Joyeria Pato: Three Generations of Watchmakers in Vigo (Since 1965)

For over half a century, Joyería Pato has been part of the commercial and human landscape of Vigo. We weren't born as an online store or a franchise: we were born on the street, through direct interaction with people, manually adjusting watches on the wrists of thousands of real customers.

The beginning:

The Genesis: The Fairs of O Irixo (1947)

Our story doesn't begin within walls, but on the road. Long before settling in Vigo, our grandfather (born in 1922) was already frequenting the markets of O Irixo and O Carballiño. In that post-war Galicia of 1947, his judgment was law: he personally selected every silver chain, every gold jewel, every leather wallet, and every wind-up watch with a leather strap. He didn't just sell objects; he selected trustworthy items for his neighbors.

The Lineage: The child who learned on the way

The passing of the torch wasn't a choice, it was destiny.

Our father grew up amidst those travels and fairs, a child already carrying the weight of the trade on his shoulders: literally, with belts around his waist and letters of the time in his hands, he learned to safeguard the value of authenticity.

Among those stalls overflowing with leather wallets, silver chains, and the first watches, he observed how deals were sealed with a handshake.

That boy who accompanied the founder, toughening himself up amidst leather and metal, is the one who would later contribute the watchmaking expertise that defines our shop today.

1950-1960 - The arrival in Vigo

In Vigo in the 1950s, before brands, shop windows or websites existed, businesses were found in a different way: by asking in the street.

And when someone was looking for wallets, watches, glasses or small bazaar items at the Mercado de A Pedra, the answer was always the same:

“Go to O home da Pedra.”

Our grandfather arrived in Vigo at that time.
As a child he had been a knife sharpener —an essential trade back then— and that nickname stayed with him all his life. But when he settled in the market, he no longer sharpened knives: he sold, served customers, set up his stall every morning and packed it away every night.

Even so, the name remained.
Not because he sharpened knives, but because everyone knew who he was.

There were no signs.
There was no Google.
There was trust and word of mouth.

And that is how, long before there was a shop, what is now Joyería Pato was born.

1965 - The first jewelry store in the A Pedra Market

In 1965, that daily stall became something more: the first Joyería Pato, located inside the old Mercado de A Pedra, down the stairs from the main corridor.

Our roots in Vigo

In addition to the shop, a stall was also set up every day in the market’s own corridor: a small bazaar that opened at 9 in the morning and was taken down at 9 at night.

It was a shop without doors, open to the constant flow of people and tour groups arriving in Vigo from all over Galicia and Spain.

Many of the photographs we still keep today — with historical brand logos such as Seiko, Casio stickers, etc. visible on the shutter — date from that period.

Watchmaking: the craft that was never lost

Augusto Pato: A watchmaker on foot

As the business grew, the craft was passed down from one generation to the next.

The founder’s son-in-law — our father — trained as a watchmaker and, together with our grandfather, opened and consolidated the historic store.

Our mother also began to take an active role, helping to manage the business and serve customers, becoming part of the family’s second generation at the helm.

The tools that are still alive

Some of the tools we use today at Joyería Pato are not replicas or decoration.

They are the very same ones that have been used in our workshop for decades.

They are the physical trace of a craft passed down from generation to generation.

The wooden press

This press was modified by our grandfather with metal wires so it would not bend or mark the steel when closing watch cases. We still use it today when a watch resists being closed with modern tools.

Every mark, every gentle tap tells decades of battery changes on our customers’ watches.

The historical magnifying glass

Its glass is cracked and worn from decades of real use.

It is not a flaw, it is proof that it has worked tirelessly inspecting thousands of movements, hands and dials.

It is the same loupe that accompanied our grandfather, our father, and that unfortunately we no longer use today when absolute precision is required.

It is not perfect, but IT IS ALIVE.

The box with hundreds of watch strap links

More than 20 kilos of leftover bracelet links from thousands of watches fitted to real wrists over generations.

Each piece tells a story: a customer, an adjustment, a unique moment.

This is not decoration. It is the tangible memory of the craft.

1990 - Puerta del Sol: a new chapter in the center of Vigo

Maria Assumption: A strategic enclave

In 1990, our father and mother together opened a second store in a landmark location: Puerta del Sol 13, in the same space where the city’s Christmas tree stands today. The premises, formerly Joyería Antolín, became a new reference point for watchmaking in Vigo.

For years, two stores coexisted:

The historic A Pedra store.
The city center store.

This growth allowed each family member to have their own workspace, expanding the clientele and consolidating Joyería Pato’s reputation as a trusted jewelry store, while always maintaining the workshop and watchmaking service that sets us apart.

Even difficult moments are part of history

2004 - The resilience of the family

In the mid-2000s, a break in an underground water channel completely flooded the Puerta del Sol store. We still keep photographs from that day: display cases under water, damaged merchandise, the chaos of a physical business struck by the city itself.

It was cleaned.
It was repaired.
And yes, it reopened.

It did NOT defeat us. The Puerta del Sol store remained open until 2020, when the pandemic and rental conditions forced the closure of that physical location.

But the activity never stopped and never will.

From the street to the Internet

www a new chapter in the story

Today, Joyería Pato is also an online store.

Behind every product we sell there is:

Three generations of merchants.
A real watchmaking workshop.
Thousands of customers served in person.
Decades of experience selling, adjusting, and repairing watches.

We continue to work with the same brands as always: Seiko, Citizen, Casio, Festina, Lotus, and many more—not from a catalog, but from a real and continuous history of sales.

We don't sell watches because they're fashionable.

We sell watches because we've done it all our lives

From a humble stall in Plaza de A Pedra, through our historic store in Puerta del Sol, to our current jewelry location in Plaza de A Pedra, and now, an online store reaching all of Spain and the world.

Pato Jewelry is and will continue to be the same as it was in 1965

Today: two grandchildren, two sons, two brothers — Carlos and Jorge

The same square. The press, the magnifying glass, and 20 kilos of history...

They've been here longer than we have.