the contact's life through the evaluation of 1st and 3rd body flows by electron microscopy observations is proposed.