Rellotgeria Catalana, on Corderia Street in Palma, has been restoring antique watches for 111 years. Founded in 1915 by Josep Serra in Berga, it arrived in Mallorca in 1951 after a wedding promise.
In the heart of Palma's old town, on Corderia Street, a small watchmaker keeps alive the tradition of repairing pieces that others have deemed lost. With 111 years of history, Rellotgeria Catalana has become a reference for those seeking to give their watches a second life.
A promise that changed the course
It all started in 1915 when Josep Serra opened his first watch shop in Berga, Barcelona. Years later, during his honeymoon trip to Mallorca, he was so fascinated by the island that he promised his wife they would move there after the birth of their first child. The promise was fulfilled in 1951: with his wife and their one-year-old son Joan, he settled in Palma and opened Rellotgeria Catalana on Corderia Street.
This street, one of the oldest in Palma, owes its name to the ancient cord makers who worked with fibres like hemp or esparto to make ropes. In a city organised by trades, the watchmaking shop fit seamlessly into the life of the neighbourhood.
The workshop where time does not stand still
Inside the shop, the workshop remains active. There, antique watches are disassembled, gears are cleaned, and pieces are adjusted with the precision of over a century of experience. They sell analogue and digital watches, wristwatches, pendulum clocks, or cuckoo clocks, true gems of classic watchmaking.
What makes this business special is that it has not needed to diversify. It remains a shop where one enters with a watch in hand and a question: "Can it be fixed?" In an era where everything is quickly replaced, Rellotgeria Catalana reminds us that watches often have sentimental value and are worth repairing.
For the residents of Palma, this watchmaker is much more than a shop: it is a guardian of time. Those who come with an inherited watch or an old alarm clock know that if anyone can bring it back to life, it is the team at Rellotgeria Catalana.
The story of this business is also the story of a city that still retains corners where manual craftsmanship resists disappearing. On Corderia Street, the ticking of restored watches sounds like a small daily miracle.
If you have a watch that isn’t working, perhaps it's time to visit Rellotgeria Catalana. They are open from Monday to Friday, and the workshop is visible so you can see how they work. Because, as they say, time never dies; it just needs someone to set it in motion.
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