(1)     One família of watchmakers

(2)     Galeria de Fotos

(3)      Articulo on relojeria

(4)     Interview with Rose Commas (the Punt, 28/03/95)

(5)     Restoration of the clock of the bell tower d'Esponellà

(6)     Restoration of the clock of the bell tower d'Ullà

From always me it has surprised of Salitja the existence of a jewelry store. There are works that often we tied them to the cuidades.

Interested in local history, I came to Salitja in search of information on relojeria from this town and its history.

Four generations doing the office of watchmakers deserve the attention which we took the eagerness inside to know history

In order to know the origins of the present jewelry store of Salitja we must back down until second half of century XIX. This small selvatana village became an important diffusing center of the clock.

The first watchmaker of Salitja was Josep Commas i Basuldo. Been born in years twenty of century XIX in Dog Maramala de Estanyol.

. His teacher of office was the priest of Estanyol. After the learning with that priest become fond of to the clocks, one settled down in Salitja, where a house was constructed and bought some earth, we imagined that it did it with the benefits obtained by the legitim, since it was segundón.

Its professional life was characterized by the great variety of works that it synchronized, peculiarity that surely it had to turn a man known in all the region. In addition to the watchmaker office, it exerted of small agriculturist, also of traveling salesman of rosaries and medals. He himself made the rosaries. He was going to sell them Mondays in the market of Santa Coloma de Farners and to other neighboring towns when they made novenarios and septenarios. Also he took advantage of the holidays for trabajar:sintonizando, but with the festive character, since of entertainer of dances using an organ ago. He crossed the different towns from the region with the organ in the espalada one. Economia of the first watchmaker of Salitja mixed era of character, very rooted in the rural world. The work of agriculturist, traveling salesman and entertainer of dances had to complete the benefits obtained by the work of watchmaker.

 When we spoke of clocks, we talked about the foot clocks. The watchmaker of Salitja bought the clocks of wall through intermediaries of Barcelona, to the Morez house of France (at the present time still they exist). In the porcelain of the sphere he was made register the date, the name of the town and/or his.

Still today it is possible to see in some masías clocks of wall with the inscription of Salitja. Adquiria also rateras, clock characteristic of Germany.

What more has interested us is to see the system through as a house enjoyed a French clock of wall or a German ratera. The system is index of a society very little monetarizada, in which the value of use dominated over the value of change. Most of the clocks that the watchmaker of Salitja was made bring of France and of Germany they were not sold, but that was rented through a contract of oral renting that implied the payment of average cuartera of annual wheat, in the case of the French clocks of wall, or of a quarter of cuartera if it were a German clock, of simpler characteristics. The rent became without limit and the price was fixed. Average cuartera is possible to state the similarity between this system with the contract of culture by emfiteusi:la or the quarter was the annual census that allowed to enjoy the clock; the watchmaker, but, conserved the direct dominion on the clock. Also he indicates a society to us little worried about the absolute property of the things.

The watchmakers of Salitja, through this system, had gotten to have about one hundred clocks distributed by all the region of the Forest and the environs: Brunyola, Salitja, Sant Dalmai, Estañol, Aiguaviva, Vilablareix, Vilanna, Bescanó, Fornells of the Forest, Riudellots, Vilobí to d'Onyar... Most of the clocks they were rented during the last quarter of century XIX. The maintenance of the clocks went in charge of the watchmaker, whom it had to make the repairs that were necessary. Arrived the later time at the harvest, the watchmakers crossed the different houses where there was a clock his to receive the wheat

As of the second decade of century twenty, gradually the renters were buying the clock or they gave back it. It seems to be that the majority bought it, since a special price became. To date next to 1945 still there were clocks in rent by which he paid myself just like in century XIX. This to buy to a special price he is similar to the.redemption of censuses through which somebody acquired an absolute property and frees.

The reasons of the suppression of the rents of clocks are comprehensible: they were fravosos for the watchmaker, since the increase of the jewelry store material caused that the repairs that, so and as there are saying, were the responsibility of the watchmaker, were not profitable. Joaquim M. Puigvert i Solà

Joaquim M. Puigvert i Solà