Want to know the exact time? In the UK you can dial "123" and hear it read out. This was first devised in the 1930s by an interesting machine using optical disc recordings, a pendulum drive, and synchronising signals from Greenwich. Later machines got smaller and smaller, all the way to 2016. This speaking clock and its successors are all on display at the Museum of Timekeeping along with the British Horological Institute (BHI) in England. Here's a quick overview of these interesting and historic speaking clock systems.
Filmed by Jim Arnfield FBHI at Upton Hall in 2025, featuring Jan Wright, retired engineer for BT Research Systems.
