I genuinely don't understand how this place accumulates so many positive reviews. If you care about…read moreyour watches, please read this before stepping in.
I brought my vintage Rolex Oysterdate 6694 (1963) here for a standard movement service. Being new to the country, I needed a trusted watchmaker for my vintage pieces, and I fell for his claims of being a "former Rolex watchmaker" and his high Google rating.
The technician originally quoted me $890 tax included for a full overhaul, with a one-month turnaround promised. Exactly 6 days later, he called saying it was ready. My BS detector immediately went off. He then claimed the price would be higher because he "had to replace the mainspring with a genuine Rolex part," for an extra $250. Let's be clear: in a standard overhaul, the mainspring change is always included in the base price. Furthermore, a mainspring is a completely blank, generic part, there is no such thing as a "Rolex branded mainspring" or any markings on it. When I challenged him and told him to put my old spring back, the price magically dropped from $250 to $125. A 50% discount on a "premium branded component" the second you ask questions? Shady.
When I went to pick up the watch, the "welcoming" guy from before was gone, replaced by a sour and defensive attitude. I asked for the timegrapher report and the waterproof pressure test results, standard documentation provided by any real watchmaker. He refused, claiming he "doesn't do that" and that I just had to trust him. When I insisted, he aggressively diverted the conversation. Worse: the crooked dial feet I had specifically asked him to fix were still completely crooked. He tried to "fix it" on the spot in a rush, but again diverted the conversation, and ultimately did nothing.
I had a timegrapher report from before his "service." The amplitude was a bit low, meaning the watch did need a service, or that the spring was a bit worn, nothing that cleaning and oiling wouldn't have fixed. The rest: 0s/day (perfect), 0.5 to 0.9ms beat error (near perfect, but suggestive of an aging spring). I went back home and put it on my own timegrapher. Result post service: +9.9s/day, 1.7 to 2.2ms beat error... the beat error indicates it was never tuned, he simply slapped a new spring in and closed the watch. Worse, a beat error that high prematurely wears out everything inside. Since, I bought a professional timegrapher. The readings were even worse than before. +183s/day, +2.3ms beat second.
To top it all off, he added an illegal credit card surcharge to the final bill. On an initial verbal quote of $890 tax included, I ended up paying $1134.80 before taxes...
I sent him texts, emails (that bounced back), asking him to: 1. show me the spring's packaging, 2. give me back the old spring, 3. explain why the readings were worse than before, 4. fix the crooked dial as he said he would. He never replied. I took it to my bank and credit card company, and here's what's interesting: they had received complaints about him before, apparently he operated under multiple names. I got a chargeback.
PS: I went to Rolex to service another watch and mentioned him. They know him very well, but he is not, and never was, a watchmaker for them... and issuing a document to prove former employment or even an authorized service center is absolutely impossible. So the Rolex letter behind his desk? Probably forged.
PS2: I went back in my hometown where I have a trusted watchmaker, I brought it to him. He confirmed the spring is indeed new, but the wrong reference for this watch, too "strong," likely the incorrect part. He had to clean and oil the whole thing again, as some oils were too thick, others too thin, and some were simply dirty. He told me it was unlikely the waterproof test had ever been run, as the gasket was dry and improperly seated. Which makes me wonder: what did this guy actually do to my watch, besides slapping in an overpriced, wrong spring?
