A whiff of antiquity oozes out of old pendulam clocks piled up in a crammed shop.Watches from quartz to mechanical to automatic broken and beyond repair are mended right here in the walled city of Delhi and that too all under one roof without making a hole in your pocket.
It's an old shop tucked away in the historic walled city of Delhi on the same lane where the eateries like Karim's,Al Jawahar and Rehmatullah hotels tickle foodies and food connoisseurs' taste buds.
This decades-old workhouse, which opens at 11 in the morning and wraps up for the day at 8 in the evening, has been setting the time right to many soulless and lifeless timepieces.'Clockmaker is an artisan with the temperament of a scientist,' says Mohammad Ayaz Khan, a clock repairer, would rather love to be called a craftsman. Sitting in his workshop in Churiwalan appears more of a museum than a shop.
His clientele includes the affluent dwellings of Greater Kailash,Golf Links, Sunder Nagar, NFC, Defence Colony and the like. Ayaz has learnt the trade of clock repairing from his father late Mohmmad Ilyas Khan, who set up workshop back in the year 1972.
Quartz and digital clocks though more accurate yet watch lovers pride themselves on sporting vintage automatic and manual winding watches of the 60s.
Time seems to have ticked too fast leaving a handful of real clockjobbers behind who actually boast the authenticity of mechanism and claim authority.
Mohammad Riyaz Khan, the eldest of the family deals exclusively in automatic and mechanical watches. He spends long hours staying submerged in breathing life into the dead mechanical timepieces lying strewn which he calls his forte.
"I repair 4 to 6 watches a day, looking for parts of vintage watches is a herculean task. I have repaired hundreds of watches so far." Mohammad Riyaz with expertise in mechanical watches speaks.The shop exclusively designed and designated for all repair work and does not entertain one looking to buy timepieces.
"We believe in a long and cordial relationship as we have clients coming from places like UK (Uttrakhand), the south of India and other states. Besides, we have customers from Delhi and its adjoining provinces. My father Mohammad Iliyas was a seasoned mechanic with finesse and had specialisation in mechanical watches." Mohammad Ayaz, a perfect clockjobber gushes.
The shop has a history of repairing wall clocks ranging from the likes of John Walker, Seiko, Smiths,Gilbert,
Bulova, Waterbury, Howard Miller, Ansonia to Ajanta. Ayaz charges a little extra for his home visit, as six-footer grandfather cannot find winding ways into the mazy labyrinths of Shahajahanabad. "We have repaired mechanical watches including Omega, Enicar, Favre Leuba,Titoni,Tissot, Seiko, Longines and West End etcetera. I strive to keep my customers pleased with the work and service charges which are justifying to the job done. The humble Riyaz concludes speaking.
Mohammad Ghyas, brother next to the eldest Riyaz exhibits mastery of quartz watches.
In the same vicinity comes Suhail Watch Company, in Urdu bazaar close to the hot joint of Qureshi Kababs, Suhail Akhtar 63 years is a wizard. He is believed to have been repairing mechanical watches for over 45 years, Sohail is considered a living encyclopedia on mechanical clocks. The shop remains closed on Sundays.
By SYED WAJID
(The content of this article reflects the views of writers and contributors, not necessarily those of the publisher and editor. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only)
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