Enormous digital clock spotted at Hamburger Bahnhof Museum

We've no idea if this here is actually the "world's largest" clock, but it's quite sizable, indeed. Recently spotted at the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum in Berlin, Germany, this art installation reportedly does an outstanding job of telling time, running on pneumatics and breaking the silence every minute with an eerie hiss. If we didn't know any better, we'd say Coldplay got ahold of this thing when it toured in 2005, but then again, we know better.

[amidamaruflame @ Dec 13th 2007 3:47PM]

Big Ben is bigger :/

[Buckley @ Dec 13th 2007 4:23PM]

Big Ben is a bell.

[Danny @ Dec 13th 2007 4:36PM]

Well, the clock on the tower of the Houses of Parliament is bigger. I think it's actually the biggest in the world.

[morcheeba @ Dec 13th 2007 4:58PM]

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

[Ian Tullie @ Dec 13th 2007 5:31PM]

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

[V3LOCIP3D3 @ Dec 14th 2007 1:07AM]

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.

[lance-o-matic @ Dec 14th 2007 10:01AM]

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.

[Farris @ Dec 13th 2007 3:49PM]

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.

[Dei76 @ Dec 13th 2007 4:03PM]

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..

[Peter @ Dec 13th 2007 4:07PM]

I think the parts of the "digital" area just flip down to make a number.

[Dei76 @ Dec 13th 2007 4:26PM]

Or they have some hired guy to run around changing them by hand :p

[Danny @ Dec 13th 2007 4:37PM]

You can actually see a flap at the bottom of the 5.

[Kevin @ Dec 13th 2007 5:54PM]

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.

[Captain Obvious @ Dec 13th 2007 4:04PM]

I would think that good old sol would be the world's biggest clock.

[jamie @ Dec 13th 2007 4:24PM]

That would make sense if sol wasn't one whole AU from Earth's surface.

[phoomp @ Dec 13th 2007 5:09PM]

The shadows made on Earth by the sun, then.

[James @ Dec 13th 2007 4:13PM]

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.

[superfresh @ Dec 13th 2007 4:14PM]

Finally! I knew the MSN Direct watches would re-emerge someday!

[Carbonize @ Dec 13th 2007 4:36PM]

How long till Flavor Flav tries to put a chain on it?

[Lemmiwinks @ Dec 13th 2007 4:38PM]

In Berlin, watch checks you!

[antonio.parracho @ Dec 13th 2007 4:46PM]

It's not for shure the biggests! Just go to Zurich and see the one for your selfs!!!

[Wolfticket @ Dec 13th 2007 4:47PM]

They should replace big ben (and the clock face, mechanism etc (for you smartasses out there)) with this, like in futurama.

[lonecow12 @ Dec 13th 2007 5:03PM]

This is inaccurate!

17 o clock? Doesn't exist!

[Lemmiwinks @ Dec 13th 2007 5:05PM]

Are you being serious?

[tehpyro @ Dec 13th 2007 5:10PM]

clearly you're american... 17:51 is mid afternoon

[tehpyro @ Dec 13th 2007 5:11PM]

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

[paul34 @ Dec 13th 2007 10:01PM]

You really must be 12. Go along and play with your MySpace account, kid.

[ssuk @ Dec 14th 2007 8:47AM]

Well, in Germany it does!

(Yes, you're an idiot, GTFO)

[lonecow12 @ Dec 14th 2007 9:55AM]

lol no I am not serious. Good Lord. Europeans are so serious.

[TomTom2007 @ Dec 13th 2007 5:13PM]

holy cow... that thing is big

[kastonie @ Dec 13th 2007 5:16PM]

Wouldnt there be the worlds largest hamburger at the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum instead of watches?

[John McKenna @ Dec 13th 2007 5:30PM]

Umm... big and unnecessary. In other words: Why?

[geezer @ Dec 13th 2007 5:51PM]

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!

[Brentt @ Dec 13th 2007 7:37PM]

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.

[Andrew ? @ Dec 13th 2007 7:46PM]

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.

[Brendon @ Dec 13th 2007 7:53PM]

Previously on 24...

[superfresh @ Dec 14th 2007 8:52AM]

good call.

[Dude @ Dec 13th 2007 8:52PM]

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.

[DarkLightConnection @ Dec 13th 2007 8:53PM]

Finally a digital clock that my grandma can read without glasses :-D

[paul34 @ Dec 13th 2007 10:02PM]

Glorious Coldplay reference, BTW.

[athousandleaves @ Dec 13th 2007 10:11PM]

does this thing come with an alarm function?
i'd totally get one if it did...

[Twitchy @ Dec 14th 2007 2:21AM]

I call fake - there's no way in hell that a museum in Germany would still be open after 5pm.

[Island @ Dec 14th 2007 9:27AM]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chillywillyracefan/189075174/in/pool-coldplay/

[MikeG @ Dec 14th 2007 4:53PM]

What...it looks like the numbers have been cut out, and the outlines of the crystals have all been drawn on.

[brian @ Dec 14th 2007 2:40PM]

i DARE YOU TO TYPE IN 55378008 AND LOOK AT IT UPSIDE DOWN!!!

[Flounder @ Dec 16th 2007 11:56AM]

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