The Speaking Clock

The 21st-century talking clock, heir to a French tradition since 1933

The speaking clock: modern NTP-synchronized talking clock, heir to the French tradition since 1933
Call now
+33 1 77 45 53 29
24/7 Free*
Current time in Paris (corrected against our NTP-synchronized web server)
--:--:--
Measuring the offset…

* Cost of a local call from France

Rather read it than hear it? See the exact time on screen, corrected for your clock's offset.

Traditional announcement format (spoken in French)
"Il est 14 heures 30 minutes"
("It is 2:30 PM")
then
"Au quatrième top, il sera 14 heures 31 minutes"
("At the fourth beep, it will be 2:31 PM")
BEEP . . . BEEP . . . BEEP . . . BEEP
Note: The phone service announces the time in French.

A French tradition since 1933

The history of the speaking clock in France

The speaking clock is a French institution. Invented by astronomer Ernest Esclangon, director of the Paris Observatory, it was inaugurated on 14 February 1933 and immediately became an iconic public service.

1933 - Inauguration of the speaking clock at the Paris Observatory. Marcel Laporte's voice announced the time on 78 rpm records.
1991 - The service became the famous 3699 number, dialled by millions of French people to set their watches.
2022 - After 89 years of continuous service, Orange announced the permanent shutdown of 3699 on 1 July 2022.
2026 - The Speaking Clock (La Pendule qui Parle) carries on this tradition with a modern infrastructure, synchronized by NTP.

Sources: Paris Observatory and SYRTE press release on the end of 3699 (3 May 2022, PDF, in French) · Next: the talking clock gives way to heurelegalefrancaise.fr (in French)

Modern technology in the service of precision

The Speaking Clock is not just a nostalgic tribute: it is a cutting-edge technical service built on both our expertise in time synchronization and our experience in voice over IP.

🛰️

NTP synchronization

The Asterisk server, like our web server, synchronizes over NTS with our Stratum 2 servers, which follow public Stratum 1 servers: it is therefore at Stratum 3 (reading of 15 October 2026). The time shown on this page is your device's, corrected by its measured offset from our web server.

🎙️

Tom Voice (Piper TTS)

High-quality French speech synthesis, generated locally for minimal latency.

📞

SIP Telephony

Professional Asterisk infrastructure with SIP trunk provided by IPPI.com for maximum availability.

⏱️

To the second

The beep is aligned on an NTP-synchronized clock; on the phone, it is the voice's journey that limits precision, not the clock.

How it works: the infrastructure behind the voice

The Speaking Clock is powered by the same infrastructure that synchronizes thousands of servers around the world via the NTP Pool. To measure live the offset between your machine clock and our reference, the ntp-tester.eu live tool displays it second by second.

Three dedicated pages detail the technical chain that, at the other end of the phone line, delivers a voice announcement aligned on a synchronized clock:

  • The operator's history and architecture: Our NTP infrastructure since 2005 — 20+ years of operation, from the first volunteer server to today's 16 NTS servers and our GPS Stratum 1.
  • The layer that authenticates our NTP servers: Source of time: NTS on Chrony — the cryptographic layer that authenticates upstream NTP servers.
  • What "Stratum 1" and "Stratum 2" mean: NTP stratum hierarchy — how each level of the hierarchy maps to the accuracy reachable at that tier.
🖥️
NTP Infrastructure

Stratum 1 & 2 Servers
📡
Stratum 1 Server

Raspberry Pi + GPS
🔒
NTS Security

Secure synchronization

Acknowledgements

Guillaume for coming up with the name "La Pendule qui Parle" (The Speaking Clock).
IPPI.com for providing the SIP trunk and French phone number.

Free NTP Tools

Three independent tools to diagnose your time synchronization:

Frequently asked questions

What number should I call to get the exact time?

Call The Speaking Clock (La Pendule qui Parle) at +33 1 77 45 53 29 to hear the exact time, 24/7. The service has no surcharge (cost of a local call).

Does the 3699 speaking clock still exist?

No. Orange shut down 3699 on 1 July 2022, after 89 years. French legal time is now published online by the Paris Observatory at heurelegalefrancaise.fr. La Pendule qui Parle costs a local call: +33 1 77 45 53 29.

Is 36 69 the old talking clock?

No. 36 69 is a private paid service: €2.99 per call, plus the cost of the call (price displayed on horlogeparlante.com, checked on 9 October 2026). It should not be confused with Orange's 3699, shut down in 2022. La Pendule qui Parle gives the time, synchronized by NTP, for the price of a local call.

How does The Speaking Clock work?

The service uses an Asterisk server whose clock is synchronized by NTP. The voice is generated by Piper TTS speech synthesis, with the announcement 'Au quatrieme top, il sera...' (At the fourth beep, it will be...) followed by synchronization beeps.