Meier's Wonderful Clock

The small dials show exact time in London, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Peking, Leningrad, New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, Honolulu and Tokyo. These run in harmony with the master clock. The illuminated sphere at the top revolves once in 29 days and 8 hours, and shows correctly the moon's phases. The calendar shows the day of the week, month and date and changes automatically.

The globe represents the earth and makes a revolution every 24 hours. Miniature figures representing different nations and dressed in their native costumes, each hand-sewn by my great-grandmother, march out around the globe at 12 noon, 6pm, 7pm and 8pm, keeping time to a beautiful sounding music box which at the tick of the clock plays the march. Represented in their native costumes are the United States of America, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Spain, Russia, Turkey, Japan, China, and an American Indian Chief and Zulu (South African) Chief.

Beautiful chimes are rung every quarter hour. A child strikes the first quarter hour, a young man strikes the second quarter hour, a middle-aged man strikes the third quarter hour, an old man strikes the fourth quarter hour, and Father time on the right hand side of the clock strikes the hour in a low sounding chime producing the sound of the beautiful Westminster chimes.

On the left side of this wonderful clock is the bust of Galileo, the first clock inventor (1633) and on the right side is the bust of the make of this wonderful clock (1906).

Through great mechanical genius, perseverance and skill, Mr. Meier so arranged this clock that it is a compound clock (many clocks in one) propelled by a single pendulum, and giving the different times of the principal nations in the world. On the left hand side of the great dial of the clock there are shown the exact times of Paris, Berlin, London, Rome, Peking and St. Petersburg and on the right side there is the exact time of New York, St. Louis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington and Manila (Philippine Islands). In addition the different phases of the moon are shown, this being the only illuminated moon that had every been invented.

At the bottom of the great dial plate is a perpetual calendar, showing the day of the week, the month of the year, the date of the month. There is also a large 12 inch color globe, representing the earth, which revolves on its axis once in 24 hours. All of this is propelled by the one pendulum.

After its completion in 1904, the Meier Clock was on exhibit at Louis Meier's Jewelry shop. It was displayed at the Michigan State Fair in 1906, and at the Chicago World's Fair in 1934. It continued to be housed at the jewelry shop until Mr. Meier's death in 1945.

It was not seen publicly for a number of years until it was presented by the family to the Detroit Historical Museum where it has been completely restored to full functionality and keeps perfect time. It is displayed in the Round Hall for all to marvel at and enjoy and will be dedicated and reintroduced to Detroiters in the Fall of 2000.