This beautiful shop belongs to the Jović family and is packed from floor to ceiling with watches, clocks, tools, machines, souvenirs, all kinds of unusual gifts. Gordana, the owner, and Srboljub, her father, are here daily, looking through their magnifying glasses repairing tiny mechanisms from early morning. Gordana’s mother, as she told me, also used to be a watchmaker, but she used to be employed in the famous “Insa” factory, once situated nearby in Zemun.
Srboljub, a committed artisan, retired more than a decade ago, but he keeps coming to work; whenever I walk by, he is talking to his customers. Once, I was here, looking for the right leather watch strap, when the wife of the Chinese ambassador came to invite the Jović family for a rather formal party, since they have been friends for years. As Gordana told me, the ambassador is actually her apprentice, and a hard-working craftsman!
Even if you don’t need a watch, actually – even if you don’t need anything, you will love the owners and the shop interior, surrounded by the gentle sound of hundreds of watch hands. The window is also lovely, with the clocks and plants that will surely grab your attention. However, Gordana told me to look twice at this very store window display: in the middle lays a custom-made watch, which runs backwards. Just in case you need to save some time.
