The movement chimes on six bells, and is powered by a simple triple-coil wire spring via a gut line on a fusée, wound by a second gut line on the main arbor. The same arbor also carries the pinned barrel and the snails for the hour and the quarters. To prevent damage to the barrel and hammer tails during winding, the hammer-rack is pushed out of alignment with the pins by a lever operated by the complex detent which follows the smails and determines the time by a connection to some form of detector on the watch.
Clay is known to have applied for a patent for a device which could be connected to any watch, so that the time could be indicated by a bell. The Clockmakers' Company opposed the application and no patent was granted - the order is dated 20th December 1717. (Information supplied by the Orm-Hume Library of Mechanical Music & Horology). In spite of this, Clay clearly proceeded to make such a device for sale, although the present example appears to need a specially designed watch. Sadly, this is not present. The winding cord emerges from the base, and there is no provision for its use on the bracket: the entire case would need to be lifted and held firmly in one hand while the cord was pulled with the other.