Show Me Yours: J. Rodney Messina’s clock collection

Photo by Collin Richie

It’s the first sign that this is no ordinary law office. A black floor clock stands tall in front of J. Rodney Messina’s office building. With dainty hands that point to Roman numerals, it looks like something from another era. It’s a sharp contrast to the modern SUVs parked on the street nearby.

“I put it out there so people could know what time it is,” Messina explains.

But there’s more to it than that. Inside his office, the first thing visitors hear is the constant click, click, click of dozens of clocks. There are more than 30 clocks arranged gallery-style on the wall by his desk.

Everyone notices the nonstop ticking: clients, co-workers, family members. Everyone except Messina.

“I don’t even hear it half the time—and I have good hearing,” he says. “I guess it’s like hearing a sound machine at night. It’s just music to my ears.”

His first clock: Messina estimates he’s been collecting clocks 10 years. The one that started it all was a vintage-looking, rectangular LSU-themed clock. He received it as a gift. “I liked the clock, and then I just gradually started adding to the collection,” he says.

Clocks with character: His collection has grown so large he barely remembers where he got most of it. He’s selective about buying new pieces. “It’s got to really stand out and be unique,” he says. He points to a few uncommon finds: a clock with math equations in place of numbers (where there would normally be a 12, this clock reads “6•2”), a gold clock shaped like a ship’s steering wheel, a caged-metal gym clock and a clock made of license plate numbers.

Budget buys: Like a proud father, Messina loves all his clocks equally, whether they cost him $10 or $400. “No one clock is more special than the other,” he says. He’s found many of his treasures online or at local hardware stores.

Cuckoo clocks: Every 15 minutes, two clocks on his wall cry out, “Cuckoo, cuckoo.” The house-shaped clocks with long chains stand out among the others. “They’re just absolutely gorgeous,” Messina says.

Gifted clocks: Everyone who knows Messina knows about his collection, it seems. Friends and clients often give him clocks as presents. “Once, a friend brought me a whole bag of clocks in a garbage bag after his mom passed away,” he says.