Independent Watchmaker References..

[qtaro]

Sydney,

Karl Braunsteiner, Master WatchMaking
http://www.masterwatchmaking.com.au/

He is the official Audemars Piguet service agent.
I bought quite a number of Rolex from him in the 90s. He also trained one of the staff in Sydney RSC.

[dnystrom]

Originally Posted by George Ab

I really like Tim Hayes at Ben Bridge in the Kitsap Mall. Rolex and Omega AD, reasonable price, quality workmanship.

Kitsap Mall
10315 Silverdale Mall Way NW
Silverdale, WA 98383

360-698-3055

Ben Bridge has ALWAYS done well with me for the past 35 years.
2- 1665's and a 1500.

[HL65]

Bob Ridley--Watchmakers International: http://www.watchmakers.com/index.html
Bob is in a league of his own IMHO when it comes to vintage Rolex. He takes the time to educate you on the phone-30-45 minutes. He sends you multiple updates with pictures while the watch goes thru the process. Lastly-just having his paperwork with your watch-adds instant credibility and value to your watch as Bob is so well known and respected.

[watchnut.com]

If you are seeking a good Rolex watchmaker in central Texas, try:

David Throckmorton
5716 W Highway 290
Austin, TX 78735
(512) 495-9997

He is Rolex certified and been in the business for over 30 years.

You can find some information about him here.

[maddesign]

just wanted to share a pleasant experience with Shant and Carlos at Four Crowns, 608 S Hill, LA, CA, 213-488-3381.

They replaced the hands and crystal on my TT DJ, and also replaced the seals and made an adjustment to the movement, I was told something was too tight. All while I waited and it only took 45 minutes, and had nice talk about watches and their history.

They're all from the BH service center and even have their work stations from Rolex. They opened up shop when the BH SC closed down.

I'm really happy with the customer service I received and the fact they fixed exactly what I wanted in 45 minutes instead of the 6-8 week turn around I was quoted from the Dallas SC.

[Mike1066]

Call Mr. Tom Doan of D's Time Service. Located in downtown San Diego. He is a fantastic watchmaker, very knowledgeable guy and a just a very nice person. He will do a GREAT job with your Rolex, or any other swiss watch you have. Repairs, services and restorations and great prices. Check out his website: www.dstimeservice.com

Contact info is:
www.dstimeservice.com
619-696-9464
[email protected]

[glocati]

Two great indendent watchmakers in Portland:

Alex's Watchworks and Crown Jewelers.

You will be well served at either. I have used both and they are both good. Alex's is downtown Portland. Alex is the owner, really knows his stuff and has two Rolex trained guys. Great pre-owned inventory as well. Their phone is 503-223-1368.

Crown Jewelers is out in Clackamas in the Town Center Promenade. Tom Madison is the owner/watchmaker. 30 years experience. Currently has a heck of a nice 1016 Explorer FS BTW.... Their number is 503-659-4459.


Regards, Greg

[dbphotos]

In Menlo Park, CA I used Franz Lorist for many years. I am now in Texas and close to Bob Ridley. If I needed some work while in the SF Bay Area, I would definitely go to Franz.

651 Oak Grove Avenue # K
Menlo Park, CA 94025-4331

(650) 322-9821

[seanwatchfinder]

IN Toronto Check out MY watchmaker he worked at Cartier and in middle east for 30 years let me know if i can help and TRF members
www.watchfinder.ca

[ExpII]

Originally Posted by siffert

Based on others recommendations on this forum (and dissatisfaction with Rolex Dallas SC work), I had Rik Dietel of http://TimeCareInc.Com work on my Rolex DateJust midsize watches. He is Rolex Certified and Rolex Repair/Parts Authorized. Based in Seminole Florida, he is readily available to communicate with you for your Rolex servicing needs. His work on my watches was superb and his polishing/detailing skills was far superior to what I got at RSC. His service prices were half of what was charged to me at RSC. Finally, I never had more than a 4 day wait for my watches to be sent back to me!! Compare that to RSC! Rik comes highly recommended by me!

x2

[Sunny Arizona]

Originally Posted by geronimo509

How about any in eastern PA ( pennsylvania )??

I have used Mark Sirianni Watch Repair in Kane PA. He is great and very reasonable pricing

[cursto]

Originally Posted by twilightround

I'm considering buying a used Rolex from a private party in central florida, looking for a watchmaker to inspect and verify it. Any suggestions?

Rik Dietel comes highly recommended. He is located in Seminole, Fl


Time Care Inc.
P.O.Box 7489
Seminole, Florida. 33775

Phone: 727-215-8870
Hours to call: 8:00am to 5:00pm E.S.T.
Monday through Saturday

Email: [email protected]

[Baco Noir]

Al at Archer Watches in Canada is first rate! He's done my vintage Tudor, my great grandfather's Elgin pocket watch, and my Omega Great White.

http://www.archerwatches.ca/

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[DCgator]

John Alabaster Watch & Clock Repair - Vienna, VA - Rolex and Omega + other brands

Buddy Huguley Clock and Watch Repair - Annapolis, MD - Rolex + other brands

Liljenquist & Beckstead Jewelers - NOVA, Annapolis, MD - Rolex AD + Repair + other brands

CJ Watch & Jewelry Repair - Annapolis, MD

[Lok3sh]

I just want to mention Juan Arsenian in Downtown San Francisco. He is in the (apparently well known) Shreve building which is filled with watchmakers. He has been there for more than 60 years as a watchmaker and has received a certificate of honor from the city for his work. He recently repaired my ancient Rolex 6466 which was not running at all. He took barely a week and did a full cleaning/overhaul and got it working for $300 which I think is VERY reasonable. Especially after I got a quote of around $700 from the RSC in the same building. He is a very nice old man, and seems to take a lot of pride in his work. I recommend him highly if you do not want to pay RSC prices.

210 Post St
Ste 909
(415) 392-5440

[qwiklap]

Originally Posted by qwiklap

Anyone ever use?

Dung Lam
Herndon Watch & Clock
Herndon, VA
http://herndonclockandwatch.com/

AWCI and Omega Swatch Group certified. Has a Rolex parts account.

Thanks!

I just want to add Mr. Lam as a very good watchmaker.

You can see my full review here: http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=218060

[kh1970]

I've used Dung Lam at Herndon Watch and Clock before as well to service two watches, one vintage Omega and he also did my 16013 last year. I was happy with the work both times and thought the pricing was fair. He has also added/removed links for me multiple times for no charge.

[Scary Hat]

The Authorized Rolex Repair shop at 210 Post Street is around. I had a watch
overhauled and picked it a month ago. They did an excellent job.
Great guys!




Tom

[tfduff723]

Useful thread - good idea

For folks in suburban Detroit I recommend these guys. I have posted a few times before about them. I was just in there recently to switch my Sub LV over to a black bezel insert. Good people!

Their store is right next to the Birmingham Theater (www.backintimeintl.com).

I bought my pre-owned coke GMT II 16710 from "Back in Time International". They have a Rolex parts account and do expert repair. If you are looking for a non-AD local option - check them out. They buy & sell all high end pre-owned brands including Rolex, Patek & Omega as well as sell new Longines, Doxa, Hamilton & a few others. The owner's name is Kirk Putze and his wife's name is Michelle. They run a very nice boutique style shop and were even written up in Fortune Magazine a couple of years ago.

[TimeToGo]

Originally Posted by pivo

I'm looking for reliable indie Rolex service in the area Palm Beach to North Miami.

Do you have an opinion on
- Eric Young in Coral Springs (says he does a lot of Rolex repair for the area watch dealers) or
- Daoud's in Fort Lauderdale?

Or any other recommendations in SE Florida?

Thank you so much!

You can check these folks out:

Jewels in Time
4400 N Federal Hwy #116, Boca Raton, Florida 33431
(561) 368-1454

[TommyT53]

One of the finest watchmakers is Jesse Hueg from Albany, NY. Myself and many other watch freaks use him and his work is impeccable. Check him out at www.jhfinewatches.com

[gbcecil]

I have used Glenn Rutledge CW21 at http://www.watchchest.com for over 10 years. He has 35+ years experience with Rolex.

[ViperB]

Originally Posted by pivo

I'm looking for reliable indie Rolex service in the area Palm Beach to North Miami.

Do you have an opinion on
- Eric Young in Coral Springs (says he does a lot of Rolex repair for the area watch dealers) or
- Daoud's in Fort Lauderdale?

Or any other recommendations in SE Florida?

Thank you so much!

You can ship it to Rikki at TimeCare or drive to him. He's about 3.5hrs NW from you. I just got back my 16618 gold Submariner from him. I've seen his work and it's about the best that I've seen. He also has a Rolex parts account. Watch came back like new. This is the reason I went with Rikki. I've post some pictures tonight when I have time.

[mikkibarry]

The ones I've used so far are:

Herndon Clock and Watch, Herndon VA - great service, fair pricing
The Jewelry Doctor, Vienna VA - jewelry type watch repairs, i.e. soldering, etc.
Zaf Basha, DC (www.classicwatch.com) - solid service without "frills" at fair prices
Liljenquist & Beckstead - Tysons Galleria, VA. AD with good service at AD prices

Rikki and Bob Ridley both have pieces from my collection. I'm sure they'll both do a great job as well. I tend to use different vendors for different watches and problem types.

[pivo]

Originally Posted by ViperB

You can ship it to Rikki at TimeCare or drive to him. He's about 3.5hrs NW from you. I just got back my 16618 gold Submariner from him. I've seen his work and it's about the best that I've seen. He also has a Rolex parts account. Watch came back like new. This is the reason I went with Rikki. I've post some pictures tonight when I have time.

Thanks a lot, much appreciated! I'm right around the corner from you btw. We could time our repairs with Ricky and make it a roadtrip ;-D

[BNA/LION]

San Diego. CA

http://www.dstimeservice.com/index.html

Tom is the owner and he is a master watch maker. Highly recommended! He as rebuilt all my Rolex watches.

[apollo11]

I wanted to add the following watchmaker to the list:

http://www.matheusfinewatches.com/

They are located in Highlands Ranch, CO. This is a suburb of Denver, CO.

They have a Rolex parts account, and do a great job with a full service. I had a chance to meet Tim (a watchmaker there) and see their operations. They have done my families Sub and vintage Air King a few times.

They offer a two year warranty, and are priced just below the RSC's.

Matheu's Fine Watches is good to go!

[MadeOfCheese]

Originally Posted by Jimbits76

Anybody in the UK...there's only really two to go to.

Tylden Reed and Chris Heal.

Tylden repaired and renovated my dead Oyster Date and is probably one of the only guys who can now service the watch (he was recommended to me by Rolex Bexley).
http://www.tyldenreed.co.uk/

Chris, I have not used yet but he is highly regarded and has always been professional, polite and prompt in our correspondence.
http://www.chealwatch.co.uk/

J

Great resource, thanks guys.

Is there any update in the UK or London recommendations in the last few years?
Looking to get a vintage datejust repaired, and don't want any "refurbishments" done by RSC at the same time.
(Would also rather not pay RSC costs if possible.)

[Baco Noir]

Originally Posted by apollo11

I wanted to add the following watchmaker to the list:

http://www.matheusfinewatches.com/

They are located in Highlands Ranch, CO. This is a suburb of Denver, CO.

They have a Rolex parts account, and do a great job with a full service. I had a chance to meet Tim (a watchmaker there) and see their operations. They have done my families Sub and vintage Air King a few times.

They offer a two year warranty, and are priced just below the RSC's.

Matheu's Fine Watches is good to go!

I've had a bad experience there. I asked them to polish a small scratch on a lug of my Nomos before I sold it. They tried but didn't do very well but there was no charge. When I got home I saw they scratched the case back. I went back and they denied the case back scratch and wanted $250 to polish both out because they said the needed to disassemble the case to polish out the light scratches I declined and cleaned up both with a Cape Cod.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Docar]

Originally Posted by datejust24

Get ahold of Rik at Time Care Inc....he'll make it right. Guaranteed.

Can't let this comment go without response.

Recently had my Speedmaster serviced by Rik.
Long story short; he was not responsive to my issue
with his work.