The Clock Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is located on an elevation between the Northern and Ivanov Towers, at the edge of the Kremlin hill. The section between the Clock and Northern Towers is the shortest in the Kremlin, measuring only 39 meters.

Being at the highest point of the fortress, the Clock Tower served as the main watch post and was likely the center of command for the garrison. According to local historian Nikolai Khramtsovsky, the tower got its name in the 16th century when city clocks and alarm bells were installed, calling defenders to arms.

The clock mechanism was located at the top of the tower, in a wooden hut shaped like a pentagonal log cabin. The dial had 17 divisions, corresponding to the hours of the longest summer day, and separately counted day and night hours. The first hour after sunrise marked the 1st hour of the day, while the hour of sunset marked the 1st hour of the night.

In the 18th century, after reconstruction, the clock began to strike the half hours, as noted in a description from 1703 compiled by the Nizhny Novgorod voivode. A specially trained clockmaker monitored the accuracy of the clock's movement. From the watchtower of the tower, they observed the approach of the enemy by land and river. Although the fortification had no cannons or artillery, gunpowder and provisions were stored in the tower's cellar. In 1807, a fire destroyed the stone vaults of the tower, leaving cracks in the walls. In 1954, restorers restored the vaults, battlements, damaged masonry, and wooden superstructure. The top of the tower was adorned with a gilded weathervane in the shape of a deer, the symbol of Nizhny Novgorod.

During the Great Patriotic War, anti-aircraft machine guns were installed on the upper platform of the tower for the city's air defense. Since the 1970s, the tower has housed Post No. 1 at the Eternal Flame, where during Soviet times, an honor guard was maintained by schoolchildren from the Komsomol.