What clock mechanism did Leonardo da Vinci study using weights, gears, and an escapement?

Leonardo da Vinci studied the mechanical clock using weights, gears, and an escapement.

His notebooks include clockwork studies involving gear trains, springs, pendulums, and regulating mechanisms. A mechanical clock stores energy in a falling weight or wound spring, transmits that energy through gears, and uses an escapement to control the release of power into regular steps.

Leonardo’s clock drawings reflect the sophisticated horological technology already developing in Europe. They are important because they show his interest in improving mechanisms and understanding how motion could be regulated precisely, not because he invented the mechanical clock itself.

Leonardo also examined water clocks and other time-measuring devices. A sundial uses the Sun’s apparent movement, while an hourglass measures a limited interval through falling sand. Those instruments do not use the gear-and-escapement system characteristic of a mechanical clock.