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A French bronze clock with
a 75cm high statue
produced in 1842.
A French clock with its glazed face cast with
bronze and plated with gold (1855).
A French clock made from the Antimoin
material with a glass cap.
Collector Do Duy Ngoc
introduces a set of
six rare clocks brand named ATMOS by
J.
Lecoultre with the “Air Live” engine that
operates on the basis
of heat exchange.
| The attractive house at 129B Nguyen Dinh Chinh Street, Ward 8, Phu
Nhuan District in Ho Chi Minh City has for a long time been a destination
for people who have a fancy for seeing things of beauty. Inside one
can find unique collections of bronze statues, gems, bird cages and
particularly a collection of hundreds of clocks. These timepieces of
various styles, sizes, materials and colours are displayed on the walls
and tables. The owner of the collections is Do Duy Ngoc who has spent
dozens of years acquiring these objects as a hobby.
With great passion, the 58 year-old
man both introduced to us and detailed the objects as well as unique
manipulation techniques of ancestors. “The collection consists of 477
clocks made in different countries from around the world”. Pointing to a
series of clocks, Do Duy Ngoc added, “They were made during the
18th, 19th and 20th
centuries, each different from the others in terms of the origin,
trademark and series. Each clock has its own story and I made great
efforts to search out and bargain for them. Furthermore, I was fortunate
to acquire them. If you know the way to take care of clocks, they will
live. Our ancestors liked beauty, stability, precision and epitome so they
wanted to express their respect to time,” he said.
“If you
look closely, you will recognize the uniqueness in design and the
expertise of the artisans, particularly the great attention they paid to
style and decoration of clocks. These clocks differ in form, sound and
their principle of operation. I think we can agree that only a few objects
show creativeness and expression like these”.
The
collection includes a clock with a wooden drive system operating by a rock
tied at the end of chain and another clock with a spring mechanism that
after winding keeps time for up to 1,000 days. Also, there is a set of six
rare clocks brand named ATMOS by J. Lecoultre with the “Air Live” engine
that operates on the basis of heat exchange. These clocks can run for 600
consecutive years.
With his collection, Do Duy Ngoc was
granted a certificate for being the person with the most wind-up clocks in
Vietnam
by the Vietnamese
Guinness Records. He still keeps on seeking and hoarding as many ancient
clocks as possible.
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A French clock with its Italian marble cover
produced in 1863.
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A French clock with a wooden cover carved
in Muslim style and a bronze pendulum
in the
19th century.
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A
French clock made of bronze
in the
19th century.
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A British clock made of bronze
in the 19th century.
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French glazed-faced
clocks with two holes, carved and inlaid with gold in the early
20th century.
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A French clock in the Art Deco style with six
Italian red stone pillars.
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Story by Le Cuong - Photos by Minh
Quoc
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