I would stay clear of Curiosity Shop. A toxic business that is quick to be insulting. Highly defensive and reactive responses - when you actually get a response. Poor communication and lack of follow-through. I strongly suggest you go elsewhere. read more

Great staff. Fixed my watch fast and efficiently. Highly recommend coming here for repairs.

I have an inherited, 70-year old Rolex that nobody (and I mean NOBODY) wanted to service. After the only authorized Rolex dealer in Rochester suggested I use The Curiosity Shop, I reluctantly took my watch there. No regrets. While the watch mechanism does suffer for 50 years of neglect (there is wear), the owners have this watch running as best it can (which is really QUITE well, all told) and looking just spectacular. HUGE plus - while the watch refurbishment was total, The Curiosity Shop left elements of the "patina" intact (whether intentional or not!) so the Rolex still has that "flavor" of a 70-year old watch, but one in GREAT shape. I'm assuredly going back: I could not be happier with the final result. read more

We brought a clock to be fixed and it had a bird on it. When we picked it up they said it never had the bird on it and it came that way, even though we knew the color of the bird as it was red and white. They insisted it came without the bird even when we said it did. Wouldn't offer an apology or anything insisting it was "never there." Take pictures before dropping something off because if they break it or lose it they won't apologize. read more

Excellent service. I had purchased from an online vendor a custom leather watch strap, sized to the Timex watch I've grown accustomed to. Once it arrived, I was unable to place my Timex onto the strap, because the leather from the strap was too thick. I brought this issue to another jewelry repair shop in Rochester (which I will leave unnamed), and that shop told me there was nothing that could be done to place this Timex onto my fancy leather strap. Thankfully, I got a second opinion from Curiosity Shop, because it was in fact possible to fit this watch onto my strap! All that was needed was simply two curved rods rather than the straight rods (a very commonly used item when modifying watches). I remain confused as to why the first shop did not help me with this simple modification, but I am certain that Curiosity Shop is one jewelry shop that will take the extra step in service to ensure you're being helped! read more

Years ago clock makers were as common as Starbucks. Now they are few and far between. And years ago everyone owned at least one mechanical clock. Now, mechanical clocks are more rare. Instead we have cell phones. Existing older clocks may have never been serviced or restored. Because of their mechanical nature, parts wear and things break. Many clocks are damaged by well meaning but misinformed tinkerers. By the time they arrive at Curiosity Shop the clocks may be in very poor condition and require extensive rebuilding and restoration. This is expensive, complex and specialized work performed by only a few craftsmen. Delays are common. Replacement parts may be impossible to find so they must be remade or the mechanism adapted to incorporate non original parts. And after all that they are still old mechanical clocks that keep time as best they can while temperature and humidity changes constantly affect their accuracy. So. If you don't love them and understand their limitations you might reconsider whether an old mechanical clock can meet your expectations. Curiosity Shop had my grandfather clock for six months. I was prepared for it to take a year. It is a German tubular chime clock with a huge and heavy movement that plays three different chime tunes. Frankly, I was pleased Curiosity Shop was able to restore it in only six months. Their work is very good. (I build and restore old wooden boats and have built and restored harpsichords and pianos so I have patience for this kind of work.) The shop always responded to my progress inquiries. They are incredibly busy. They were always willing to take a few minutes to explain the work. It was returned to me today and is running well. I understand it will need some adjustment over the next few weeks/months as the mechanism's restored parts wears in. The complexity of the mechanism dictates that restoration and return to keeping time is a process and any owner of such a clock needs to realize they have a relationship with a clock that must be understood as wanting periodic adjustment so it runs at its highest level. Folks not able to tolerate such a clock's needs will be better served by a modern quartz regulated clock. Clock makers have to work within the finicky parameters of these old machines. It is demanding and often frustrating work so their customer service may be already stressed out. Craftsmen may be very good at their work but may not have the people skills we often expect. Clocks are brought to them in various states of disarray, often with missing parts. Very few customers understand the mechanical clocks they own and sometimes cause their clocks to malfunction through misuse. As I read the reviews I could sympathize with some customers' frustrations and could understand why they gave low ratings. But as I said above, there are many folks who should seriously think about why they want a mechanical clock and if their personalities are suitable for such a clock. The Curiosity Shop is a multi generation business. They are committed to doing good work on many clocks. They have worked on clocks all over the world. Mine was very challenging and they were successful in restoring it. My best advice to anyone considering having their old clock worked on is to do some independent research and try to understand these historic machines in order to make an informed decision about ownership and maintenance. Only then should you take your clock to be repaired/restored. And remember to be patient. read more

Horrible customer service. Very rude staff, kicked out my dad when he was trying on the watches as he was talking on the phone in a different language. Discriminatory and uncouth place, just horrible ‍ read more

had the same negative very discourteous experience as others. had to take clock back several times after the curiosity shop "repaired it". on my last atempt to have my clock repaired, i was advised it would cost me in excess of an additonal $100 for them to finish repair work. when i refused they told me they would not do the repair work and i would need to pick up my clock before the store closed that day. they are not even honoring their 1 year warranty. small claims court, here i come!!!! read more

The best little watch shop in town. Service is always fast and friendly! They are very knowledgeable on many different types of watches and can put a battery in faster than anyone. read more

Came in to replace a pin in the watch bracelet. (Not standard, but nothing fancy. Regular Seiko from the store). They requested to leave the watch and pick it up later. Even refused to sell me a pin. Though they claimed they have the whole tray of them. To save their time, I told them that I will pick the pin myself and buy it. The guy suggested to go to another shop. Nice job, guys! read more

I went in for a watch battery replacement, and was out in five minutes. Very friendly and efficient service.

These people destroyed a family heirloom grandfather clock because of terrible workmanship and a complete lack of integrity! For almost three years they messed with this clock after rebuilding the movement but despite all the things they tried it never ran for more than a couple of weeks again. I was lucky enough to find a qualified repair company who was able to fix their damage and save this clock. Their warranty is worthless, and their workmanship is as bad as it gets. Anyone who lets them touch their valuable clocks is proceeding at their own risk! read more

After moving to rochester we had the curiosity shop come to put our grandfather clock back together.they suggested a total hoverhaul which we did.the clock worked as before for a few weeks then became unpredictable with the chimes sounding the wrong tune at the wrong time,marking the hour at the wrong time.we had someone from the shop look at it again and he said it sounded fine,our concerns were totally disregarded even with video of the malfunction. I am so upset that i can' t even listen to the clock and turned off the chimes.extremely bad experience. read more

HORRIBLE service and follow up. And then the lies over the phone about status. Can't be trusted, and it's a shame there is not another local provider for mechanical watch repair. These guys are terrible, all around. They're knowledgeable but if you're expecting timely service and truthful interaction, go somewhere else. read more

I love this family owned business! They have excellent customer service and are experts on clocks and watches. Their prices are very reasonable too and they stand behind their work. I originally went there for repair work and a watch battery but they also have a wonderful jewelry selection. This is a great little shop with lots to choose from. Hidden gem! read more

I brought my very expensive Lucien Picard Swiss automatic watch for repair early this past summer. My watch had just stopped working and all other jewelry stores I brought it to said to try this store. I brought it in to David who said he was very busy but would call with an estimate when he looked at it. I called several times over the next over 5 months. Finally the last time I called David spoke to me and said he was unable to repair it. So I told him that I would just pick up the watch . I came by the next day, thanked him for trying and brought the watch home. Unfortunately the watch had been in an envelope when I picked it up so I didn't look at it until I was home. On viewing the watch, I was in shock. The watch had been damaged. The pin of the watch which pulls out to set time/date was cracked and pulled out permanately. I immediately phoned David who was very rude and denied the damage. I had no proof as I didn't take a picture of the watch before I brought it for repair. So upset, but there was nothing I could do but post this review to warn future customers. One star is even too much. read more