The craft shops that once made Nikšić recognizable have almost completely disappeared. However, even to this day, many people from Nikšić repair their watches at the watchmaker in Njegoševa Street.
In the watchmaker's shop, which can be said to be one of the symbols of this city, the smith Milo Radović now works.
"I've been here for 35 years," says Radović.
He tells the story of how, after primary school, he chose precision mechanics.
"I did my internship with the famous master Ver Redžić. This was his shop. Now that Vero is retired, I continued to run the store and will work there until retirement," he states.
Everything he says exudes calmness.
There is an undertone of nostalgia in his voice, but also of leisure.
"This is the oldest watchmaking shop in Nikšić and one of the oldest in Montenegro. "All current watchmakers from Nikšić were trained in this workshop," he says.
He almost proudly points out that craftsmen from this shop used to repair the clock mechanism at the monastery in Nikšić.
When asked if there is enough work for him, he replies that there is not a day when 20, 30 customers do not enter the shop.
"I have customers of all ages. Young and old come, who like to repair their pocket watches. These are watches that are passed down from generation to generation," says Radović.
About how long it takes him to repair a watch, he says that it depends on the malfunction, on the mechanism, but also on many other things.
"It sometimes happens that I repair a watch for a day or two, and sometimes I repair it in half an hour".
Patience, precision and knowledge are, as he states, necessary for a good saiji.
"The watch has become a fashion detail and unfortunately it represents nothing more than that. People are no longer interested in the exact time, they are only interested in the brand and appearance of the watch".
About the watches that are bought today, he says that 80 percent are made in China.
"The Chinese make all possible copies. They are not quality watches, but they look nice."
When he compares the carpenters then and now, he says "before they were craftsmen, and today we are fitters".
"Previously, craftsmen could not get all the parts for a watch. They had to make a part that doesn't exist. Today, all parts are easily available. It is much easier to work today".
Despite the fact that today it is much easier to engage in this business, Radović points out that you cannot find someone who wants to learn this trade.
When asked if he would recommend someone to do this job, he says that he would.
"Anyone who wants to can live honestly and beautifully from this," says Radović.
Condolence alarm clock
As he says, one event remained in his special memory. “It was a long time ago. A woman came to fix the alarm clock. She told me that she was in a terrible hurry, that she needed to go to the funeral. I asked her to come when she was done with her duties, but she insisted that I fix her watch right away."
Radović tells how she came the next day and told him that it would have been better if she had listened to him, because her alarm clock rang while she was expressing her condolences.
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