Watch
A watch is a small portable clock which displays the current time. Until the advent of digital (quartz) watches, only purely mechanical timepieces were used. There are wrist watches and pocket watches. Watches may be collectible; they are often made of precious metals, and can be considered an article of jewelry.
Prominent makers of mechanical watches include:
Watch (timepiece)
A wristwatch.
Prominent makers of digital watches include:
The science of timekeeping, clocks and watches is horology.
Watch (period of duty)
Naval ships divide the day into four-hour watches, or on-duty periods. See ship's bells.
The term in general use can mean any period of duty or responsibility.
An article from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) This article is written from a nineteenth century Christian viewpoint, and may not reflect modern opinions or recent discoveries in Biblical scholarship. Please help the Wikipedia by bringing this article up to date.
Watches - the periods into which the time between sunset and sunrise was divided. They are so called because watchmen relieved each other at each of these periods. There are frequent references in Scripture to the duties of watchmen who were appointed to give notice of the approach of an enemy (2 Sam. 18:24-27; 2 Kings 9:17-20; Isa. 21:5-9). They were sometimes placed for this purpose on watch-towers (2 Kings 17:9; 18:8). Ministers or teachers are also spoken of under this title (Jer. 6:17; Ezek. 33:2-9; Heb. 13:17).
The watches of the night were originally three in number, (1) "the beginning of the watches" (Lam. 2:19); (2) "the middle watch" (Judg. 7:19); and (3) "the morning watch" (Ex. 14:24; 1 Sam. 11:11), which extended from two o'clock to sunrise. But in the New Testament we read of four watches, a division probably introduced by the Romans (Matt. 14:25; Mark 6:48; Luke 12:38). (See DAY.)
