Chelsea Ship's Bell Chime

Hear the Chelsea Ship’s Bell Eight-bell watch

Every half hour adds a bell - reaching eight bells at 4, 8, and 12 o’clock.

What the eight bells mean

At sea, time is kept in four-hour “watches.” A bell is struck every 30 minutes, adding one each half hour; eight bells marks the end of the watch (12, 4, and 8 o’clock).

Bells	Times heard	Note
1 bell	12:30, 4:30, 8:30	First half-hour
2 bells	1:00, 5:00, 9:00	1 hour
3 bells	1:30, 5:30, 9:30
4 bells	2:00, 6:00, 10:00	2 hours
5 bells	2:30, 6:30, 10:30
6 bells	3:00, 7:00, 11:00	3 hours
7 bells	3:30, 7:30, 11:30
8 bells	4:00, 8:00, 12:00	End of watch

🔊 Hear the full sequence

Individual strikes

1 bell

2 bells

3 bells

4 bells

5 bells

6 bells

7 bells

8 bells

📖 The story behind the eight-bell watch

At sea, time is divided into four-hour “watches.” A bell is struck every thirty minutes— one bell at the first half-hour, then adding a bell each half-hour until eight bells marks the end of the watch (12, 4, and 8 o’clock). The system let every sailor know the time by sound, even off the clock or below deck.

Traditional watch schedule

First Watch — 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Mid-Watch (Black Watch) — 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.
Morning Watch — 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Forenoon Watch — 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Afternoon Watch — 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Evening Watch — 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Chelsea’s Ship’s Bell clocks preserve this maritime tradition at home: the mechanism strikes the same authentic sequence you’d hear aboard ship.

Shop the Ship’s Bell Collection