Watch
Time · Also called: dog watch, bell
That is
4 h
1 watch (watch)
The other way round: 1 h is 0.25 watches.
- Period: 17th century to today
- Region: the UK
- Goods: ships
Values
| Value | That is | Period | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| watch | 4 h | 17th century to today | ships · the UK |
| dog watch | 2 h | 17th century to today | ships · the UK |
| bell | 30 min | 17th century to today | ships · the UK |
What the unit was used for
The day at sea was cut into four-hour watches: first watch from 20.00 to midnight, middle watch to 04.00, morning watch to 08.00, forenoon watch to noon and afternoon watch to 16.00.
The stretch from 16.00 to 20.00 was split into two two-hour dog watches, which makes the number of watches odd so that nobody keeps the same watch every day.
A mariner worked four hours and rested four, a pattern of broken sleep quite unlike life ashore.
Time inside a watch was marked by the ship’s bell, struck every half hour and counted up to eight bells at the end of the watch, which is why eight bells means both the end of a watch and the end of a life.
The half hour itself was kept by a sandglass, turned by the watch on duty.
In the system
7 watches in 24 hours; 8 bells = 1 watch