At Madrid's Puerta del Sol, the clock traditionally marks the final New Year's Eve countdown.
The square's clock is mounted on the Real Casa de Correos, a historic building that now houses the regional government of Madrid. Its midnight chimes are broadcast across Spain, and people use them to time the twelve-grape tradition: one grape is eaten with each principal chime.
Puerta del Sol is one of Madrid's most recognizable public spaces and a major meeting point in the city center. On December 31, large crowds gather there, while many others watch the ceremony on television from homes, restaurants, and public venues.
The famous sequence includes preparatory sounds before the main chimes, so viewers must follow the broadcast carefully. The celebration is therefore both a physical gathering and a nationwide media ritual, linking Madrid's central clock with New Year's customs throughout Spain.