Origin and evolution of the anchor clock escapement

The escapement is a feedback regulator that controls the speed of a mechanical clock. The first anchor escapement used in a mechanical clock was designed and applied by Robert Hooke around 1657. Its application catalyzed a rapid succession in clock and watch escapement designs over the next 50 years that revolutionized timekeeping. In this article, I consider the advances this escapement design made possible and then describe how horologists improved on this escapement in subsequent designs, to the late 1800s. Temperature compensation is considered.