Antwerpen | Zimmer Tower and the Jubilee Clock

Mounted on the 14th-century Zimmer Tower (all that is left of the city wall), the 13 dials of the Jubilee clock may be confusing, but at least you can easily check out the time of the day — on the middle dial. Louis Zimmer, the clockmaker and astronomer, spent five years creating the Jubilee Clock and revealed it to the public in 1930 for the 100th anniversary of Belgium’s independence, hence the clock’s and tower’s monikers. The twelve remaining dials indicate (clockwise):

The phases of the Moon (12) The Metonic cycle in the outer circle, and the epact in the inner circle (1) The equation of time (2) Zodiacal constellations (3) The solar cycle and dominical letters (4) The weekdays (5) The terrestrial globe (6) The months (7) The dates (8) The seasons (9) Tides (10) The lunar month (11) Every day at noon, on the right facade of the Zimmer Tower, four automated figures depicting the four stages of life (child, youth, adult, and old man) ring the bells to announce the time.

The Zimmer Tower is home to a museum dedicated to the work of Louis Zimmer.