Chennai’s clockman Robert Kennedy’s hobby earned him a place in the record books.
Who is he? For Kennedy, collecting clocks of all types, shapes, and sizes began as a hobby in his teens. Now he has more than 1,700 in his collection. He’s also in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the world’s smallest pendulum clock, which is 1.5 inches long. His grandfather was the inspiration when his supervisor gave him a wind-up Ansonia clock. He would help him clean and wind it every week.
- His collection is among the largest in the world. The oldest one is a 290-year-old clock handmade in England. When he posted it on social media, other collectors said they hadn’t seen another like it.
- His favourite is the Big Ben Alarm Clock. He was the only one in his college hostel with an alarm clock. He also spoke of a woman in England who gifted him three high-end catalogue clocks.
Future plans: To increase the popularity of this hobby, he plans to open a trust museum to display some of his collections. He said he’ll be happy if they can be displayed at the Egmore museum for tourists and visitors.