Enormous digital clock spotted at Hamburger Bahnhof Museum
By Darren Murph 
posted Dec 13th 2007 3:43PM
posted Dec 13th 2007 3:43PM
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Big Ben is bigger :/
Big Ben is a bell.
Well, the clock on the tower of the Houses of Parliament is bigger. I think it's actually the biggest in the world.
Big Ben is 23' in diameter. Compare the person in the above photo to the one in this photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Big.ben.scaled.arp.750pix.jpg
Possibly the Colgate clock wins. This thing only looks about 13 feet high, maybe 25 feet wide.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biggest_clock_faces
well i've never seen a digital clock that big. if we're talking clocks in general, i'm sure i could make a sundial bigger than big ben.
makes me think of something to put in futurama . . the london skyline when they change big ben to have a digital readout.
Hell, for burning man this year, Me and a small group of friends built a digital clock that measured 8' x 45'. we used 4' florescent tubes for segments, and it had 8 digits. We added a few select segments so that we could program it to spell out words like "SUCK IT", and "WHISKEY".
We're gonna build a 5 segment version of it for a new years party (8' x 28') that counts down to midnight.
I always knew those crafty Germans were always trying to out-do the British...
I just never thought they would bring Big Ben into it.
It doesn't look to me like it could work.. The segments of numbers are gaps in the structure - you can see through to the other side and there doesn't seem to be any mechanism..
I think the parts of the "digital" area just flip down to make a number.
Or they have some hired guy to run around changing them by hand :p
You can actually see a flap at the bottom of the 5.
I am not 100% sure, because I haven't seen the thing in person, but it probably goes something like this:
Each segment of each number is a door, with a hinge up one side. Each one also has a pneumatic piston to open/close it based on the time.
When the minute changes from a 3 to a 4, the top and bottom doors close, and the upper left one opens. A minute later, the upper right door closes, and the bottom one opens, etc.
I would think that good old sol would be the world's biggest clock.
That would make sense if sol wasn't one whole AU from Earth's surface.
The shadows made on Earth by the sun, then.
I can assure you it works... I was in that gallery/museum a couple of weeks ago. Yes, they just flip. It's a shame there isn't a picture of the back as well, I found that part more interesting! It was surprisingly hard to read the time from in real life. There is also some much cooler art in there than the clock.
Finally! I knew the MSN Direct watches would re-emerge someday!
How long till Flavor Flav tries to put a chain on it?
In Berlin, watch checks you!
It's not for shure the biggests! Just go to Zurich and see the one for your selfs!!!
They should replace big ben (and the clock face, mechanism etc (for you smartasses out there)) with this, like in futurama.
This is inaccurate!
17 o clock? Doesn't exist!
Are you being serious?
clearly you're american... 17:51 is mid afternoon
not saying americans don't know what the 24 hour clock is... just saying they don't use it as often as other people in the world
You really must be 12. Go along and play with your MySpace account, kid.
Well, in Germany it does!
(Yes, you're an idiot, GTFO)
lol no I am not serious. Good Lord. Europeans are so serious.
holy cow... that thing is big
Wouldnt there be the worlds largest hamburger at the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum instead of watches?
Umm... big and unnecessary. In other words: Why?
Besides that enormous digital clock, the Hamburger Bahnhof is clearly one of the best museums you can visit in Berlin, especially if you are interested in modern art.
Next time you're in the big B, give it a try!
i was just there like 8 hrs ago... that clock's really cool, esp when it hisses and one or more of the flaps slams into position. every few minutes an air compressor turns on to recharge an air-tank.
there was a red one of these in a gallery in new york a number of months ago. though i don't remember the name of the artist, it would be kind to credit them.
Previously on 24...
good call.
water clocks are much larger... if it's ok to talk about them here.
there is one at the children's museum i Indianapolis that's like 45 ft. tall.
Finally a digital clock that my grandma can read without glasses :-D
Glorious Coldplay reference, BTW.
does this thing come with an alarm function?
i'd totally get one if it did...
I call fake - there's no way in hell that a museum in Germany would still be open after 5pm.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chillywillyracefan/189075174/in/pool-coldplay/
What...it looks like the numbers have been cut out, and the outlines of the crystals have all been drawn on.
i DARE YOU TO TYPE IN 55378008 AND LOOK AT IT UPSIDE DOWN!!!
I know I'm a couple days late, but here is a video of one working in a Chelsea gallery in February 2007. http://youtube.com/watch?v=A2vt6CYH8VQ