Famous watches around the world

★1.Big Ben in London

The Clock Tower is named after Big Ben, part of the UK House of Parliament, one of the most spectacular structures in London. It is also the center of New Year’s celebrations in the United Kingdom. Besides, thousands of tourists from home and abroad flock to see the tower. In Britain. The famous 96 meter high installation is built in neo Gothic style. It has four clocks around it.

The Clock Tower was designed by Augustus Pugin. Its construction was completed in 1859. To reach the top of the tower, one has to cross 393 steps of stairs. It is located on the banks of the River Thames in central London. The 162-year-old tower is nicknamed the ’13 Ton Great Bell’. However, it is well known as Big Ben. To many, Big Ben is also known as the ‘London Bell’. The famous ‘Big Ben’ clock tower was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne. However, according to a survey by AYugov, almost half of UK citizens reject the decision to change the name of Big Ben. Only 30 percent of citizens support it. Weighing 13.7 tons, the clock would ring four hours a day. But in 2017, the world-famous ‘Clock Tower’ came to a standstill. Originally it was kept closed for the sake of reform. This reform program is expected to end in 2021.

★2.The famous watch of Mecca

One of the landmarks of Muslim civilization is the famous ‘Mecca Royal Clock Tower’ in Saudi Arabia. The clock is hovering over the ‘Abraj Al-Bait’ Hotel, 50 meters from the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, which is 130 storeys high! Even the watch is six times bigger than the famous Big Ben in London. The Mecca Tower was built as an alternative to Greenwich Mean Time or Greenwich Mean Time. The watch, which weighs 36,000 tons, was designed by architects from Germany and Switzerland. It took eight years to install the watch under the supervision of 250 experienced people from different countries including Switzerland and Germany. Construction of the Clock Tower began in 2004, and was completed in 2011. Its diameter is 43 meters. The height from the ground is 600 meters and carbon fiber has been used to make it. The quadrangular clock is surrounded by mosaic carvings; Where the phrase ‘Allahu Akbar’ has been highlighted. Inside the watch, inscriptions of different colors have been placed in a combination of 14,000 pieces of glass.  Each glass weighs 16 tons; Which is nowhere else in the world. These glasses have different colors day and night.

★3.Gothic Revival

The Gothic Revival Tower is a popular tower in Munich, Germany. Full name – Gothic Revival New Town Hall. Tourist attractions in the heart of Munich, Marienplatz. The 270-foot-tall tower is home to the Rathhouse Gay-Ackenspiel, which has 43 bells and 32 images. Every day at the top of the famous tower is the story of the wedding of 16th century Duke Wilhelm V. It is said that in honor of the happy couple, Bavaria (white and blue) and Lothringen (red and white) represented the knights fighting for life on horseback. However, the Bavarian Knights won that fight every time. At the same time the Coopers at the bottom serve the Shefflertans or Coopers dance. According to tradition, the dance is performed once every seven years in Munich. The watch was built in 1908 and the front and bell were repaired in 2006-07, before the city’s 850th birthday in 2008.

★4.Philadelphia City Hall

Philadelphia City Hall is one of the attractions of the city of Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, the busiest city in the United States, the tower is surrounded by important council buildings, the Philadelphia mayor’s office, and even the historic courthouse. Which is considered to be the first judicial district of Pennsylvania. The famous Philadelphia City Hall held the title of the tallest building in the world from 1894 to 1908. Its height is 548 feet (167 meters). This famous tower has four clocks that are located around the tower. Each watch is 6 meters (26 feet) in diameter. Construction of the building began in 1871 and was completed in 1901. The tower was built in the style of the Second European Empire. The tower is built of bricks, white marble and limestone. The tower was designed by architects John McArthur Jr. and Thomas Ustik Walta of Sfitish descent. Upon completion in 1894, the tower became the tallest building in the world. At that time, the Washington Monument and the Eiffel Tower were recognized as the tallest towers in the world. Recognized as a historic installation in the United States in 1976. In 2006, the building was named the National Historic Civil Engineering Tower of the United States. He was awarded the title by the American Society of Civil Engineering Association.

★5.Astronomical clock

Prague’s ‘Astronomical Clock’. To the locals, the Clock Tower is known as the ‘Prague Orleans’. This is a medieval cosmic clock. The construction of the clock, built in 1410, was completed in several stages. The watch was completed in 1865; Which is the oldest running clock in the world today. The Clock Tower is located in the populous Old Town of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. In a word, the main attraction of the city is the Prague Astronomical Clock; Which is the oldest astronomical clock in the world. That is, astrologers can get an idea of ​​the position of the sun, moon and stars. The Clock Tower was extensively damaged in World War II. The damaged parts were rebuilt immediately after the end of the war. The main feature of this watch is that the clock moves according to the ancient Bohemian time. That is, the beginning of time is basically after sunset and time is measured from sunset to sunrise for 12 hours. There is also a calendar attached to the bottom of the watch.

★6.Tower of Winds

The Tower of Winds in Athens is the oldest clock in the world. It is the octagonal pentacle marble clock tower of the Roman Agora in Athens, which basically serves as a horologen or ‘timepiece’. The 40-foot-tall clock tower, built of marble, still stands. The Tower of Winds is considered the world’s first weather center. Its height is 12 meters and its diameter is 8 meters. The oldest watch was run by water in a special way. That is why in most cases this watch is known as ‘Water Clock’. The watch was designed by Cyrus’ Andronicus. The clock was made around 50 BC. The water clock appeared just after the world’s oldest sundial. Of course, there is also a sundial on top of this tower.

★7.Savior Tower

The name of the famous Sevilla Tower will come to mind when it comes to the historic Kremlin in Moscow. Another name for it is Spaskaya Tower. The famous clock tower is located near St. Basil’s in Red Square. Construction of the tower began in 1491. The clock was installed in 1625. This watch is one of the attractions of Moscow city. Initially, the Kremlin’s Church of Froll and Laver were named after the tower, Frolovskaya Tower, which no longer exists. The clock tower was designed by Italian architect Pietro Antonio. Peter the Great re-installed the clock in the 233 meter high tower in 1706. The rim, fork and time indicator numbers of this watch are made entirely of gold. A total of 28 kg of gold was used in the construction of this watch. The clock weighs 25 tons with the clock!  This watch was damaged in 1917. A year later the watch was rebuilt. The dial of this four-way watch is more than 6 meters in diameter each. Each of its clock hands is about three meters long. The minute hand is about three and a half meters long. Many tourists from home and abroad come to see the clock along with visiting the area.

★8.Peace Tower

The Peace Tower is located in the Canadian Parliamentary Complex in downtown Ottawa, Canada. Peace Tower symbolizes Canada’s victory and peace. This is why the famous tower is officially known as the Tower of Victory and Peace. The Clock Tower was built to commemorate the 65,000 Canadian soldiers killed in World War I. The Peace Tower caught fire in 1916. As a result, the watch is damaged. Most of the tower’s center block, including the Parliament Library, survived. The watch was later replaced at Victoria Tower. Basically it’s an ancient Canadian tradition. The height of the tower is 320 feet. The clock in the tower is 16 feet long. There are a total of 53 bells to indicate the time of the clock; Which is the size of three giant elephants. The watch was designed by Jean Merchand and John Pearson.

★9.Jitzlog Clock Tower

One of the attractions of the Swiss capital, Bern, is the Jitsug Clock Tower. It is one of the oldest watches in the world. The clock tower was built in the early fifteenth century. To the Swiss, the famous tower is popular as the city’s security gate, prison, clock tower and civic memorial. The clock in the tower is basically an astronomical clock of the fifteenth century. The time of astronomy is known here as well as the general time. The tower was built between 1218 and 1220. At that time the tower was 16 meters long. Later, around 1270, the height of this tower was increased by 7 meters. The door above the clock was built in the 15th century. During the long 800 years of construction, different rulers at different times modified this watch and gave it a different look. Yet the famous Clock Tower is recognized as the oldest installation in the country. The tower has gained prominence since it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Currently the place is a popular tourist spot. Like other clocks built around Europe, the Father Time of the Zillock Clock Tower turns the glass hour after hour and the hammer is struck to tell the time. The most interesting aspect of this watch is that every hour different puppet characters come and dance here with the passage of time; Which is very attractive to tourists.