The clock before you was built by Jean-Baptiste Schwilgué in the mid nineteenth century after thirty years of work and still functions with astonishing precision today. Let us start with the celestial globe, resting on the ground in front of the clock. It shows how the stars move in the night sky, with over 5,000 stars carefully mapped onto its surface. It completes one full rotation in 23 hours and 56 minutes, which is the exact length of a sidereal day. Even more impressive, the globe includes a second rotation that accounts for the extremely slow precession of Earth’s axis — a cycle that takes over 25,000 years. This extraordinary precision was achieved mechanically by Jean-Baptiste Schwilgué, the only clockmaker ever to have done so. Just behind the celestial globe you'll find the main dial. This is where time and astronomy meet. First, focus on the statue of Apollo to your left. The arrow he holds points to today’s date on the circular perpetual calendar. It shows the day of the year, the saint of the day, and even accounts for leap years — every four years, a tiny slot opens to reveal the 29th of February, an ingenious mechanical detail. Now shift your gaze inwards to the black area which is the dial of apparent time. This displays the real position of the Sun and Moon as seen in Strasbourg's sky — including their daily path and sunrise and sunset times. Look at the chariots just above the main dials. Each chariot represents the day of the week and has one divinity of each day. Above the Chariots, you see anothe clock face displaying the current time. You’ll see two pairs of hands: – The silver hands show official French time, added with the advent of rail transport. – The golden hands display local Strasbourg time, based on the position of the Sun. This dial allows you to see both standard national time and true solar time simultaneously. Now look toward the middle of the clock’s front face—this is the planetary dial. It shows the exact positions of the six planets visible to the naked eye, using a remarkably compact mechanism where all wheels turn around a single axle. It calculates their positions using elliptical orbits, with incredible precision—Saturn’s 29-year orbit has a margin of error of just eight seconds. This dial also controls the phases of the Moon dial which is just above it. Now look toward the very top of the clock. Every day at half past twelve, two remarkable mechanisms come to life. First look at the skeleton at the top. This is the mechanism of the Ages of Life. You'll see four figures—a child, a young man, an adult, and an elderly man—passing in sequence, symbolising the journey from birth to death. Listen closely: every hour, day and night, the Bell of Death tolls, reminding us of time’s inevitability. Above ages of life, the Procession of the Apostles begins. An angel rings a bell, another flips an hourglass, and the Apostles walk past Christ, bowing as they pass. Christ blesses them—and finally blesses the visitors. The cockerel interrupts on the left, crowing three times, recalling Peter’s denial and Christ’s forgiveness. It’s the oldest working automaton in the world—and a breathtaking moment to witness.