Unwrap More Than Chocolate: Easter Adventures Await!

The Clock Puzzle

Ah, the clocks are changing this weekend. Never sure whether that's a good or a bad thing? It's darker in the evenings so I get home from work in the dark, but then again, when I wake up it will now be light!

Anyway, TIME for a puzzle (excuse the pun) to celebrate the clocks changing!

Can you solve the Clock Puzzle?

Instructions

We've picked 12 famous clocks from around the world.

First, You'll need to work out in which city each of the clocks are in the world and then work out what the time zone difference is from that city to UK time (or to be more precise GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) or as it is sometimes called UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). It's important that you are not using BST (British Summer Time) – as you will get the wrong answer and as much as you may hope it isn't, summer is over for this year I'm afraid!)

Next...

Add all the time differences together and this will give you the final solution!

Why? Because it's good fun, and, we'll give away some free Trails to those with the correct answer who do it the quickest time – oh yes, did I forget to mention - you'll be doing this against the clock! Your challenge is to complete the puzzle in under 15 minutes! It's tough but we know you're up for a challenge!

Now Let's Get Started!

Read the information for clue number 1 to help you discover where the clock is in the world and what the time difference is from that city to GMT. For example, if it was Sydney Australia, then the answer to number 1 would be +11. Record your answers for each of the 12 questions on the time sheet (below) (or a scrap of paper) to come up with your final solution! Submit your answer at the end and we'll tell you if you are correct or not, and how you ranked amongst the Trailers! And don't forget to start and stop the timer. NOW GO, GO, GO!

 

 

Don't forget to STOP the clock once you've solved the puzzle!

Oh and don't forget you can SUBMIT YOUR FINAL ANSWER to see if you were correct or not!

Clue 1

This clock is located in one of the busiest and most famous stations in the world. The Grand Central Clock sits atop the information booth in Grand Central’s main station. The clock is made of brass and its four faces are made of opal. A compass sits on top of the timepiece, which recently helped to ring in Grand Central’s 100th birthday.

The Clock Puzzle - Clue 1

Clue 2

The Glockenspiel only marks the time twice - at 11 am and noon every day, however, it also chimes at 5 pm between March and October. The chiming clock has 43 bells and is situated in Marienplatz square in the tower of the Neues Rathaus. When it rings, 32 life-sized figurines act out various events from the city's history, including the wedding of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lorraine. Each show runs for about 15 minutes and finishes with a golden bird emerging at the top and chirping three times.
The Clock Puzzle - Clue 2

Clue 3

This clock holds the record for the world’s tallest clock tower (140 feet), it houses one of the world’s tallest hotels (Fairmont's 76-storey Makkah Clock Royal Tower), and boasts the world's largest clock face (42 metres wide). The clock also marks daily prayers with calls announced to the Muslim world from the tower's loudspeakers which are audible six kilometres away.

Clock Puzzle - Clue 3

Clue 4

Maybe the only large clock you can actually ride, this clock is fixed on one of the largest Ferris wheels in the world (369 feet tall). First built for a 1989 exposition, the wheel and clock lights up at night and offers great views of the city in which it sits. This city is the second largest by population in its country. It takes 15 minutes for one rotation – in case you were timing.

Clock Puzzle - Clue 4

Clue 5

Made of marble and stone, this sundial may not have the latest technology but it is so accurate there is just a 2-second margin of error – day or night. This "Supreme Instrument" was commissioned by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1728 and is the biggest sundial in the world. Visitors can climb a flight of stairs on the gnomon (the part of the sundial that casts the shadow) to check the time from above.
Clock Puzzle - Clue 5

Clue 6

This floral clock is on the Canadian side of a place named after three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the United States. The clock features up to 20,000 seasonal flowers and plants and the design changes twice a year.

Clock Puzzle - Clue 6

Clue 7

This astronomical clock is believed to be the oldest one in the world still operating. Built in 1410, the clock features a dial which shows the position of both the sun and moon as well as a calendar dial to show the date and the zodiac sign for each month of the year. On the hour, every hour, wooden figures of the 12 apostles and other figurines move through the window above the astronomical dial. The city in which the clock resides is the 14th largest city in the European Union and is located on the Vltava river.

Clock Puzzle - Clue 7

Clue 8

Perhaps one of the most significant timepieces in the world, this clock is mounted on the wall of an observatory marking the Prime Meridian of the World at 0 degrees longitude. All other locations on Earth are measured using this line as a reference point. Installed in 1852, the clock is controlled by a master clock inside the building.

Clock Puzzle - Clue 8

Clue 9

This ceiling-mounted clock in the Cevahir Shopping Centre is one of the largest in the world with a face that is 35 meters in diameter. It only shows the numbers 3, 6, 9 and 12, but with each being 3 metres tall, you won’t have any trouble telling the time!

Clock Puzzle - Clue 9

Clue 10

This City Hall held the title of tallest building in the world from 1901 - 1908, with a height of 548 feet. The famous tower has four clocks – one on each side. Each of the clocks is 26 feet in diameter. The building is topped by a 37 foot, 27-ton bronze statue of city's founder William Penn, which is the world's tallest statue atop a building.
Clock Puzzle - Clue 10

Clue 11

This clock sits on the Spasskaya Tower which overlooks a famous square. The Tower was built in 1491 by Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari. According to a number of historical accounts, the clock on the Spasskaya Tower appeared between 1491 and 1585. It chimes on the quarter hour, with bells tolling for each full hour.

Clock Puzzle - Clue 11

Clue 12

This clock sits on a 245 foot clock tower and with the Beaux-Arts building was a primary point of arrival and departure from 1898 until the construction of a famous bridge in the late 1930s. Inside, a 660-foot-long skylit atrium that once provided access to ferries now houses shops and restaurants.

Clock Puzzle - Clue 12

"STOP THE CLOCK!!!!

Now, submit your answer to see if you were correct or not, and how you fared!

Photo credits

The following are the photo credits:

Clue 1: By Ingfbruno - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27955753

Clue 2: By Diliff - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1443071 

Clue 3: By commons:User:King Eliot - commons:File:Abraj-al-Bait-Towers.JPG, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36717582

Clue 4: By ajari from Japan - %u6A2A%u6D5C Yokohama_30, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9466531

Clue 5: By Rialfver - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11091797

Clue 6: By Dsdugan - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45025699

Clue 7: By Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia - Astronomical Clock, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24306300

Clue 8: By Jcfrye at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Matasg using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6878131

Clue 9: "Photo by Babak Gholizadeh", CC BY-SA 2.5, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11913531

Clue 10: By Max Binder - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21847013

Clue 11: By © Milan Nykodym, Czech Republic, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29093469

Clue 12: By JaGa - Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4120354