brandon1
842
Notes on Frodsham and the Escapement:
Mar 07, 2018,11:37 AM
Frodsham was near the pinnacle of British horology in its day. For example, in 1913, a Frodsham watch, number 09182, set the highest mark ever recorded by a British watch at the Kew/Teddinging Observatory, with a score of 93.9. They relied heavily on movements from Nicole and Capt (later Nicole Nielsen), a firm that also supplied EJ Dent and other top British producers.
Of course, it should be noted that while this was the highest mark ever achieved by a British watch, it was not the highest mark achieved in that decade, or even in that year. That honor goes to Paul Ditisheim who submitted a watch which scored 95. Even as far back as 1908, Patek was able to achieve a higher score than this Frodsham, with a 94.2 at Kew in that year. I don't mean to diminish the achievements of Frodsham, which is one of my favorite brands, but I think it's helpful to have context when citing these types of scores.
With regard to the escapement, it impulses in the same sequence as the natural escapement, one (direct, radial) impulse as each semi-oscillation. The critical difference is that each escape wheel is in the flow of power at all times, driven by an independent train. This provides the advantage of 1) smoother impulse through better gear ratios and 2) each wheel is always firmly locked and positioned for the next impulse.
I asked about this on WatchTech a few years ago and Don shared this excellent article that provides more info:
Quoting from the above article:
Natural Escapement design:
"As only one wheel is driven by the
power of the train, the other wheel is
merely a follower and the clearance
allows it to ‘flutter’ slightly. This means
that it is not precisely positioned at all
times, a condition which leads to
variable impulse, especially with
changes of position of the watch. This
gives rise to small but unpredictable
errors of rate."
Daniels' Design:
"The two
escape wheels are each driven by
independent trains. This eliminated
most of the problems suffered by the
échappement naturel in one masterful
stroke. Draw on the locking pallets gave
the final security that was required for a
first class escapement that did not
depend on oil. The escape wheels
move alternately, the inertia is low and
the lockings are secure. The
escapement is extremely lively in action
and very elegant, too."
I'm very excited to track Frodsham's ongoing development! I hope they are able to capitalize on this success, as it's been a very long time in the making. The article suggests that the first prototypes were done in 2008, and the photos from March 2009 look VERY close to the production version just released.
Best,
Brandon