In the nineteenth century, timekeeping was central to navigation, urban coordination and maritime activities in Hamburg, a major port city and Germany’s gateway to the world. This paper examines the historical development of timekeeping at the Hamburg Observatory focusing on its technological advances, influential figures and contributions to maritime navigation and public life. A central element of this study is the role of time balls in the dissemination of accurate time. These time balls, synchronised by telegraphic signals with observatory clocks, played a crucial role in ensuring navigational accuracy by calibrating ship’s chronometers. The analysis extends beyond Hamburg to provide a global perspective on the evolution and eventual obsolescence of time balls, which were replaced by wireless radio signals in the early twentieth century.