There appears to be scaffolding of some sort across the clocks. It's too early in the 20th Century for a Daylight Savings Time change. Perhaps some other sort of timepiece maintenance is happening. Too bad we can't see the clocks on the south and east sides of the building.

[Note the absence of hands on the clocks. -tterrace]

It looks like the skinny tower part is more for height and prestige than practicality and business efficiency. They could have gotten more useful floor space per dollar building fewer but wider floors. Inadequate space per floor is what doomed the Singer Building.