Today, the Eiffel Tower is a symbol of Paris and one of the most famous landmarks in France. However, in the late 19th century, the attitude towards it was different. The tower was built as a temporary structure intended to serve as an entrance arch for the 1889 World’s Fair. Foreign delegations liked it, but the French did not. Over 300 writers and artists sent a collective letter to the local mayor demanding the tower be demolished, calling it a 'factory smokestack.'

Gustave Eiffel did everything he could to defend his creation and, to avoid demolition, decided to adorn the tower with something unusual. Help came from Russian engineer Nikolai Alexandrovich Romeiko-Gurko, who was a master in the field of electricity. He created amazing luminous clocks specifically for the tower, where colorful bulbs displayed the hours and minutes. The 6-meter tall chronometer was visible even from the outskirts of Paris at night. This slightly improved the perception of the tower, which seemed to the French like an iron column. Gradually, the demands for its dismantling faded, and Romeiko-Gurko's clocks became one of the hallmarks of Paris.

The clocks gained great popularity, and Nikolai Alexandrovich began receiving orders for their production from other countries. For example, in Russia, he created similar chronometers for the Nikolaevsky Railway Station in St. Petersburg, but they did not survive. In 1917, a shell hit them, and only fragments remained of the unique clocks. The invention of our compatriot was significantly ahead of its time. In 1946, based on his chronometers, interval clocks were made for the Moscow metro, where bulbs showed minutes and seconds after a train's departure. A total of 24 units were installed, which operated until 1980. The Parisian clocks functioned until 1930, when they were removed during restoration and lighting replacement.