Familiar to millions of moviegoers and one of the worlds ten most visited tourist attractions, Grand Central hosts two magnificent clocks. The 18 sided Main Concourse information booth is topped by a brass sphere with four 24 inch clock faces. These are made from opalescent glass and were for years rumoured to be pure opal worth millions of pounds. One is a 1990s replica, replacing the original face damaged by a police bullet in 1968 during a chase through the station. The clock itself is set to the United States Naval Observatory’s atomic clock and accurate to one billionth of a second. The south façade of the building facing the world famous 42nd Street, boasts a 13 foot wide clock face. Surrounded by a 48 foot wide sculpture depicting Minerva, Hercules and Hermes, the clock face itself is the worlds largest example of Tiffany Glass.
The red brick Spasskaya Tower stands over the gates to Red Square and is the official entrance to the Kremlin. Since the 16th century it has housed several iterations of the Moscow Clock, including one bought by Peter The Great which took 30 wagons to transport. Nine bells, weighing between 705 lbs and 4,700 lbs ring the chimes, many of them decorated with religious icons and bas reliefs. These were supplemented in 1995 with three metal beats to allow the clock to play the Soviet national anthem. The current face is an exact copy of the original, restored in 1932 using 28 kg of gold to cover the numerals and hands. Each New Years Eve, millions of Russians watch the president give his Ney Year speech just before the clock rings in the new year for all of Russia.
Located on the Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Germany, the Urania World Clock stands on the site of a wrecked pre 1940s clock discovered in 1966. It was opened to the public in 1969 to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the GDR. Standing over 10 metres high, its design could not be further from a traditional clock tower. Above a stone mosaic depicting a compass rose stands a 2.7 metre column with four attached clock faces. This is surmounted by a 24 sided drum, with each face representing a world time zone. 148 cities are listed according to time zone and a numbered cylinder rotates in the middle. By observing the relevant time zone and its position relative to the numbered column, the approximate time for a listed city can be measured. The whole structure is topped by a steel model of the solar system which rotates once each minute.
Originally built in 1410, this is mounted on the southern wall of the Old Town Hall in the Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and thought to be the oldest operational clock in existence. Its astronomical dial has 21 different functions, including movement of the moon, lunar phase and position of the sun through the day. Four animated figures representing Death, Vanity, Lust and Greed flank the clock face, moving in response to Death ringing a bell on the hour. Additionally, each hour two shuttered windows above the face open and painted statues of the twelve Apostles move in procession past them. During renovation in 2018, an electric mechanism from the 1940s was replaced by an original 1860s clockwork mechanism.
Probably the world’s most famous clock, Big Ben is instantly recognisable and a symbol of Britain to the world. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987, it was completed in its distinctive neo-Gothic style in 1859. The name technically refers to the largest of the five bells housed in the clock tower. This was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. At 315 feet tall, it was the largest four faced chiming clock in the world when completed. It was also the most accurate clock of its kind and the original Victorian mechanism is still in use. Although silent at the moment, renovations will be completed in 2021 and the distinctive chimes will ring out again.