Con′trate-wheel.
A crown-wheel or face,--wheel, in a watch. Also known as the fourth wheel. Its cogs project perpendicularly to the plane of the wheel. It gave a name to the old vertical or verge movement, in clocks and watches, where a crownwheel is placed in engagement with the pinion on the arbor of the escape-wheel, in order to bring into horizontal position in the clock the arbors of all except the escape-wheel. The anchor pallet has put the contrate-wheel out of use in clock escapements, and the lever and other movements have superseded the old vertical movement in watches.