There are 10 clocks occupying every nook and cranny in her house, and another 40 wristwatches in her personal collection, so it's fair to assume that Valeerat Singkivibul is obsessed with time.

"For me, time is the fifth necessity in my life. I have to know what time it is all the time," says the senior corporate executive and communications director of Spa Advertising, with a grin.

Putting all her clocks and watches together, she has 1,200 hours in every day.

In her house, Valeerat has clocks in most rooms - sitting in corners, occupying desks, decorating walls, beside beds, even near the shower. In her office, there is a clock on her desk, another near her computer and one near the sofa - just in case someone relaxes for a moment.

Then, there are all her wristwatches. As if it's not enough simply to own them, she gives them all equal care.

"All my watches must be 'alive'," she says, adding that she takes them for repair immediately if any of them stop working, regardless of whether she is currently using the watch, or it is simply waiting to be worn.

Valeerat can offer no reason why she is an "adorer of time". Nobody in her family persuaded her to appreciate timepieces, or to keep an avid eye on every passing minute.

"I started wearing watches when I was young, but I can't remember exactly when. Unlike most other people, I wear my wristwatches on my right arm, so that I can easily watch them winding."

The 40 wristwatches in her collection are a variety, ranging from simple to fashionable, but including Carl F Bucherer luxury timepieces.

While time seems to make Valeerat's life complete, it also makes it unbelievably complicated.

Every time she has an appointment with friends, she adjusts three of her clocks to show five or 10 minutes' difference. For example, the time in the second clock will be five minutes later than the first, and the third five minutes later than the second. Just when the first clock tells her she has plenty of time, the second will remind her time is short and the third will give her a "hurry up".

It is a trick to ensure she leaves home with plenty of time to meet her friends, she says with a laugh. "But when I arrive at the rendezvous several minutes ahead of schedule, I think, 'My clocks are not showing the correct time!' So I wind them and adjust them to the proper time when I get home."

Then, when all her clocks show the correct time, she finds she is often late because she doesn't allow time for traffic jams and other incidents along the way.

But whereas time may be her little game when meeting friends, she's deadly serious about following the clock precisely when she's meeting clients - and this one shows the correct time.

"Being on time shows how much attention you're ready to pay to your customers. If I fail to meet them on time, they will lose trust in me; they'll feel uncertain about how well I will take care of them and their work."

Despite her fondness for the march of time, Valeerat admits it has little to do with her success or failure at her job.

"The key factor is dedication to an assignment and full commitment to achieve goals," she says, sneaking a fond glance at the Carl F Bucherer "Alacria Diva" steel timepiece on her right wrist.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation