Watch vs. Clock

Main Difference

The main difference between Watch and Clock is that the Watch is a personal timepiece and Clock is a instrument that measures the passage of time

• Watch

  A watch is a timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep working despite the motions caused by the person’s activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or other type of bracelet. A pocket watch is designed for a person to carry in a pocket.

  Watches progressed in the 17th century from spring-powered clocks, which appeared as early as the 14th century. During most of its history the watch was a mechanical device, driven by clockwork, powered by winding a mainspring, and keeping time with an oscillating balance wheel. In the 1960s the electronic quartz watch was invented, which was powered by a battery and kept time with a vibrating quartz crystal. By the 1980s the quartz watch had taken over most of the market from the mechanical watch.

  Today most watches that are inexpensive and medium-priced, used mainly for timekeeping, have quartz movements. Expensive collectible watches, valued more for their elaborate craftsmanship, aesthetic appeal and glamorous design than for simple timekeeping, often have traditional mechanical movements, even though they are less accurate and more expensive than electronic ones. Various extra features, called “complications”, such as moon-phase displays and the different types of tourbillon, are sometimes included. Modern watches often display the day, date, month and year, and electronic watches may have many other functions. Time-related features such as timers, chronographs and alarm functions are common. Some modern designs incorporate calculators, GPS and Bluetooth technology or have heart-rate monitoring capabilities. Some watches use radio clock technology to regularly correct the time.

  Developments in the 2010s include smartwatches, which are elaborate computer-like electronic devices designed to be worn on a wrist. They generally incorporate timekeeping functions, but these are only a small subset of the smartwatch’s facilities.

  The study of timekeeping is known as horology.

• Clock

  A clock is a device used to measure, keep, and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units: the day, the lunar month, and the year. Devices operating on several physical processes have been used over the millennia.

  Some predecessors to the modern clock may be considered as “clocks” that are based on movement in nature: A sundial shows the time by displaying the position of a shadow on a flat surface. There is a range of duration timers, a well-known example being the hourglass. Water clocks, along with the sundials, are possibly the oldest time-measuring instruments. A major advance occurred with the invention of the verge escapement, which made possible the first mechanical clocks around 1300 in Europe, which kept time with oscillating timekeepers like balance wheels.Traditionally in horology, the term clock was used for a striking clock, while a clock that did not strike the hours audibly was called a timepiece. In general usage today, a “clock” refers to any device for measuring and displaying the time. Watches and other timepieces that can be carried on one’s person are often distinguished from clocks.

  Spring-driven clocks appeared during the 15th century. During the 15th and 16th centuries, clockmaking flourished. The next development in accuracy occurred after 1656 with the invention of the pendulum clock by Christiaan Huygens. A major stimulus to improving the accuracy and reliability of clocks was the importance of precise time-keeping for navigation. The electric clock was patented in 1840. The development of electronics in the 20th century led to clocks with no clockwork parts at all.

  The timekeeping element in every modern clock is a harmonic oscillator, a physical object (resonator) that vibrates or oscillates at a particular frequency.

  This object can be a pendulum, a tuning fork, a quartz crystal, or the vibration of electrons in atoms as they emit microwaves.

  Clocks have different ways of displaying the time. Analog clocks indicate time with a traditional clock face, with moving hands. Digital clocks display a numeric representation of time. Two numbering systems are in use; 24-hour time notation and 12-hour notation. Most digital clocks use electronic mechanisms and LCD, LED, or VFD displays. For the blind and use over telephones, speaking clocks state the time audibly in words. There are also clocks for the blind that have displays that can be read by touch. The study of timekeeping is known as horology.

• Watch (verb)

  look at or observe attentively over a period of time

  “as she watched, two women came into the garden”

  “Lucy watched him go”

  “everyone stopped to watch what was going on”

• Watch (verb)

  keep under careful, protective, or secret observation

  “he told me my telephones were tapped and that I was being watched”

  “there aren’t enough staff to watch him properly”

• Watch (verb)

  observe and guard in a protective way

  “I guess I can rest a while, with you here to watch over me”

• Watch (verb)

  follow closely or maintain an interest in

  “the girls watched the development of this relationship with incredulity”

• Watch (verb)

  exercise care, caution, or restraint about

  “you should watch what you say!”

  “most women watch their diet during pregnancy”

• Watch (verb)

  look out or be on the alert for

  “in spring and summer, watch for kingfishers”

  “watch out for broken glass”

• Watch (verb)

  be careful

  “credit-card fraud is on the increase, so watch out”

• Watch (verb)

  be careful (used as a warning or threat)

  “if anyone finds out, you’re dead meat, so watch it”

• Watch (verb)

  remain awake for the purpose of religious observance

  “she watched whole nights in the church”

• Watch (noun)

  a small timepiece worn typically on a strap on one’s wrist

  “my watch had stopped”

• Watch (noun)

  an act or instance of carefully observing someone or something over a period of time

  “the security forces have been keeping a close watch on our activities”

• Watch (noun)

  a period during which a person is stationed to look out for danger or trouble, typically at night

  “Murray took the last watch before dawn”

• Watch (noun)

  a fixed period of duty on a ship, usually lasting four hours

  “sea air, lots of exercise, and four-hour watches give everyone a healthy appetite”

• Watch (noun)

  the officers and crew on duty during a watch.

• Watch (noun)

  a shift worked by firefighters or police officers

  “the men of Red Watch at Kingsland Fire Station”

• Watch (noun)

  a watchman or group of watchmen who patrolled and guarded the streets of a town before the introduction of the police force

  “the woman, with a piercing shriek, called the watch”

• Watch (noun)

  a film or programme considered in terms of its appeal to the public

  “this movie’s an engrossing watch”

• Watch (noun)

  a flock of nightingales

  “a watch of nightingales began flying south”