How many clocks does Doede Bonder have exactly? He has to count for that. “Thirteen here in the room. Or no, there is another one there, that will be fourteen. And there are some smaller ones in front of the window. About twenty.” And then he shows the back rooms. “They’re almost on top of each other here.” Doede estimates all together at about fifty bells.
Doede has never really been interested in the collection. He is handy with clocks and was often allowed to keep the clock after repairs, otherwise they would have been thrown away with the residual waste. “This morning a gentleman came here with strawberries and dry sausage. I had repaired a clock for that. He said: ‘You put so much work into it, here are fifty euros. And a box of strawberries. And a dry sausage.’ When I arrived I saw him passing in front of the house with a big smile on his face.”
And will all fifty be on time? “I don’t start with that. I let them walk every now and then. And whether they keep time or not, I don’t worry about that.” Only a few clocks are still running. Most are in excellent condition, but have been temporarily taken out of service. The weights are loose on the floor under the clock. “Then it’s quiet here. If you have those Frisian tail bells and you train well for the bell, then you can’t be here. Because I have hearing aids, it must be quiet here.”
As a clock repairer, Doede has some good advice for winter time. Never turn back the clocks, it will destroy them. “I’m not going to turn it around myself. Most people do that wrong. They turn it back, that’s the smartest thing you can do. That’s not possible.” What should you do then? “It has to move forward. Or, stop it and when the time comes again, start it again. But never turn back.”