Many people ask us, “What is a regulator clock?” It is an excellent question, but one difficult to answer.
Historically Speaking
Even the preeminent horologist Derek Roberts admitted as much in his stunning volume Precision Pendulum Clocks: The Quest for Accurate Time Keeping. He wrote in his introduction:
“The term ‘regulator’ is such a confusing one . . . Many authorities would insist that any clock so described must have a “regulator dial layout” or, as some would say an ‘Astro,’ or Astronomical dial, by which is meant a center sweep minute hand and a separate seconds and hour rings, usually placed below 12 o’clock and above 6 o’clock . . . ”