Quarter bells are the bells that the

clock A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure 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 such as the day, the lunar month and the ...

mechanism strikes on each passing quarter of the hour. Often, as in the case of

Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The officia ...

, a different tune is played for each quarter. This enables people to be able to tell the time, without actually having to be within sight of the clock face.

See also