A Watch is a small portable device which displays the current time. 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 watches include:
This is an article from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 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.)
From Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Naval[?] ships divide the day into four-hour watches, or on-duty periods.