construction made of, among others, sheet iron and acrylic glass, height c. 110 cm, width c. 115 cm, depth c. 115 cm. Without guarantee for electrical fitting. (MHA)

Viennese cube clock before 1945. The Viennese ‘Würfeluhr’ (cube clock) was designed, produced and positioned in prominent places for the city of Vienna in the early 20th century, becoming both a pioneering landmark and favourite meeting place. As street furniture for more than 100 years, the cube clock still displays ‘Normalzeit’ (i.e. ‘standard time’) at 73 locations in the city area. The first Viennese cube clock was mounted on a light pole at the intersection of Opernring and Kärntner Strasse in the centre of Vienna in 1907. It was conceived and manufactured by the Vienna City Construction Office in collaboration with the company Ing. Emil Schauer, and soon became a magnet of attraction thanks to its innovative design. The octagonal clock case with slanted corners retains its fundamental features to this day. The watch dial used dots and dashes in deltoid shape instead of numerals. The cube clock weighed close to 100 kilograms and measured more than one cubic meter. The present model is from the 1920s, with a curved top so that the rainwater could drain better. It was only after 1945 that flattened tops were created. In 2007, the City of Vienna renovated its cube clocks. The company lichterloh purchased all dismantled original cube clocks from the MA 33 in 2008, partially restored them, and commissioned twelve Austrian artists (including Brigitte Kowanz, Gelitin, Judith Fegerl) to develop a project. This resulted in an exhibition in the Anker Expedithalle in 1100 Vienna on the occasion of the company lichterloh’s 20th anniversary. Lichterloh registered the logo and figural mark of the ‘Normalzeit’ dial for protection at the Austrian Patent Office. The city historian Peter Payer was commissioned to write the history of the cube clock. In June 2019, Christof Stein took over the trademark rights of the original ‘Normalzeit’ dial and extended the protection to the USA as well, thus becoming its sole guardian.