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“比比谁更厉害”对于钟表擒纵而言其实是个很有争议性（或者说刁钻）的议题。船钟上用的那种冲击式擒纵在实验室那种环境（或者同等类型的环境，譬如带有水平仪的船上）能够发挥出近乎完美的水平，但是却非常不适合怀表。（因为怀表面对的环境对于那种冲击式擒纵还是太复杂了，尽管比腕表好得多）

所谓的瑞士锚式擒纵（或者马式擒纵）之所以能够成为今天（包括19世纪后期在内的近代）能够成为主流，只是因为它在实验室环境和实际使用环境中的平均性能是最佳的（当然，这种擒纵也经历了整整几个世纪的改良），而且便于批量生产和调校。更何况这种擒纵即便受到了一定程度的损伤和劳损也能够照常运作（更准确地说，具备了超负荷运行的能力），所以，马式擒纵倍受青睐。

来自德国的制表大师戈斯曼（M. Grossmann）曾经写过一本名为《有关马式擒纵的理论与实用论文》，这份文章应该能在专门的图书馆甚至公共资源处获得（譬如说免费下载），这本书专门记载了马式擒纵的应用和技术改良方案。

自马式擒纵诞生以来，来自英国和瑞士的大师们马不停蹄地进行改良此擒纵的实验，实际上就连丹尼斯也做过类似的实验，这使马式擒纵在技术进步上更臻于化境。

值得一提的是，现在的瑞士马式擒纵最起码具备以下特点：
1. 直线式布局（就擒纵叉而言）
2. 擒纵轮能量的释放和传递分开进行，齿形也改良了（自然擒纵和某些冲击式擒纵是同步进行的）
3. 擒纵叉叉石清晰可见（19世纪至20世纪初德系马式擒纵叉的叉石是隐蔽式的）
4. 双圆底盘（防止卡壳）

直线式布局提供了校正操作时最好的视野（对校表师而言），而擒纵轮能量传递和释放过程的分开则给予了擒纵本身良好的抗造性（起码能够承受一定程度的干扰而不卡壳，英式擒纵多半带有这个问题），改良后的齿形更是帮助回避了擒纵受外力干扰的问题，英式擒纵轮的那种棘轮或者点式齿形对外力干扰非常敏感。另外，现有的马式擒纵轮所用的那种齿形貌似源自宝玑的设计。


另外，叉石可见度涉及到它们是否可以被再次调整的问题，在调整擒纵叉的时候校表师会通过给叉尖表面加热的方法使叉石变松从而使调校工作变得更容易。 在调校英国表的时候就难多了，叉石必须被完全从擒纵叉移除。

双圆盘这种设计是瑞士钟表技术发展中最有实用性的设计之一，好处在于缩小擒纵活动的收放范围和半径，节省能量；不好的地方在于，擒纵的末端负担加大，而且降低整个系统的工作效率。因此，只装备单圆盘的机心往往在竞赛中夺魁（因为在静态环境中单圆盘结构更有优势）。单圆盘的优势和劣势跟双圆盘恰好相反，安全性和可靠性上远没有双圆盘好，但是系统效率高。美国铁路表普遍装备双圆盘是因为厂家相信这种结构更适合复杂多变的铁路环境。

这段历史曲折，复杂得超出很多人的想象，幸好相当一部分资料记载得相当翔实。

接下来再说说别的：
戈斯曼（Grossmann）的理论非常优秀而且易懂，更何况他的著作可获得性很高，但是对于“瑞士马式擒纵”这一名词的诞生年份可能存在缪误（原作说是1869年，实际上应该是1890年代）。 Kemp的“英式芝麻链马式擒纵表”（The English Fusse Lever Watch） 一书中也有很多有关马式擒纵进化史的内容而且在年份上更精确，这本书很珍贵，但值得去找。

除了瑞士擒纵，最常见的擒纵无非就是丹尼斯的同轴擒纵，UN的双向擒纵（已经没有应用在新款上）和AP的罗宾擒纵（只用在本品牌的顶级表款上），这些另类的擒纵估计不会有太大的作为，毕竟它们的应用范围和时间不如马式擒纵，而且是否成功还需要历史证明（在机械钟表饰品化，奢侈化大行其道的今天，估计这些擒纵的用武之地也就是制造噱头和配合所谓文化宣传而已。）此外，这些擒纵大多数充其量只是马式擒纵的基础上演变而来的变种而已（双向擒纵除外）。

此外，筒式擒纵（Cylinder），美式复式擒纵和英式马式擒纵在19世纪结束后还苟活到了二战结束以后，但都是以小批量生产的形式延续自己的生命。值得一提的是，格拉苏堤风格的马式擒纵（叉石为嵌入式）直到今天还有品牌生产，只是非常少见；而马式擒纵的另一种变体——狄龙擒纵（DeLong Escapement）除了被应用在麦因塔的表款上，则被用于某些伊利诺斯和波尔表的款式中（详细款式型号不详），最后被应用在大批量生产的天美时（TIMEX）表款中。

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If he went through a classic apprenticeship program, he would have started at the age of 14 and served 7 years. That would make him a journeyman at the age of 21. Typically, for someone with his obvious talents, he would have been a master 5 or 6 years later. However, it seems he got involved in politics, so that may have deferred his education and development. I have never heard of any work he produced before coming to the U.S. nor have I heard who his master may have been.

It is possible that he was self taught and his work might support that view. It is highly idiosyncratic. This view is supported by Paul Chamberlain's account in It's About Time where Fasoldt is described as having the rank of Captain in the 19th Regiment of the Revolutionary Army. However, he was born in Dresden and his son's obituary states that he, Otto H. Fasoldt, was the 3rd generation of watchmakers in his family, which implies that Charles' father was also a watchmaker.

Fasoldt had a rather large operation in Albany, NY with 50 employees according to Chamberlain. He was engaged in many different technical enterprises in addition to watchmaking. His optics were likely more significant at the time with the ability to produce 12,000 lines/inch diffraction gratings.

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I have a Hamilton 950B which is very good and a vintage Vacheron and Constantin made for the railroad trade that are very good. I have not rate many of them because it is time consuming. My Gruen up down is also very good. I rate them by comparing them daily and calculating the variance. I am primarily concerned with constant rate rather than what it is.

English keyless fusee watches have a lot of the winding built into the case. I have a recased Kullberg that is a very respectable in rate. The trick there is that to run reliably in the pocket the crown has to disconnect unless it is being wound. most of this is under the dial but there are often buttons that have to operated to wind and set.

You can get superb timekeeping for well under $1000. Hamilton 992B's and 950b's are very very good. In the $5k and up range you are getting exotic and rare. All the high end Swiss stuff in good reapir is very good and if you get a watch with a Kew A certificate or a First Class bulletin. If I had $25K to spend I'd get a Patek or Vacheron competition watch and have it overhauled and regulated by them. TheEnglish stuff of that era is almost as good but the makers are now long gone, although the current Frodsham people seem to be well regarded so a Kew rate Frodsham is also a candidate.

Modern mechanical wrist watches are also very good.