Pendulum, particularly for use in a clock

A pendulum, comprising:

• a movable body connected to a stationary supporting structure for oscillation in a vertical plane fixed relative to said supporting structure, in an angular field of oscillation extending around an intermediate angular position of rest, and
• a control and stabilization system for controlling and stabilizing an amplitude of oscillation of the movable body, including
• a braking device for damping oscillatory motion of the movable body, comprising a permanent magnet attached to the movable body and at least one stationary electrically conductive element arranged in a fixed position relative to said supporting structure in proximity of a position of reversal of motion of the movable body and having a horizontal edge which intersects a plane of oscillation of the movable body, so that when the movable body approaches said position of reversal of motion a magnetic flux generated by the magnet starts to induce in the conductive element eddy currents determining a braking of the motion of the movable body;
• and
• a maintaining system for maintaining the oscillation of the movable body, including
• an actuator device designed to impart successive accelerations to the movable body,
• a sensor device designed to provide an indication of the position and/or velocity of the movable body in the field of oscillation, and
• driving means arranged to acquire indications from the sensor device and drive the actuator device in a predetermined manner;
• wherein the position of the magnet on the movable body and the position of the at least one conductive element relative to the supporting structure are such that in operation a quality factor of the pendulum is substantially proportional to an inverse of a power, equal to or greater than the square, of the amplitude of oscillation of the movable body when said amplitude is close to a desired amplitude of oscillation.