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80-metre arches: Al Ain's iconic clock goes from 1970s landmark to Swiss masterpiece
Fifty-five years, one demolition and an Omega redesign later, the city's most recognisable roundabout is still a beloved Al Ain icon
- PUBLISHED: Thu 6 Aug 2026, 1:18 PM
Ask anyone in Al Ain for directions, and there is a good chance the Clock Roundabout will come up. Fifty-five years after it first marked time at the heart of the city, the landmark has been redesigned, torn down and rebuilt — yet somehow, it still feels like the same old friend the city knows and loves.
The landmark's story starts in 1970, when the roundabout was built on what would become Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street, Al Ain's main commercial strip. According to the city's urban planning department, the Clock Roundabout was the very first square to be officially named in Al Ain.
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Long before glass towers and signal-controlled intersections took over the city's skyline, this was the spot everyone used as a landmark — "Meet me by the clock" was a famous phrase heard around town.
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A few makeovers along the way
The clock itself has changed faces more than once. Back in 2015, there were plans for a giant electronic timepiece at the site as part of a citywide beautification drive. By 2021, Al Ain Municipality was already redesigning the area as part of a bigger plan to turn several Al Ain roundabouts into proper traffic-light intersections without losing their character as landmarks.
The big transformation kicked off in February 2025, when DMT confirmed the old clock would come down entirely, and be replaced by a new illuminated structure holding a four-faced suspended clock at the centre of the intersection. Wider footpaths and cycling lanes came with the transformation as well. Fifteen months later, with zero recorded injuries on site, according to Al Ittihad, the new structure was ready.
Swiss precision meets Emirati heritage
The new clock's design draws from Omega's Constellation collection, marking the Swiss watchmaker's first collaboration of its kind with Al Ain Municipality, timed to coincide with the UAE's 54th National Day. Omega's own statement pointed out that the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was known to admire Omega timepieces, which makes the brand choice feel less like a sponsorship and more like a tribute.
Al Ain icon
Fifty-five years, one demolition, and a Swiss redesign later, the shape has changed more than once. What remains the same is what the landmark means to the city. The Clock Roundabout is still an Al Ain icon, and it seems to have achieved its goal: to keep people walking through it, not just driving past it.
Emirati Journalist