For this Vietnamese man, collecting centuries-old clocks is a full-time passion

Pham Van Thuoc has scoured Europe to find old church clocks for his collection, which includes one made in 1750 that still works

With digital clocks now fast replacing mechanical ones in Europe, he hopes his collection can preserve a sliver of vanishing history

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Pham Van Thuoc hopes his collection can preserve a sliver of vanishing history. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:00pm, 11 Dec 2020Updated: 7:15pm, 11 Dec 2020

For more than two decades, Pham Van Thuoc has scoured Europe in search of historical church clocks, bringing them back to his home in Vietnam where he lovingly restores them.

He now has 20 clocks – many of which are more than a hundred years old and including one so big it weighs a tonne – housed in a warehouse in northern Thai Binh province where they fill the air with a cacophony of whirring noises, ticking and chimes.

Thuoc, who believes his collection is one of the largest in the world, said the thrill of building it up lies not just in the hunt to find beautiful old clocks, but also in figuring out how they work and how to fix them.

Pham Van Thuoc stands among old church clocks at his home in Thai Binh province. Photo: Reuters

“I have an Italian made-clock which is the oldest one and dates back to the year 1750,” he said.

“Probably the thing I like most about it is that despite being made years ago, it has stayed true to its purpose which is to count the time, and it does that extremely accurately.”

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