 In 1833, he moved to Thames Ditton.He travelled to the Azores in 1842, spending three months collecting botanical specimens from four of the larger islands, while serving at his own expense as ship's botanist for the "Styx" under the command of Captain Vidal.Watson edited the "Phrenological Journal" from 1837 to 1840 and the "London Catalogue of British Plants" from 1844 to 1874.