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Watch rotation timer

Countdown timer for the standing watch. Pick a preset (4-on/8-off bridge watch, 6-on/6-off coastal, or custom) or enter your own length. The timer runs in this browser tab; if you grant notification permission, you'll get a Web Notification when the watch ends, even if the tab is in the background.

Useful for keeping a private clock when you're a few minutes ahead of the official handover, or for tracking rest hours under STCW VIII (10 hours rest in 24, 77 in 7). For the rest-hours framework see /reference/watchkeeping.

Notifications work in modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge). On iOS, notifications require a Home-screen-installed PWA.

When to use this tool

Bridge deck watch on 4-on/8-off rotation (standard STCW deep-sea) or 6-on/6-off (coastal + smaller vessels) when the ship's clock hand-over doesn't align neatly to your relief timing. Useful for the OOW keeping a private countdown during the last hour of watch to prep the log + fuel-consumption + weather-obs entries. Also useful to track your own hours-of-rest accumulation against the STCW VIII minimum of 10 in any 24-hour period.

Worked example

Scenario: You're the 3rd Officer on a Panamax bulker. Watch is 08:00-12:00 + 20:00-24:00. You want to prep the noon report starting 20 minutes before hand-over.

Setup: Select the 4-hour preset. Start the timer at 08:00. Expect it to ring at 11:40 (with a 20-minute early-alert configured). At 11:40 begin the noon report. At 12:00 the timer zeros — hand over to the 2nd Officer. Restart for the 20:00-24:00 watch after your afternoon rest.

Regulatory basis

STCW VIII/1 (rest periods): minimum 10 hours in any 24-hour period + minimum 77 hours in any 7-day period. MLC 2006 Standard A2.3.5 mirrors the STCW rest-hour minimums. The watch-timer helps track compliance but does NOT constitute the official rest-hours record — you still need the ship's hours-of-rest logbook + monthly summary sheet. See /reference/hours-of-restfor the validator.

See also