I took an old family table clock to Phillip and Susan to see if it still had life in it. They immediately recognized it as an 1886 Seth Thomas "Athens" city clock. Within 2 weeks, it was running perfectly, I was given future care instructions and am so happy with my choice to visit them. The knowledge they bring is highest level and their pricing is very fair. A great find in the Central Coast read more

Once Upon A Tyme - 1886 Seth Thomas "Athen" clock. - Watches Near Me - Cambria, California

Great place! The gentleman there zeroed -in right away with my clock. Fortunately, he has a lot of experience and saw my problem before--and fixed it right in front of my eyes! The battery was in BACKWARDS. Amazing. Still laughing. read more

Sue(business owner) and Phillip(clock specialist) are fantastic! They fixed my cuckoo clock and watch batteries while I waited! They were so knowledgeable and friendly. What a lovely shop & great experience! Highly recommend! read more

If you are looking for a business that cares about your timepiece this is definitely the place to visit. They are extremely knowledgeable, have been at this location for 35 years and solved our issue with great respect and patience. We are very pleased to have found "Once Upon a Tyme" as they were recommended by another clock store who could not repair our timepiece. read more

Excellent!! Susan and Philip are marvelous!! They remember us as long-time customers. Great merchandise and service!! Jeanne and Bob Smith, Dublin, CA read more

I absolutely love this shop.. They're always so helpful and kind. I'll be returning soon to retrieve a wall clock . I'm excited to get it back and I don't expect to be anything but thrilled. read more

I can't say enough good things about how impressed I am with this shop. I actually came across Once Upon a Tyme after I had gone to the other guy in Atascadero who messed up replacing a crystal on my '63 Zodiac Sea Wolf. I gave them a call and was immediately met with friendly advice and service. I was actually able to speak directly with the horologist about what had been messed up at the other shop. He agreed to take a look at it so I drove from Paso Robles to show him what had happened. He agreed to open it up and see what he could do for me as it's my fiance's grandfather's watch. Before I had even left the shop he had it open and was cleaning my watch out which was fantastic to see. Prior to leaving as well, I spoke with the Proprietor of the shop who was equally helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. Not to set false expectations as I'm sure a job is going to take as long as it's going to take and I believe the right job takes the right amount of time. So I was in absolutely no rush but my watch was actually done the very next day. The horologist was able to service everything, clean it out, and even replace a movement pin that was missing. Something he said that was very reassuring was "I'll work on it as if I was to wear it." Which is what you want in a horologist. He's extremely knowledgeable and I feel a true expert in the field. Since meeting them the first time I've had a second watch worked on here. A '69 Bulova Sea King White Whale. As before with my Zodiac he did an absolutely stellar job on the Sea King. He was able to pin point an issue I have with the Crown stem occasionally not catching and noted the movement it uses. This way if I ever need it replaced or worked on in the future I know what parts to find as it's an old watch. It's an automatic watch so at the moment there is no rush to get the worn part replaced. This is the shop you should take your watches to. They are both extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I can't imagine taking a watch anywhere else. This is exactly what you want from somebody working on something as personal and intricate as a watch. Beyond them the shop is fantastic overall. They have a wonderful collection of vintage and modern watches for sale and I feel deeply confident in purchasing a watch from them. You know what you are getting is a truly good watch that I feel may have been serviced by the horologist. Don't quote me on that as I'm actually not sure. My fiance actually ended up purchasing a likely early 70's Hamilton 704003-4 watch that is in fantastic condition. This shop is the place to go for watches. Again, they are so friendly, and so knowledgeable. I'll definitely be back. I have plenty more watches on my list. read more

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Phillip took my very difficult skeletonized 1930's Omega pocket watch and tackled a very difficult repair with care and finesse. If your watch needs a service or isn't running, this is the place to take it. Probably the best repairs in a three hundred mile radius. Definitely the best on the central coast. Great excuses to spend some cash are a plus, Susan is as well! read more

My Wife and I drove over from Paso Robles to Cambria for getaway. After lunch we came upon Once Upon A Tyme. What an awesome place! I happen to be a watch guy.. (15+/-). Some work, some don't. After meeting Phillip, i was confident if anyone can fix em' or give me honest evaluation re. repair or replace.. Phillip was the man. When I returned home, I shipped a box full of watches to him. Phillip took care of me. If you want a new watch, clock or need one repaired, this is the place to go. Stop in to browse, buy or just to say Howdy. It's about time i found.. Once About A Tyme... A jewell of a place! Edward Acuna Paso Robles, Ca. read more

If you are looking for a nice watch with an eye for the classics, this is the store to check out while exploring the Central Coast. This store carries mostly vintage watches from brands such as Tissot, Omega, Citizen, Hamilton, and even Timex (I saw a classic Mickey Mouse watch when I was there). They also have a horologist that can repair your grandfather clock if it doesn't work. The staff is downright friendly and willing to help you out as well. However, if you plan to buy one of the classics, come prepared with plenty of money in hand. These vintage watches can get pricey. read more

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Real clock expertise that is hard to find. Friendly and helpful. Definitely worth the drive.

This little shop sells all kinds of clocks, watches, time pieces, watch bands... and repairs them. They have the most unusual pieces I have ever seen. What brought me in here? I needed a pin in my watched fixed.... and they did it in like 5 minutes..... FOR FREE! read more

We have a clock which my wife was awarded for 31 yrs. service at a telecom co. The staff were unwelcoming . After waiting , we were fortunate to meet the expert clock repairperson. He acted as if we were bothering him with our request to reassemble the clock on it's base , his behavior was simply rude. He refused to examine the clock, which was working and only needed to be attached to the base. Stephen in Templeton read more

Phillip is awesome: he extracted a broken crown stem from my rolex cal. 1570 movement in an hour, for $40. No other people in the area would even touch my movement... he enabled me to get my watch back on my wrist! read more

WOW. Best customer service of any kind. I have the opportunity to deal with a lot of different types of repair services and they are by far the most professional and thorough that I e dealt with Fixed two clocks and was a pleasure to deal with. The clocks are like new! read more

More of a time piece museum. They have lots of old and new watches and clocks. I loved looking at their collection of old pocket watches and cuckoo clocks. The staff was very friendly as well. read more

I recently took my much loved antique mantel clock to Once Upon A Tyme. Phillip was absolutely amazing. I related my experience with the previous clock repair person I had entrusted it to for repair. He knew immediately of whom I was speaking. That individual had charged me in excess of $700 to repair my clock, saying he had to send to France for replacement parts. Phillip shook his head and told me the parts replacement center was located in Los Angeles and that he had heard similar stories about this individual. For anyone interested, the first clock repairman's name was Garro, located in San Luis Obispo. Phillip charged me $260; it was repaired in the time he promised; and my clock runs better than ever. I cannot recommend Once Upon A Tyme highly enough. read more

I brought a vintage 60's Omega watch here that my father had owned. It is a very important piece to me because of its sentimental and heirloom value. This shop handled the entire experience with compassion and professionalism. They were recommended by a local jeweler in SLO and I thought it would be a good excuse to make a trip up the coast for a visit. Not only did they do a timely and superb job on restoring my fathers watch but also sent a personal note of thanks in the mail a few weeks later. This type of personal service is rarely seen in most retail businesses any more and truly stands out as unique when received. I am very pleased i choose OUAT to handle this job the quality and service is outstanding! read more

We have been customers of this excellent - and eclectic - clock and watch shop for well over ten years now. Friendly, professional, and the only people we allow to service our (especially mechanical) timepieces. Great selection of new and restored pocket and wrist watches. Highly recommended! read more