roaldamundsen@mia.no
Talking clock
Objectnumber: RA 0210
Length: 27.5 cm
Width: 25,5 cm
Height: 68 cm
Materials: oak box, dial in yellow metal
On the desk in Amundsen’s study is a special clock.

We don’t know how Amundsen acquired this talking clock or when, but the model was produced in the years around 1910–12 by the German inventor and clockmaker Bernhard Hiller. Inside was a belt of 35 mm celluloid film engraved with recordings of a German voice used to announce the time every quarter hour.


In 2015, the clock’s sound rolls were discovered in the bedside drawer in Roald Amundsen’s bedroom. In collaboration with the National Library of Norway, the scrolls were examined and digitized. You can hear how the clock sounded here: