diff --git a/odoo/service/server.py b/odoo/service/server.py
index 516b97652a9..fd1566c4431 100644
--- a/odoo/service/server.py
+++ b/odoo/service/server.py
@@ -25,9 +25,25 @@ if os.name == 'posix':
     import fcntl
     import resource
     import psutil
+    try:
+        import inotify
+        from inotify.adapters import InotifyTrees
+        from inotify.constants import IN_MODIFY, IN_CREATE, IN_MOVED_TO
+        INOTIFY_LISTEN_EVENTS = IN_MODIFY | IN_CREATE | IN_MOVED_TO
+    except ImportError:
+        inotify = None
 else:
     # Windows shim
     signal.SIGHUP = -1
+    inotify = None
+
+if not inotify:
+    try:
+        import watchdog
+        from watchdog.observers import Observer
+        from watchdog.events import FileCreatedEvent, FileModifiedEvent, FileMovedEvent
+    except ImportError:
+        watchdog = None
 
 # Optional process names for workers
 try:
@@ -43,13 +59,6 @@ from odoo.tools import stripped_sys_argv, dumpstacks, log_ormcache_stats
 
 _logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-try:
-    import watchdog
-    from watchdog.observers import Observer
-    from watchdog.events import FileCreatedEvent, FileModifiedEvent, FileMovedEvent
-except ImportError:
-    watchdog = None
-
 SLEEP_INTERVAL = 60     # 1 min
 
 def memory_info(process):
@@ -119,7 +128,25 @@ class ThreadedWSGIServerReloadable(LoggingBaseWSGIServerMixIn, werkzeug.serving.
 #----------------------------------------------------------
 # FileSystem Watcher for autoreload and cache invalidation
 #----------------------------------------------------------
-class FSWatcher(object):
+class FSWatcherBase(object):
+    def handle_file(self, path):
+        if path.endswith('.py') and not os.path.basename(path).startswith('.~'):
+            try:
+                # Forward-ports: watch out PY3 compatibility!
+                source = open(path, 'rb').read() + '\n'
+                compile(source, path, 'exec')
+            except IOError:
+                _logger.error('autoreload: python code change detected, IOError for %s', path)
+            except SyntaxError:
+                _logger.error('autoreload: python code change detected, SyntaxError in %s', path)
+            else:
+                if not getattr(odoo, 'phoenix', False):
+                    _logger.info('autoreload: python code updated, autoreload activated')
+                    restart()
+                    return True
+
+
+class FSWatcherWatchdog(FSWatcherBase):
     def __init__(self):
         self.observer = Observer()
         for path in odoo.modules.module.ad_paths:
@@ -130,27 +157,60 @@ class FSWatcher(object):
         if isinstance(event, (FileCreatedEvent, FileModifiedEvent, FileMovedEvent)):
             if not event.is_directory:
                 path = getattr(event, 'dest_path', event.src_path)
-                if path.endswith('.py') and not os.path.basename(path).startswith('.~'):
-                    try:
-                        source = open(path, 'rb').read() + '\n'
-                        compile(source, path, 'exec')
-                    except IOError:
-                        _logger.error('autoreload: python code change detected, IOError for %s', path)
-                    except SyntaxError:
-                        _logger.error('autoreload: python code change detected, SyntaxError in %s', path)
-                    else:
-                        if not getattr(odoo, 'phoenix', False):
-                            _logger.info('autoreload: python code updated, autoreload activated')
-                            restart()
+                self.handle_file(path)
 
     def start(self):
         self.observer.start()
-        _logger.info('AutoReload watcher running')
+        _logger.info('AutoReload watcher running with watchdog')
 
     def stop(self):
         self.observer.stop()
         self.observer.join()
 
+
+class FSWatcherInotify(FSWatcherBase):
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.started = False
+        # ignore warnings from inotify in case we have duplicate addons paths.
+        inotify.adapters._LOGGER.setLevel(logging.ERROR)
+        # recreate a list as InotifyTrees' __init__ deletes the list's items
+        paths_to_watch = []
+        for path in odoo.modules.module.ad_paths:
+            paths_to_watch.append(path)
+            _logger.info('Watching addons folder %s', path)
+        self.watcher = InotifyTrees(paths_to_watch, mask=INOTIFY_LISTEN_EVENTS, block_duration_s=.5)
+
+    def run(self):
+        _logger.info('AutoReload watcher running with inotify')
+        dir_creation_events = set(('IN_MOVED_TO', 'IN_CREATE'))
+        while self.started:
+            for event in self.watcher.event_gen(timeout_s=0, yield_nones=False):
+                (_, type_names, path, filename) = event
+                if 'IN_ISDIR' not in type_names:
+                    # despite not having IN_DELETE in the watcher's mask, the
+                    # watcher sends these events when a directory is deleted.
+                    if 'IN_DELETE' not in type_names:
+                        full_path = os.path.join(path, filename)
+                        if self.handle_file(full_path):
+                            return
+                elif dir_creation_events.intersection(type_names):
+                    full_path = os.path.join(path, filename)
+                    for root, _, files in os.walk(full_path):
+                        for file in files:
+                            if self.handle_file(os.path.join(root, file)):
+                                return
+
+    def start(self):
+        self.started = True
+        self.thread = threading.Thread(target=self.run, name="odoo.service.autoreload.watcher")
+        self.thread.setDaemon(True)
+        self.thread.start()
+
+    def stop(self):
+        self.started = False
+        self.thread.join()
+
+
 #----------------------------------------------------------
 # Servers: Threaded, Gevented and Prefork
 #----------------------------------------------------------
@@ -942,11 +1002,18 @@ def start(preload=None, stop=False):
 
     watcher = None
     if 'reload' in config['dev_mode'] and not odoo.evented:
-        if watchdog:
-            watcher = FSWatcher()
+        if inotify:
+            watcher = FSWatcherInotify()
+            watcher.start()
+        elif watchdog:
+            watcher = FSWatcherWatchdog()
             watcher.start()
         else:
-            _logger.warning("'watchdog' module not installed. Code autoreload feature is disabled")
+            if os.name == 'posix' and platform.system() != 'Darwin':
+                module = 'inotify'
+            else:
+                module = 'watchdog'
+            _logger.warning("'%s' module not installed. Code autoreload feature is disabled", module)
     if 'werkzeug' in config['dev_mode']:
         server.app = DebuggedApplication(server.app, evalex=True)