Times Square’s iconic clock has been replaced by a rotating orb of concentric circles

The iconic Times Square landmark has been replaced with a bizarre new design that has been compared to icons in Pokemon games. Photos: Wikimedia Commons (left), Vanesse Chan (right)
The iconic Times Square landmark has been replaced with a bizarre new design that has been compared to icons in Pokemon games. Photos: Wikimedia Commons (left), Vanesse Chan (right)

Remember the good ol’ days when Times Square’s clock tower served as a handy gathering point in the bustling Causeway Bay district, unmissable even by the most directionally challenged?

Well, times are a-changin’ indeed. The iconic shopping mall landmark has just been reduced to a new, bewildering design, comprising four metallic blue concentric circles that resemble the logo of a shifty telecom company you wish you never signed on with.

The rotating structure was unveiled late last month, replacing the majestic-looking, dome-shaped clock that has been synonymous with the luxury shopping center since it opened in 1994.

The new look yielded much criticism online, with many calling the design an eyesore and adding that it takes the “time” right out of Times Square.

The rotating orb sits atop a monochrome pillar. Photo: Vanesse Chan
The rotating orb sits atop a monochrome pillar. Photo: Vanesse Chan

Others gave their take on what they think it resembles.

“It looks like Pokestop,” one Facebook user wrote, referring to the blue, floating icons in Pokemon games that allow you to obtain free items.

One person described it as a Big Brother-type eye monitoring citizens’ activities.

According to HK01, the clock tower was demolished earlier this year. The marble-like column that the timepiece rested on was also torn down, replaced by a matte, space gray pillar that doubles as a LED screen.

 

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Instagram pictures tagged at Times Square show the pillar lighting up with shifting clouds against a sky, with a roman numeral clock over it. In pictures taken at night, the pillar displays a neon blue galaxy-like pattern.

“New clock tower? [I] completely do not know how to appreciate this,” one Instagram user wrote.

Read more: Times Square has been taken over by Justin Bieber’s face



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