balance wheel

American  

noun

Horology.

1. balance.

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balance wheel British  

noun

1. a wheel oscillating against the hairspring of a timepiece, thereby regulating its beat

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Etymology

Origin of balance wheel

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

I observed with special delight as a watchmaker inserted a balance wheel into a new watch, and it came to life for the first time.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 13, 2017

In bad times, states often use their higher education funds as the balance wheel to keep their budget in order.

From New York Times • Aug. 13, 2015

Just as gravity controls the swinging oscillation of a pendulum in clocks, this spring regulates the rotary oscillation of a balance wheel in portable timepieces.

From Scientific American • Dec. 31, 2011

A balance wheel is a finely balanced disk that rotates fully one way and then the other, repeating the cycle over and over.

From Scientific American • Dec. 31, 2011

Some balance wheel was misweighted, some gear out of ratio.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck