Repeater clocks often had a cord with a button on the end protruding from the side of the clock. The rack and snail striking mechanism used in repeaters is described in detail in the striking clock article. Breguet, the minute repeating mechanism became much more common but still to be found only in the best watches as it was expensive to make. During the nineteenth century following the improvements made by A.L. From around 1750 watches this system was modified to repeat the hours, quarters and minutes (the minute repeater), the famous London maker John Ellicott appears to have been the first to produce these in numbers. These were made to strike the hours, quarters and half quarters ( 7 + 1⁄ 2 minutes). Generally, repeating watches strike the hours and quarters, although the best London made eighteenth century repeating mechanisms (motions) were made using the Stockten system, named after the original inventor Matthew Stockten (known also as Stockton, Stockdon or Stogden) who worked for the famous makers Daniel Quare and George Graham. These had two hammers for hours and quarters, striking blocks within the case which made a dull sounding thud which could be felt in the hand. Another type of repeating watch made during the period 1750–1820 was the dumb repeating watch. These appear to have been invented by the Swiss around 1800.
Whereas repeating watches made in the eighteenth century struck a bell mounted in the back of the case, during the nineteenth century wire gongs were invariably employed as they took up less space. So repeating watches were expensive luxuries and status symbols as such they survived the introduction of artificial illumination and a few are still made today.
Repeater watches were much harder to make than repeater clocks fitting the bells, wire gongs and complicated striking works into a pocketwatch movement was a feat of fine watchmaking. : 244–246 Both applied for a patent on it, which was decided in favor of Quare in 1687. Due to cheap imports from France, Germany and America English clockmaking went into decline and with the advent of gas lighting repeating clocks became an unnecessary luxury.īoth Edward Barlow and Daniel Quare claimed the invention of the repeating watch, just before 1700. During the nineteenth century such clocks gradually went out of use. The best kind of repeating clocks were expensive to make a separate train of wheels had to be added to the striking mechanism, and to activate it one pulled a cord whereupon it would strike the hours and quarters, or even the hours and five-minute divisions (five minutes repeating). : 206 His innovation was the rack and snail striking mechanism, which could be made to repeat easily and became the standard mechanism used in both clock and watch repeaters ever since. The repeating clock was invented by the English cleric and inventor, the Reverend Edward Barlow in 1676.