Every hour, a golden knight battles either a dragon, a bird, or a crab. But three times a day—at 12 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m.—you can catch the full show, where he takes on all three! This valiant automaton is Le Défenseur du Temps (The Defender of Time), and the animals represent the forces of earth (dragon), sky (bird), and sea (crab).
Location
Address: 19 Rue Brantôme, 75003 Paris, France
Hours: You can visit the clock 24/7, but to see it come to life, go at the top of the hour when a randomizer selects which creature the knight will fight. Visit at 12 p.m., 6 p.m., or 10 p.m. for the “big” battle.
This magnificent mechanical clock was created by French artist Jacques Monestier in 1979. Standing just over 13 feet tall and weighing one ton, it’s made from steel, brass, and gold leaf. After standing still for nearly two decades, it was fully restored in 2022.
We got a nightcap at the perfectly located Le Bistro de l’Horloge, where we watched the Defender of Time triumph against all three creatures at 10 p.m. I couldn’t quite hear much beyond the opening drumbeats, but according to the nearby plaque, each creature comes with its own soundtrack: rushing wind for the bird, rumbling earth for the dragon, and crashing waves for the crab.
Staying in Paris?
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For our Paris trip, we stayed 2 nights in the cheapest AirBnB we could find in Le Marais (right around the corner from Le Défenseur du Temps), then 1 night at Korner Montmartre, a modest but clean and modern hotel in an amazing location in Montmartre. Here are some other places I might try, depending where you want to stay: Hôtel de Roubaix, Hotel Americain, Hôtel Le Regent Paris or Hotel La Folie.