Jam Gadang is a famous icon of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. Standing 26 meters tall in the heart of the city, it is widely renowned as the mechanical twin of London’s Big Ben.
Big Ben and Jam Gadang use a very rare mechanical engine named Brixlion machine. What make Jam Gadang really special is because there are only two clocks in the world that use Brixlion machine.
Mechanical Twin of Big Ben
The tower was commissioned in 1926 as a prestigious gift from Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands to Rook Maker, the City Secretary (Controleur) of Fort de Kock (now Bukittinggi). The design was the work of a talented local Minangkabau architect, Yazid Rajo Mangkuto, while the construction was carried out by Haji Moran and a foreman known as St. Ameh.
The project cost approximately 15,000 Gulden. It was funded by the pasar fonds, a term from the Dutch colonial that refers to a public market or center of economic activity under the supervision of the local (state) government.
The primary reason for its "twin" status is the Brixlion engine, a mechanical movement produced by the Vortmann Recklinghausen factory in Germany. This engine, manufactured in 1892, is said to have only two units in existence globally, one in Jam Gadang and the other in Big Ben.
The clockwork arrived in 1926 via ship from Rotterdam, docking at Teluk Bayur Port. It operates entirely manually through a complex system of interconnected gears and wire ropes, functioning without any need for electricity or batteries.
Architecturally, the tower is a marvel of traditional craftsmanship. It is said that it was built without iron buffers or modern cement, but instead using a mixture of lime, white sand, and egg whites was used as an adhesive for the stones and foundation.
The tower consists of five floors, with the clock faces themselves measuring 80 cm in diameter. Since its completion, the roof has undergone three distinct transformations reflecting Indonesia’s political history.
It originally featured a round shape with a rooster statue during the Dutch era and was changed to a pagoda style during the Japanese occupation. However, it was remodeled into the traditional Minangkabau bagonjong style after independence.
The Mystery of Numeral “IIII”
An enduring mystery of Jam Gadang is the Roman numeral "IIII" used for the number four, instead of the standard "IV". Local legends said that the four "I"s represent four workers who were sacrificed during construction.
However, clock experts say that "IIII" follows the original Roman format used before the "IV" style became popular during the reign of Louis XIV.
Others also point to visual balance and symmetry. Using four "I"s balances the heavy "VIII" on the opposite side of the clock face, creating a harmonious aesthetic known as radial symmetry.
Today, Jam Gadang is a proud cultural heritage site. The building is still strong, though it has faced some challenges. For example, a major earthquake in 2007 damaged the clock's pendulum, which had to be replaced. Recently, experts have been working to fix its old bells so they can ring beautifully again, blending European history with Minangkabau pride.
