Gul Kakar’s has his own museum of ancient of clocks in which he has collected thousands of ancient clocks from all over the world.
He is 44-year-old, officer with the Balochistan Levies Force, he keeps them at his tiny museum in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta. The collection of 18th and 19th century tick-tocks ranging from small pocket watches to tall free-standing wooden case grandfather clocks is the fruit of Kakar’s search of over two decades.
“My passion toward antique clocks started when I found two old clocks in my house, which were in my father’s possession,” he told that as he cleaned a pocket watch. “After repairing them, I started my search for more antique clocks.”
“A majority of clocks in this museum are acquired from people in the United Kingdom, Germany, Holland, France and United States,” the collector said. “I have a rare French-made Morbier grandfather clock, which was made in 1850, and a pocket watch manufactured in 1820. When I learnt that a French family sought to sell these rare clocks, I requested a friend in France and he purchased (them) for me and sent them six years ago.”
He says he has not counted his clocks but believes there are now thousands in his two-room museum on Quetta’s Joint Road. There are no guided tours, he said, chuckling, but anyone willing to see the collection is welcome if they share Kakar’s passion and empathy.
“I never thought that I would be able to build a museum,” he said. “With the passage of time, my antiques including all forms of old clocks started arriving and turned my place into a clock museum.”
In a world that is increasingly oriented toward technology, Kakar’s museum is a refuge, he said, a portal to another time. Indeed, besides the clocks, he also has a number of vintage radios and old gramophones in his collection.
“When I hear the sounds of these clocks or play songs on gramophones, it gives me immense comfort and pushes me into the historical lifestyle of the people back in the 18th and 19th centuries who had used these items,” he said. “I am able to recognize the chimes of all clocks.”
The models he owns are unfamiliar to Pakistani clocksmiths, so Kakar has to do most repairs himself. He doesn’t mind.
“I myself do servicing and wind them once a week, and I’m able to repair minor issues with my clocks,” he said.
Having realized that people who previously owned the clocks now in his collection had spent millions of hours in the spell of their ticking, he has recently started to study their history.
“I know the background of some of these clocks and I am in contact with some families in England and France and requested them to share the background of these clocks used by their great grandfathers during the 18th and 19th century,” he said. “I am hopeful I will get more details in the coming months.”
Kakar has never tried to estimate the worth of his collection.
“I have never sold my collection to anyone,” he said. “If I start counting the sum, I won’t be able to carry on with my enthusiasm.”
