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A "going barrel" is a component in a watch or clock. It's a type of mainspring barrel that has teeth on its outer edge. These teeth are used to drive the watch's gear train. The barrel is mounted on a stationary arbor, meaning it only moves when the watch is being wound.1

In modern mechanical watches, the going barrel directly drives the gear train and has replaced older mechanisms like the fusee. This design helps ensure good timekeeping by minimizing variations in the force from the mainspring.2

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  1. going barrel
  2. watch

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