We're always obsessed with the time now. We are all slaves to the ticking of the clock. These devices tell us when to wake up, when to go to work, and when to sleep. They are the masters of our days, whether we want to admit it or not. While many of us use digital clocks or smartphones to keep track these days, there are some incredible famous clocks around the world that remind us how we used to tell time in style.
Some of these are no longer working, some of them are different than what you'd expect, and some may just blow your mind. Stick around and see what cool clocks we can show you. You may just add a few new trips to your travel bucket list.
Our first clock is one of the recognizable ones in the world. Located in the Grand Central Terminal in New York City, this clock has been the subject of movie scenes, marriage proposals, and a background for countless artistic photo shoots. Grand Central Station is the train station in the world and this clock is the centerpiece of it all.
It was crafted by a famous Connecticut clock crafting company, Seth Thomas, and is valued somewhere between 10 and 20 million dollars. It is built with four convex faces made from opal. There are lights mounted behind each face that give off a warm glow from within the structure. The pillar beneath the clock is made from bronze.
The top of the clock has a small point that most people may think is simply for decoration, but it is actually a perfectly accurate compass that always points to true north.
Click here to see: What the time is now in New York City.
This incredible structure in Athens, Greece was built sometime within the first or second century B.C. It is known as a horologion or "timepiece." It has a combination of a sundial, water clock, and wind vane. To this day it still stands and is currently being maintained by the Athen Ephorate of Antiquities.
The structure itself is 12-meters tall and has the wind vane, along with eight sundials, around the exterior. The interior houses a water clock that functioned through water that dripped down from the Acropolis. The tower's height is thought to have been intended to showcase the time to the people in the Agora, which would have made it one of the earliest clock towers.
Click here: What is the time now in Athens, Greece?
This medieval clock is located in the capital of the Czech Republic and is still functioning to this day. It was first installed in 1410 which makes it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one that still functions. The astronomical dial is composed of four moving components: the zodiacal ring, and outer rotating ring, an icon which represents the sun, and one to represent the moon.
The clock uses a 24-hour system of telling time and also shows the place of the sun and moon on the ecliptic. The movements themselves are very slow and are best viewed in a time lapse animation.
If you'd like to know: What is the time now in the Czech Republic?
Did you really think we would make it through our list without a nod to the clock to end all clocks? Known most commonly as "Big Ben," this clock tower is actually named "The Great Clock of Westminster," but that name is rarely used.
Construction first began in 1834 and the bells rang for the first time on May 31st, 1849. It is 316 feet tall and each of the clock faces are 23 feet in diameter. It is easily one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.
This intricate clock was built in 1908 and has a unique element that occurs when it rings. Every day at 11 a.m. the clock chimes and re-enacts two stories from 16th century Munich. It does so through the use of 32 life-sized figures that move across the face of the clock. The top half shows the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lorraine.
The bottom half of the clock shows the "Coopers' Dance" which is a story from 1517 where the coopers were said to dance through the streets to bring "fresh vitality to fearful dispositions" during the time that a plague was ravaging the country. The entire show lasts for about 15 minutes. At the end, a golden rooster appears at the top of the clock and chirps three times.
Through an incredible combination of function and form, the Cosmo Clock 21 in Japan is both a massive Ferris wheel, and a the world's largest clock. It was also originally the world's largest Ferris wheel as well, but it was beaten out in that category when the Tempozan Ferris wheel was completed in Osaka Japan in 1997.
This clock is of massive significance seeing as how it is mounted on the wall outside the Royal Greenwich Observatory. This is the location of the Prime Meridian or the line of zero degrees longitude. This is where Greenwich Mean Time was created and used until this day.
This clock was installed in 1852 and is controlled by another master clock inside the building.
While not a clock in the modern sense, this is in fact the largest sundial in the world. Despite being an ancient practice of telling time, it is accurate within 2-seconds of error at any point in the day. When you visit, you can climb stairs to look over the structure and see the time from above.
This fully functional clock was first put together in 1950 and is located in the Niagara Parks of Ontario Canada. It features up to 20,000 seasonal flowers and plants on the face of the clock. Twice a year, the floral patterns are replaced.
You know, sometimes it feels like you lose the whole day shopping. If only there was some way to keep track of the time. Well, this isn't an issue for the shoppers at the Cevahir Shopping and Entertainment Centre in Turkey. You see, they have a clock on the ceiling of the shopping mall.
This ceiling mounted clock is the largest in the world with a face that is 35 meters in diameter. It only shows the numbers 3, 6, 9, 12 but with each being 3 meters tall, you won't have any trouble seeing the time.
Well, there you have it, the most famous clocks around the world, listed in one convenient place for you.