The other day I was in a meeting in a corporate boardroom and just outside the boardroom, in an ante-room where persons would gather before the meeting would be called, was the most beautiful grandfather clock I have ever seen.

It was not a big clock. Tall and slim. Without any great decoration in the way of carvings or mouldings. Very plain jane. But it was a shouting quality. Exceptional quality. I was transfixed by it and just could not take my eyes off it. Not for its lack of ostentatiousness, but for the look and patina of the casing that was just screaming out ‘come and hug me and touch me’. But because of where it was I could not.

The clock dial was a delicate porcelain look. Very plain, just off-white in colour. Not modern white, not yellowed. Just perfect. On closer inspection there were a few hairline cracks. but what would you expect from something that was over a hundred years old and see two world wars and many momentous times in the history of our nation. There was only one word that I could make out on the dial ‘Luka’. I took a deep breath. Was this a Michelang Sapiano?

There was a small label on the side saying that it was indeed a Michelang Sapiano and the clock had three weight driven trains. One for the time, another for chiming the quarter hours and another for striking the hours. It was a real gem. A dream clock. The only thing was that it was not running.

A shame that such a treasure was moping against a wall, in all its splendour and grandness. Unappreciated. Unadmired. That is a clock of standing that should be running in one of the most important offices of the land.

Sorry that I could not take any pictures to protect the privacy of the place.