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Developed by Thomas Earnshaw (1749 - 1829) in the mid 1780s. It is a spring
detent type giving impulse to the balance in one direction during a short section
of its arc. It has the advantage over Arnold's type in not requiring oil on the
escape wheel teeth. In theory the design is inferior to Arnold's in that the
delicate spring is in compression rather than tension. However in practise this
is not important. During the 19th century this escapement became the standard
for marine chronometers and continued to be manufactured for use at sea until
the advent of quartz controlled timekeepers.
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