The Man in the Clock

Two of the reasons that I was especially excited for my trip to England and Europe in November & December of 2024 was to see the two Maarten Baas Real Time Clocks, one in the Amsterdam Schiphol airport and the other across from Paddington Station in London.  I was able to see the Schiphol clock again in March of 2025 when my daughter and I flew into Amsterdam for a layover during our flight to Italy.  You can watch a video of my visits to the clocks here:  The Man in the Clock

Airport Schiphol Clock

The Real Time Clock in Amsterdam is located in Lounge 2 of the International terminal, close to the D gates.  You can only see it when you are flying out of Amsterdam internationally.  Since we had a layover in Amsterdam in March 2025, we were able to see the clock then, and we also were able to see the clock when we flew out of Amsterdam in December of 2024.  The Clock was placed in Schiphol in 2016.

The Clock is about 9 feet tall and is suspended from the ceiling where it can be viewed from many different perspectives.  It appears that a man is trapped inside the clock, painting the time, erasing the time, and repainting it as each minute passes.  In reality, it is not a man trapped inside the clock -- it is a 12 hour video played on a loop.  You can read about it on Maarten Baas' official website here:  Schiphol Clock

When we visited in November 2024, the airport was decorated for Christmas.  It was fun to see the clock surrounded by Christmas lights and hanging presents.  In March of 2025 the area was blocked off due to construction, but we could still see the clock hanging above the dividers.

Paddington Station Clock

The Real Time Clock in London is located across the street from Paddington Station, at 50 Eastborne Terrace.  This clock is hung 25 feet off the ground and is about 8 feet in diameter.  This clock appears to have a man in a vintage three-piece suit trapped in it, also painting, erasing, and repainting the time with each passing minute.  Again, this was a 12 hour video that is played on a loop to create 24 hours of play-time from 2 twelve-hour video clip.

This clock was installed in 2021.  When we visited the clock, other people were also admiring the clock, some taking videos or photos like we were.

Incidentally, there is supposed to be a 3rd Real Time Clock, in Venice, but when I visited Venice I wasn't able to locate the clock.  I've been doing research to try to find it, but all I've been able to discover so far is that it was on display at the museum at Ca d'Oro in Venice in 2019.  Its current whereabouts seem to be a mystery now.

Schiphol Clock

November 2024

March 2025

The Schiphol clock is located where the large "L" is on the map, near the D gates

Paddington Clock

November 2024

My daughter under the clock as a red double-decker London bus goes by

Location of the Real Time clock across from Paddington Railway Station