hairspring

noun

hair·​spring ˈher-ˌspriŋ 

: a slender spiraled recoil spring that regulates the motion of the balance wheel of a timepiece

Examples of hairspring in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The balance wheel is fitted with eight gold weights, while the hairspring features a Breguet overcoil, for example. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Jan. 2026

The Geneva Watch Days saw the introduction of the TH-Carbonspring, a patented proprietary carbon hairsprings innovation a decade in the making by the Tag Heuer Lab in-house research and development hub. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025

The movement also features an oversized silicon balance wheel and silicon hairspring manufactured at SIGATEC, Ulysse Nardin’s silicon production facility. — Anthony Demarco, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hairspring

• bowstring
• coiling
• downswing
• drawstring
• forewing
• hamstring
• lapwing
• mainspring
• offspring
• plaything
• shoestring
• texting

Kids Definition

hairspring

noun

hair·​spring -ˌspriŋ 

: a slender coiled spring that regulates the motion of the balance wheel in a timepiece