| One account of the origin of the word "watch" suggests that it came from the Old English word woecce which meant "watchman" , because town watchmen [ when? ] used watches to keep track of their shifts. [ 2 ] [ need quotation to verify ] Another theory surmises that the term came from 17th-century sailors, who used the new mechanisms to time the length of their s hipboard watches (duty shifts). [ 3 ] originally mechanical devices, have evolved from 14th-century clocks to sophisticated smartwatches . Early watches were driven by clockwork and a mainspring, while modern watches utilize quartz or electronic movements, often incorporating digital displays and advanced featureres clock-watches' were fastened to clothing or worn on a ...