Did a bit more "research" on the subject of electronics involved.
A somehow cheaper solution could use 60 shiftbrites (macetech), for a cost of $240. Then, headers need to be added, 10 (40-pin) male, 10 (40 pin) female; that adds about $10. This way, the shiftbrites could plug into each other in a circle with a radius of 19cm. Connect everything to an arduino with RTC (like Wiseduino 
(add $34 more), program it (sample code is available at macetech) and there you have it, "almost" done for a grand total of under $300.
As I said before, the challenge is in making the enclosure. Without it, there is no "Equinox Clock"