Whilst people are easily able to change the watches they wear, public clocks are a much more permanent collective expression of the human desire to know the time.
Throughout history, clock faces have often been the place where societies have shown their eccentricities and despite the growth in other ways to tell the time, these expressions of ambition, tradition and sometimes even fun, continue to be built.
Known in German as the Weltzeituhr, this communist-era clock in the heart of the cities Eastern district is suggestive of the heavily promoted concept of international brotherhood with its 24 hour clock marking major cities in each of the world’s time zones.
It is unusual in both its scale and that it attempts to illustrate the time in other cities of the world and not just the local time in Berlin
The horizontal wheel design of the clock is marked with an outline map of the world in line with the current time in that time zone displayed in the middle. The effect is achieved by moving the map segments whilst keeping the actual time static.
The clock is topped off with an animated model of the solar system with the planets rotating around the central sun.
Designed by John Taylor, the clock is intended to show that time is not on your side. Unveiled in 2008 by physicist Stephen Hawking, the clock is intended to show the terrifying passage of time.
The gold plated clock is nearly four feet wide and features a Chronphange, a mythical creature who is part lizard, part stag beetle that feeds on time. The creature stops the turning dial with its foot to mark the minute whilst opening its mouth and quivering its tail. Each hour is marked by the sounds of a chain dropping into a coffin.
Drawing inspiration from the Grasshopper movement developed for watches in the eighteenth century, the development of the clock was funded by Dr. John Taylor. The scientist, best known for inventing the automatic kettle thermostat used in some 600 million kettles worldwide, presented the clock as a gift to his Alma Mater. Despite the growth in watches and other time keeping devices such as mobile phones, the clock has been a hit, drawing hundreds of people to the college’s new library each week.
The Knock Clock:
On a much smaller scale is the Knock clock. The timepiece was designed by the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. The clock tells the time of the day through a series of knocks. It’s accurate to the nearest quarter hour and even includes a basic alarm func tion that is again activated by knocking.
Written by Rich from The Watch Hut
Throughout history, clock faces have often been the place where societies have shown their eccentricities and despite the growth in other ways to tell the time, these expressions of ambition, tradition and sometimes even fun, continue to be built.
World Time Clock – Alexandraplatz Berlin:
 |
| flickr |
Known in German as the Weltzeituhr, this communist-era clock in the heart of the cities Eastern district is suggestive of the heavily promoted concept of international brotherhood with its 24 hour clock marking major cities in each of the world’s time zones.
It is unusual in both its scale and that it attempts to illustrate the time in other cities of the world and not just the local time in Berlin
The horizontal wheel design of the clock is marked with an outline map of the world in line with the current time in that time zone displayed in the middle. The effect is achieved by moving the map segments whilst keeping the actual time static.
The clock is topped off with an animated model of the solar system with the planets rotating around the central sun.
Corpus Clock – Corpus Christi College, Cambridge:
 |
| flickr |
The gold plated clock is nearly four feet wide and features a Chronphange, a mythical creature who is part lizard, part stag beetle that feeds on time. The creature stops the turning dial with its foot to mark the minute whilst opening its mouth and quivering its tail. Each hour is marked by the sounds of a chain dropping into a coffin.
Drawing inspiration from the Grasshopper movement developed for watches in the eighteenth century, the development of the clock was funded by Dr. John Taylor. The scientist, best known for inventing the automatic kettle thermostat used in some 600 million kettles worldwide, presented the clock as a gift to his Alma Mater. Despite the growth in watches and other time keeping devices such as mobile phones, the clock has been a hit, drawing hundreds of people to the college’s new library each week.
The Knock Clock:
On a much smaller scale is the Knock clock. The timepiece was designed by the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. The clock tells the time of the day through a series of knocks. It’s accurate to the nearest quarter hour and even includes a basic alarm func tion that is again activated by knocking.
Written by Rich from The Watch Hut
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