The secrets of the grandfather clock at New York's Grand Central Station and why it's always 60 seconds fast

The legendary grandfather clock in New York's Grand Central Station, which was designed by the sculptor Henry Edward Bedford and built together with the station itself in 1913, represents a jewel of the so-called "Beaux Arts architecture" of the turn of the century, stands on an information stand in the main hall

Because it stands like a crown jewel in the middle of New York's famous Grand Central Station, many people use it as a meeting point - and then walk around it, hoping there might be a rendezvous waiting on the other side.

When a New Yorker says "meet me at the clock" somewhere in the metropolis, he always means the Beaux Arts icon of the "Grand Central Station"

The clock's dials are made of precious opal glass, and it was manufactured and installed by the Self Winding Clock Company in 1913 in collaboration with the Seth Thomas Clock Company. Its value is estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars.

There is a secret door at the base of the clock, under which is a spiral staircase, which employees use to quickly move between the main and dining room levels

For decades, the New York landmark – like all other public clocks in Grand Central – has always been 60 seconds ahead to give travelers a small, but still, time buffer.