escape wheel

American  

noun

Horology.

1. a toothed wheel for regulating a going train to which it is geared, engaging intermittently with the pallets of a pendulum or balance mechanism in such a way as to cause the mechanism to oscillate rhythmically, and in so doing free the going train for part of each oscillation.

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escape wheel British  

noun

1. Also called: scapewheel.  horology a toothed wheel that engages intermittently with a balance wheel or pendulum, causing the mechanism to oscillate and thereby moving the hands of a clock or watch

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Etymology

Origin of escape wheel

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The first tangible result was an escape wheel made of a silicon derivative presented in 2005.

From Forbes

Additionally, if you look closely, you will find an escape wheel and pallets made of solid hardened gold.

From Forbes

Through this pinion motion is imparted to the escape wheel and balance, where the rate of the watch is controlled.

From Project Gutenberg

Our object will be to explain the whys and wherefores of this escapement, and we will at once begin with the number of teeth in the escape wheel.

From Project Gutenberg

It should be borne in mind in connection with "lock" and "draw," that the line of thrust as projected from the locked tooth of the escape wheel should be as near tangential as practicable.

From Project Gutenberg