Lavoine rolling ball clock

The rolling ball clock in Lavoine is one of Auvergne's strangest sights — a giant, water-powered timepiece that tells time not with hands, but with wooden balls rolling through a wooden frame.

Where is the rolling ball clock in Lavoine?

Lavoine is a small village in the Allier department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, sitting roughly in the middle of a triangle formed by the towns of Roanne, Thiers and Vichy. The clock stands on the village square, right in the heart of Lavoine, so anyone can walk up to it without booking a visit in advance.

How does the rolling ball clock actually work?

The structure measures 4 metres high and 10 metres wide, covering more than 30 m² of the square. It is built almost entirely of wood — about 95% of the mechanism. Time is read on three levels: at the top, balls track the minutes; in the middle row, five-minute intervals; and at the bottom, the hours.

A stream running past the village feeds the whole system, topped up by an electric pump that keeps the water flow constant throughout the day regardless of how much water the stream is carrying. The principle mirrors the old water-powered sawmills that once drove the region's timber industry — the same water-driven motion, repurposed to lift and release balls instead of saw blades.

What are the balls made of?

Thirty-two wooden balls circulate through the mechanism, each carved from assamela, a weather-resistant African hardwood. Every ball weighs around one kilogram and measures 20 centimetres across. Water power lifts the balls to the top of the structure, where they cascade down in sequence, marking off minutes and hours before being carried back into the loop to start again.

Why is this clock considered so unusual?

Only three water-powered rolling ball clocks of this kind exist anywhere in the world: one in Lavoine, one in San Francisco in the United States, and one in Munich, Germany. The Lavoine clock is the largest of the three. It was designed and built during the 2000s by students from an engineering school in Épinal, in the Vosges, who set out to create a working, monumental clock based on old water-driven technology rather than modern electronics.

Is it free to visit?

Yes. The clock sits in the open village square and can be visited free of charge throughout the tourist season, from 1 May to 31 October, daily from 9am to 8pm. There is no ticket and no need to book — simply walk to the square in the centre of Lavoine.

What should you know before visiting?

The clock is best seen during daylight hours, when the movement of the balls and the water feeding the mechanism are clearly visible. Because it only operates seasonally, from May to October, it's worth timing a visit within that window — outside the season the mechanism may be shut down or protected against winter weather. Lavoine itself is tiny, so most visitors combine the clock with a wider trip around Allier, taking advantage of its proximity to Vichy, Thiers and Roanne.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an entrance fee for the rolling ball clock in Lavoine? No, it stands in a public village square and can be viewed free of charge at any time it is operating.

When can you see the clock running? From 1 May to 31 October, every day between 9am and 8pm.

How is this different from an ordinary tower clock? There are no traditional hands. Time is shown by 32 wooden balls made of assamela, moved by a mechanism powered by water from a nearby stream plus an electric pump.

Is the Lavoine clock the only one of its kind? No, two similar clocks exist — in San Francisco and Munich — but the one in Lavoine is the largest of the three.