SNAIL (CAM)

In watchmaking, the snail is a cam of particular shape, called “stepped”, whose profile features a succession of bearings with increasing radius. This component is used in striking mechanisms — Passing strike, quarter or minute repeater, grande and Petite sonnerie — where it serves to mechanically memorize the value to be struck. A feeler pressing against the snail stops at a greater or lesser distance depending on the Bearing encountered, which determines the number of blows the hammer must Stamping. A distinction is made between the hour snail (cam), the quarter snail (cam), and the minute snail (cam), each dedicated to a specific indication. The precise geometry of its stepped teeth determines the accuracy of the strike: any wear or defect would result in an incorrect number of strikes. The snail (cam) illustrates the ingenuity of striking complications, among the most delicate to design and adjust.