The time eater

The jaws of the terrifying chronophage gape, its tail quivers and then gulp: another minute has been inexorably devoured. The creature blinks twice in satisfaction. After 60 gulps, the hour strikes with the ominous clonk of a chain dropping into a coffin.

The new clock at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge is meant to remind us that once a second is gone, it is gone forever. It cost over £1million to make, seven years to build, doesn't have any hands or numbers and it only tells the exact time once every five minutes.