Station clocks have cult status
The Station Clock
Everyone knows that one moment… you rush to the platform and take one last look at the big station clock. Will I make it? Am I too late? Often the seconds seem to fly by… and at other moments to stand still.
Station clocks are iconic. And with them comes the magical moment when the second hand reaches twelve. Because that is exactly when everything comes to rest for a magical one and a half seconds before the hand moves on and the minute hand jumps ahead by one minute.
The SBB station clock was developed and designed in 1944 by Hans Hilfiker and has since been found at all railway stations in Switzerland. To eliminate running inaccuracies between the individual clocks in the station, the idea of shared synchronization arose when a minute had passed. The station clock therefore runs through one minute in 58.5 seconds and then pauses briefly. At the time, it was synchronized via the telephone network, and it was ensured to stop by a pin engaging and holding the hands still. To correct the small inaccuracies within the running minute, the design of the large red hand was also created. Another aspect of the shape and color of the hand was its good visibility by day and by night. From then on, the design has delighted with its own charm: classic, clear, understated, and with a red hand that has since become iconic.
Through the collaboration between SBB and the company Mondaine , this piece of Swiss design has even been available as a wristwatch since 1986. Hilfiker emphasized the value that wit and humor play in our lives, and that they often form the basis of new ideas. So the idea of moving the station clock onto the wrist arose rather as a joke. Designer Erwi Bernheim and his sons were looking for a new watch. By chance, they combined a simple watch case with a piece of paper showing a dial. Suddenly it was clear: it looks like the SBB station clock on the wrist! The station clock thus began a second career, this time not on the station roof or by the tracks.
