Pakistani clock collector records passage of time
Gul Kakar’s collection of 18th, 19th-century timepieces range from small pocket watches to grandfather clocks
Bells, whistles, chimes, and gongs sound every minute. Hands tick, pendulums swing.
Welcome to the museum of Gul Kakar, a 44-year-old Balochistan Levies Force officer, who has collected thousands of ancient clocks from around the world.
Housed in his small museum in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, the collection of 18th- and 19th-century timepieces includes exhibits ranging from small pocket watches to tall freestanding wooden case grandfather clocks accumulated 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. After repairing them, I started my search for more antique clocks,” Kakar told Arab News.
“The majority of clocks in my museum have been acquired from people in the UK, Germany, Holland, France, and the US.
“I have a rare French-made Morbier grandfather clock, which was produced in 1850, and a pocket watch manufactured in 1820. When I learnt that a French family wanted to sell these rare clocks, I contacted a friend in France who purchased them for me and sent them six years ago.”
Kakar said he had not counted how many clocks he had but reckoned there were thousands in his two-room museum, located on the city’s Joint Road. There are no guided tours, but visitors are always welcome.
“I never thought that I would be able to build a museum. With the passage of time, my antiques including all forms of old clocks
started arriving and turned my place into a clock museum,” he added.
In a world increasingly oriented toward technology, Kakar said his museum had become a portal to another time. 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. I am able to recognize the chimes of all clocks.”
The models he owns are unfamiliar to Pakistani clocksmiths, so Kakar has to carry out any repairs himself.
“I service them and wind them once a week, and I’m able to repair minor issues with my clocks,” he said.
And he has recently started looking into the history of some of his exhibits.
“I know the background of some of these clocks and I am in contact with some families in England and France and have asked them to share the histories of these clocks used by their great grandfathers during the 18th and 19th centuries. I am hopeful I will get more details in the coming months,” he added.
Kakar has not attempted to calculate how much his collection is worth. “I have never sold items from my collection to anyone. If I started counting the sum, I would not be able to carry on with my enthusiasm.”