diff --git a/src/util/config.spec.ts b/src/util/config.spec.ts
index d6ee6f1e..94e394d1 100644
--- a/src/util/config.spec.ts
+++ b/src/util/config.spec.ts
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ describe('config', () => {
       expect(fakeConfig[Constants.ENV_BAIL_ON_LINT_ERROR]).toBeFalsy();
       expect(fakeConfig[Constants.ENV_ENABLE_LINT]).toEqual('true');
       expect(fakeConfig[Constants.ENV_DISABLE_LOGGING]).toBeFalsy();
+      expect(fakeConfig[Constants.ENV_START_WATCH_TIMEOUT]).toEqual('3000');
 
       expect(fakeConfig[Constants.ENV_ACTION_SHEET_CONTROLLER_CLASSNAME]).toEqual('ActionSheetController');
       expect(fakeConfig[Constants.ENV_ACTION_SHEET_CONTROLLER_PATH]).toEqual(join(context.ionicAngularDir, 'components', 'action-sheet', 'action-sheet-controller.js'));
diff --git a/src/util/config.ts b/src/util/config.ts
index e38d2cff..9bbbb5b8 100644
--- a/src/util/config.ts
+++ b/src/util/config.ts
@@ -197,6 +197,10 @@ export function generateContext(context?: BuildContext): BuildContext {
   setProcessEnvVar(Constants.ENV_DISABLE_LOGGING, disableLogging);
   Logger.debug(`disableLogging set to ${disableLogging}`);
 
+  const startWatchTimeout = getConfigValue(context, '--startWatchTimeout', null, Constants.ENV_START_WATCH_TIMEOUT, Constants.ENV_START_WATCH_TIMEOUT.toLowerCase(), '3000');
+  setProcessEnvVar(Constants.ENV_START_WATCH_TIMEOUT, startWatchTimeout);
+  Logger.debug(`startWatchTimeout set to ${startWatchTimeout}`);
+
   /* Provider Path Stuff */
   setProcessEnvVar(Constants.ENV_ACTION_SHEET_CONTROLLER_CLASSNAME, 'ActionSheetController');
   setProcessEnvVar(Constants.ENV_ACTION_SHEET_CONTROLLER_PATH, join(context.ionicAngularDir, 'components', 'action-sheet', 'action-sheet-controller.js'));
diff --git a/src/util/constants.ts b/src/util/constants.ts
index 83fa9822..7d1edd39 100644
--- a/src/util/constants.ts
+++ b/src/util/constants.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ export const ENV_GLOB_UTIL = 'IONIC_GLOB_UTIL';
 export const ENV_CLEAN_BEFORE_COPY = 'IONIC_CLEAN_BEFORE_COPY';
 export const ENV_CLOSURE_JAR = 'IONIC_CLOSURE_JAR';
 export const ENV_READ_CONFIG_JSON = 'IONIC_READ_CONFIG_JSON';
-
 export const ENV_OUTPUT_JS_FILE_NAME = 'IONIC_OUTPUT_JS_FILE_NAME';
 export const ENV_OUTPUT_CSS_FILE_NAME = 'IONIC_OUTPUT_CSS_FILE_NAME';
 export const ENV_WEBPACK_FACTORY = 'IONIC_WEBPACK_FACTORY';
@@ -50,6 +49,7 @@ export const ENV_BAIL_ON_LINT_ERROR = 'IONIC_BAIL_ON_LINT_ERROR';
 export const ENV_BUILD_TO_ES5 = 'IONIC_BUILD_TO_ES5';
 export const ENV_ENABLE_LINT = 'IONIC_ENABLE_LINT';
 export const ENV_DISABLE_LOGGING = 'IONIC_DISABLE_LOGGING';
+export const ENV_START_WATCH_TIMEOUT = 'IONIC_START_WATCH_TIMEOUT';
 
 export const ENV_PRINT_ORIGINAL_DEPENDENCY_TREE = 'IONIC_PRINT_ORIGINAL_DEPENDENCY_TREE';
 export const ENV_PRINT_MODIFIED_DEPENDENCY_TREE = 'IONIC_PRINT_MODIFIED_DEPENDENCY_TREE';
diff --git a/src/util/helpers.ts b/src/util/helpers.ts
index 399059c4..d7050d29 100644
--- a/src/util/helpers.ts
+++ b/src/util/helpers.ts
@@ -265,6 +265,11 @@ export function generateRandomHexString(numCharacters: number) {
   return randomBytes(Math.ceil(numCharacters / 2)).toString('hex').slice(0, numCharacters);
 }
 
+export function getIntPropertyValue(propertyName: string) {
+  const result = process.env[propertyName];
+  return parseInt(result, 0);
+}
+
 export function getBooleanPropertyValue(propertyName: string) {
   const result = process.env[propertyName];
   return result === 'true';
diff --git a/src/watch.ts b/src/watch.ts
index d3a8000e..541d1ee0 100644
--- a/src/watch.ts
+++ b/src/watch.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
+import { extname, join, normalize, resolve as pathResolve } from 'path';
+
+import * as chokidar from 'chokidar';
+
 import * as buildTask from './build';
 import { copyUpdate as copyUpdateHandler} from './copy';
-import { BuildContext, BuildState, ChangedFile, TaskInfo } from './util/interfaces';
-import { BuildError } from './util/errors';
+import { Logger } from './logger/logger';
 import { canRunTranspileUpdate } from './transpile';
 import { fillConfigDefaults, getUserConfigFile, replacePathVars } from './util/config';
-import { extname, join, normalize, resolve as pathResolve } from 'path';
-import { Logger } from './logger/logger';
-import * as chokidar from 'chokidar';
+import * as Constants from './util/constants';
+import { BuildError } from './util/errors';
+import { getIntPropertyValue } from './util/helpers';
+import { BuildContext, BuildState, ChangedFile, TaskInfo } from './util/interfaces';
 
 
 // https://github.com/paulmillr/chokidar
@@ -77,7 +81,7 @@ function startWatcher(name: string, watcher: Watcher, context: BuildContext) {
         filesWatchedString = watcher.paths.join(', ');
       }
       reject(new BuildError(`A watch configured to watch the following paths failed to start. It likely that a file referenced does not exist: ${filesWatchedString}`));
-    }, 3000);
+    }, getIntPropertyValue(Constants.ENV_START_WATCH_TIMEOUT));
     prepareWatcher(context, watcher);
 
     if (!watcher.paths) {