DROP (IMPACT)
In horology, the drop (impact) is theangle travelled by the escape wheel between the moment when one of its teeth leaves the Impulse plane of a impulse of a pallet stone of the pallets (lever) and the moment when another tooth comes to rest on the resting plane of the opposite Pallet stone. In other words, it is the “free” travel of the wheel between two contacts, before it is stopped again.
The drop (impact) is a safety margin necessary for the proper functioning of the escapement with Pallets (lever), but it must be as small and as regular as possible: too large a drop, or one that is uneven between the entry and the exit, wastes energy and impairs the regularity of the running.
A distinction is made between inner drop and outer drop, the equality of which is part of the checks carried out during escapement-making (finishing). A fine but important parameter, drop is among the quantities that the horologist (watchmaker) checks and adjusts to optimize the efficiency of the escapement.
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