At the time of this review, the store is appointment-only. Based on an Internet recommendation, I made an appointment by phone, and the folks on the phone were kind and helpful. When I arrived for my appointment, I called in from the lobby per instructions to be allowed in. The folks helped me out with a watch band issue and even took a look at an old family pocket watch and made some recommendations on how to find out more about it. If you're interested in shopping for a brand or watch, call ahead to let them know your interests and make an appointment. read more

I came in on a Saturday afternoon dressed pretty casually for a hot summer day. My intent: Take a look at their collection of high-end watches, do further research, and come back to make a purchase later. Also, I had in my backpack, a brand new Omega Speedmaster that I needed resizing (basically just removing links from the bracelet). The first person I spoke with told me, "I'm not sure we can do that here"...and then another person (Mark) came out and told me that the Omega store was just a couple blocks away but they "probably didn't have the tools to do this". I found it patently absurd that a fine swiss watch boutique could not adjust the length of a watch band. I also noticed a couple of times that he glanced at my wrist, probably to size up my buying power. I purposefully had worn my trust Citizen Ecodrive field watch (a $100 watch). I did this because I wanted to see if the cliché of high-end luxury salespeople judging you based on appearance and tailoring their approach/effort accordingly was actually true. So I said I'd just go to the Omega store, but first, I would just take a look around at some watches. The guy "helping" me made zero effort to make any conversation, get to know what I was looking for, etc. I spotted a nice Zenith Pilot watch and asked to see it. He took it out and I asked him to tell me about it. He offered that Zenith has the trademark on naming a watch "Pilot" and pretty much stopped there. Said nothing about the movement, history of the brand, the watch finishes, etc. I told him I was interested in buying a pilot watch. A nod and silence...It just felt like he was hoping for me to leave ASAP. It seems crazy to me that people selling high-end products in a boutique setting could think this is a good way to treat potential customers? Anyways, I then took my Speedy to the Omega store and that was the totally opposite experience: Andrew and Andy were super helpful, happy to adjust my watch band (did it for free too), and showed me several watches, telling me about the tooling Omega developed to make them, their history, and letting me try them all on. I didn't buy anything that day, but you can bet I'm going to be buying from Omega (or a boutique that cares about treating customers well) way before I ever give this place my business. read more

Terrible customer service that wouldn't accommodate a visit from out of town when we were standing outside the store DURING OPENING HOURS. We called and even with almost an hour before store closing (40mins left - plenty of time!) and clearly nobody in there shopping. Not sure what you're paying your salespeople for other than turning potential customers away and closing shop early (even your hours clearly stated outside the building said you had another 40mins open!). read more

It's always a pleasure to do business with Mark and Daniel , always put all of their effort and try to help me to the right direction, not like other high end store who just want your money, they actually help you to make right decisions on the fine time piece. Highly recommend Swiss fine timing for your watch needs especially on AP, they are the best in business, thank you Mark & Daniel ! read more

What can I say about Ali and the team from SFT? They are absolutely fantastic. I am so thrilled to see them expanding, helping customers, and providing a lending hand to any and all watch lovers. Ali is always a joy to work with and is always willing to answer any of my questions. A+ from these guys! read more

I'll start out by review with the three c's for me when it comes to watch buying: 1. Comfort, 2. Customer Service, and of course, 3. Cost. I'll start with comfort. Look everyone knows going into any number of stores can be just plain uncomfortable. To this day, I don't understand why so many stores appear to go out of their way to make you feel uncomfortable walking in. You know what I mean. Jewelry and watch stores are particularly bad because you have to buzz in. The first time I ever walked into Swiss Fine Timing's Chicago store, I was wearing Asics I sauntered in one day to look for a watch. I was wearing an aluminum Apple Watch and dressed casually. At no point was I made to feel uncomfortable or that I was a waste of their time. Thank god because I was looking for a specific brand of watch that only SFT sells in all of Chicagoland as far as I know and I really didn't want to have to walk out because of feeling diminished (which I've done before at other places). I was welcomed and asked what I was interested in with nary a side eye at my wrist. On to customer service, which of course is related to comfort. I worked with Daniel (and have on occasions after) and he was/is just so incredibly helpful, non-pushy, and plain nice. I tried on multiple watches, handled them, maybe mishandled them, none of that "every single watch looks great on you, you buy it" crap. And also no maybe you're in wrong store stuff either (which may be more of the comfort part). But Daniel was nice in person and subsequently so quick on text and email. Anyway, this brings me to the third item, cost. I found the watch I was looking for. Suffice it to say, it was a rare watch, from a small brand, and it's gorgeous. I know it's gorgeous. Daniel knew it was gorgeous. And everyone knew there just aren't that many of them. Without going into detail, there was no bs'ing around on determining price. I had never been in the store before and I was offered a fair price right of the bat. We required minimal back and forth, no hemming and hawing, just a really fair price, I think for both of us. That's really all you want. Since then, I've purchased a few more from Daniel and Swiss Fine Timing and really highly recommend, particularly given SFT's really unique collection of watches. Which I may add adds to the intrigue of the store. There are some seriously cool watches in this store that are alone worth a visit. Now I purposely wear my Apple Watch (or swatch) into watch stores to gauge how I'm treated. Really great place. read more

This was my second time in this store, with my first being very much in line with Roy. They do have a good selection of the highest end watches, but they also have the lowest end of customer care that I have experienced visiting high end watch shops across the country. After someone actually asked if we needed help, I asked to see a particular watch by name, a Glashutte PanoLunar. The "salesman" removed the watch from the case, briefly held it to my wrist and then told me for insurance purposes I could not handle it. Seriously? You want me to consider paying 10-16k dollars for a watch without holding it or even having it fastened to my wrist. The only time I touched the watch was the 10 seconds he held it to my wrist to judge size. He also made little to no attempt to explain the virtues of the piece other than to show me the "beautiful movement". I've never had this experience in any other watch shop. I've tried on well over a million dollars worth of watches in the few years I've collected watches, and I've honestly never felt like I was "bothering" a salesman as much as this visit. Although I may be younger than the typical buyer for that watch, I am still well dressed and had a fine swiss watch on. Prejudging the buying power of a client is one of the worst mistakes a luxury salesman can do. In this case, it cost them a 10,000 dollar sale as the salespeople at Tourneau just down the street were extremely friendly and accommodating. They received my business that very same day on the exact same watch from their impressive preowned section. The two stars are the store's selection only. I also can't comment on their Highland Park site as I have not been there. The Chicago store, certainly will not have any of my future business. read more

I walked in here today and couldn't get a sentence out of my mouth before the jerk salesperson interrupted me the first time and before I could ask a question he interrupted me a second time with an abrupt 'we can't help you with that.' I just stared at him and then walked out of the store without an word. It was the worst service I have received anywhere in months. read more

This is my favorite wristwatch store in Chicagoland. They have some rarer high-end brands like Graham and Glashütte Original, which are not carried by bigger franchises such as Tourneau or C.D. Peacock. If you are in the market for a Rolex or a Patek, I would recommend C.D. Peacock in Oak Brook. (See my Yelp review of "C.D. Peacock" in Oak Brook.) But if you want to get a watch from a more exotic and rarer brand, I would recommend Swiss Fine Timing, without any reservation. I only hope that they carry more watch brands like Lange. They do add new lines from various manufacturers from time to time. It is such a delight for me to visit this fine and well-managed watch store and look around there. The manager, Daniel, and other employees are always helpful and courteous. And more importantly, they "know" watches. They are knowledgeable about all the various watch models and their mechanical specifications to, well, a satisfying degree. If I were in Tourneau or C.D. Peacock, I would not expect such a high degree of knowledge from their employees. I have bought several watches from Swiss Fine Timing, and am satisfied with all my purchases and ensuing services offered by this store. This time, I got an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chrono in forged carbon (26400AU.OO.A002CA.01). I have a pretty thick wrist, and so this big 44mm wristwatch sits nicely on me. Everybody compliments about it. Yet another satisfactory purchase for me, and I am happy as a clam. read more

I had an appointment with Mark. He was knowledgeable, helpful and helped me make a watch purchase I am very happy with.

Not impressed with this place. They seem to make it clear on the website that they can replace a crystal on a watch, however the lady was no help in getting this done. I brought my omega in to have the crystal replaced. All she told me was "this will probably cost a lot, and we can send it in to somebody". Complete waste of time. Also, the store is kind of awkward. Lots of empty cases, and absolutely no deals read more

First came into SFT 3 years ago after a referral from a friend of mine. Initial reason why I wanted to check out the place was their collection of independents. What made me come back again and again was the store manager, Daniel. When I first stepped into the store the staff was very pleasant and allowed me to browse their great selection of APs, Breguet, Tudor and most importantly FP Journe and Laurent Ferrier. What stood apart immediately was their openness for me to try on any brands. Additionally, they allowed me to take "wrist shots", which from experience rarely happens at other ADs. Furthermore, Daniel is a real watch guy and was not their to pressure a sale. We discussed watches, movements, industry, etc. After, I just left without any commitment in purchasing. However, anytime I was in Chicago, I was sure to visit SFT. This past month, I was finally ready to pull the trigger on a FP Journe. I had many choices as to whom I would buy it from. But my experiences at SFT and Daniel was always positive and most importantly, I trusted them. Daniel went above and beyond to make me happy and was very responsive in his communication. Daniel and SFT have a customer for life. I recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone who would like complete confidence in buying a fine timepieces. See you soon for that LF ;) read more

I had a great experience with Ali and Daniel at Swiss Fine Timing. I am an out of state buyer (Grand Rapids, MI). I had stopped in the store regarding a specific AP model that I was looking to add to my time piece collection. Swiss Fine Timing is the nearest authorized dealer for AP. I originally met with Daniel when I visited the store. Daniel was very professional and took the time to show me several watches, but ultimately they didn't have the piece that I was looking for in stock. While they didn't have the piece in stock at that time, they put me on the "list" which is not uncommon when there is more demand for a piece than there is supply. Anyway, a couple of months went by and I received a call from Ali explaining the piece I had inquired about had come in, and also the process for out of state purchasing. I initially thought she was referring to a different piece that I had looked at (long story, but it was my mistake) and told her I needed to call her back in two hours to confirm as I needed to double check. She said that was fine. Long story short, I ended up getting tied up on a business deal and wasn't able to get back to her in the time period I had indicated. When I did call her back approximately four hours later after realizing it was indeed the piece I wanted, and to confirm that I did indeed want it, she was very apologetic and said that she had tried to reach me several times but needed to move the watch quickly as there were several others that wanted it as well. I was devastated but knew this was absolutely true, and I also realized it was my mistake. I then checked my call log and noticed she had tried to call me twice but I had my ringer turned off. Anyway, even though I am disappointed I missed out on the watch (this time), the reason I am giving them five stars is that I felt like every step of the way they handled themselves with professionalism and class. This is a first class operation and I will definitely plan to purchase from them soon. I just hope that I haven't missed my opportunity on that specific piece! read more

Great all around experience from the team at Swiss Fine Timing. Ali is extremely nice, transparent, responsive, and not to mention knowledgeable about the products she's selling. They don't play games, they just care about their customers and selling them great watches. Great experience, and look forward to interacting with SFT and Ali again in the future. Thanks team! read more

Terrible terrible place. Horrible selection and quite frankly mediocre service. Don't waste your time here unless you want an AP and then only a handful to choose from. I'm not sure if they just don't get many shipments or if they don't call back people who are genuinely interested in purchasing one, but either way not worth coming here. Save yourself some time and buy a Patek or Rolex from Razny down the street. read more

This place gets really bad reviews it seems. So why am I giving them 4 stars? 1) Daniel Jordan. He helped me today and had no snottiness at all. He showed me some great rare pieces, including an incredible Vagabondage 2 from FP Journe. He let my try on 3 pieces I asked to see. He did not pressure me at all, he was very knowledgeable and patient. I have been to watch stores all over and this was amongst the best experiences I had. 2) Selection. Talk about eye candy. An incredible array of the best Swiss brands possible, and some incredible rare pieces as well like the Ludovic Ballouard Upside Down. My wife and I had an awesome 30 minute experience here and Daniel + the selection are to thank. Give this place a chance and ask for Daniel. read more

Ali from Swiss Fine Timing was an absolute pleasure to work with! She immediately called me when a piece I was waiting for arrived. She fully explained the process since I am out of state and was very patient with all my questions. I ultimately decided not to buy it at this time, since I am looking at another color, and Ali understood and was courteous and professional nonetheless. I look forward to doing business with her in the future! read more

Pompous attitude from SALESmen. Come on... how is it that SALESmen are allowed to treat paying customers (or potentially paying customers) this way? Profiling and arrogant to the max. These are SALESmen.... they are not the CEOs, lawyers, MDs who purchase these watches. These are workers who work to sell these fine pieces, they are unable to afford them and the only reason why they handle them is because they work as a SALESperson for a living. So what gives them the privilege to profile me and give me subpar treatment? Nothing. They don't get that privilege. And they don't get the satisfaction of getting my sale either. I walked in looking for a particular Audemars Piguet and was treated rather blandly. Not terribly, but blandly. No effort was placed in trying to "woo" me for the sale. No offering of water or coke. Just a plain salesman who was bland, boring, and almost acted like he was doing me a favor by taking out this AP watch from the case. Please. I was wearing a $10,000 watch that day and this was the subpar service I got? If I hadn't been wearing my watch, I'd be kicked out for sure! Half the fun of buying such an expensive timepiece is the thrill of the buy. The ambience of the dealer, the feeling you get from salespersons who treat you like royalty (free coffee, champage, etc), the small talk that lead to the sale... it's a game.... that's all it is. If there's none of that "fluff" that comes with buying a luxury item... then might as well pick up the same watch from a trusted forum member for dirt cheap and do without the pompous attitude. They lost my sale that day... maybe next time. read more

Out of all the watch stores i have been to in my life, and they are many, SFT is my absolute favorite. The staff are beyond welcoming and leave me to do my browsing before coming in to assist me with a closer look. The salespeople are extremely well educated in the watch business and are actual watch aficionados and collectors themselves. Further, what makes this store extremely welcoming is the friendliness of the staff. I can walk in with anything from formal wear to simple shorts and a shirt and not once was i ever judged. I am helped regardless of whether i walk out with a watch or whether i am simply thinking of a long term purchase. Looking at anything from Tudor to Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille, SFT is a large museum of some of the most exclusive brands in the industry today and all is available for you to see and buy if you so please. I highly recommend SFT to any watch fan out there and i can bet dollars you will not be disappointed! read more

I arrived at this establishment 5 minutes before closing to take a look at a (for me) very expensive watch. They had put the watch in the safe already and, "for insurance purposes", couldn't show me the watch. I came from across town and got there as fast as I could after work. Very disappointing as they're the only ones to carry this particular watch. read more

This review applies to Highland Park, IL store. Pretty much the same as other reviews for Chicago store: Manager was arrogant, rude, condescending. I have no wish to visit their store ever. read more

Bad service and prices are much higher 10%+ than the same watches that can be purchased from other authorized retailers. I walked in and they would'nt even switch out straps on my Hublot watch, my intention was to look at their selection but I will offer another merchant my business, again. Money Talks. read more

Staff is always willing to answer my questions, clean, repair and size my watches, and the results are always fantastic!

I would give negative stars if I could. Similar to other reviews (I should have paid attention)...Went in for a watch repair and they: 1) Basically lost my watch for 2 months 2) Were not helpful in the slightest 3) Blamed each other on miscommunication instead of finding my watch. One even blamed me for the delay in getting my watch back to me... 4) Did not respond to me until I showed up at the store every other day for 3 weeks 5) They finally found the watch and told me it would take 7-10 days to get the watch (still broken) from the HP store to the downtown store. Last time I checked, it is a 45-60min drive from HP to Michigan Ave. 6) Did NOTHING to help rectify the situation 7) I finally got the watch back after 2 months and it is still broken...they did NOTHING to fix it. Pay attention to the warning. If I did, I wouldn't have been in this situation and would have a working watch. read more

Not sure why this place is receiving poor ratings for customer service. I just left the shop and had a very good experience. The staff was very helpful and made sure I left with the exact watch I wanted. I purchased a watch form the Nomos collection (one of the more affordable brands they carry) and they treated me as if I was buying one of their top brands. Ali and her manager were very patient and helpful and made my first watch purchasing experience memorable. I will definitely be going back for all future watch purchases. read more

Purchased over the phone. Daniel Jordan is great. Lovely experience and lovely watch. NOMOS is the way to go.

I am terribly disappointed with this "Fine" watch establishment. I bought a Harry Winston watch from them a few years back. I brought it in to have the battery changed because I never wore it... and when they returned the watch it seemed as though they has switched out the band. It was cracked and worn and as I said I had barely worn the watch to begin with. When I questioned them they were beyond rude and basically I couldn't prove it so I left with the crappy band. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, the battery wasn't working again but this time I decided to take it to Harry Winston to be fixed. They informed me that the screws had been stripped, there were multiple dents and many scratches on the casing. Again, I have maybe worn the watch a few times because it's a formal watch... now I'm thinking they gave me someone else's watch or switched out my barely worn watch for this highly used watch. Very unethical!! I would highly recommend NOT buying a watch from Swiss Fine Timing or having a watch repaired there! read more

I have bought 2 Glasshute Originals from Daniel - great service and pricing as well as trade-ins on watches I owned. I can always walk in an trade out watch bands while I look at the beautiful selection of watches. This week went for a lovely original pair of earrings for Christmas (which will make me a hero). I'll stop by every time I'm in Chicago and highly recommend SFT for elite service and selection. read more

As this is the only authorized dealer of Audemars Piguet anywhere between either east or west coast, one's options are clearly limited when shopping for truly exquisite time pieces - Swiss Fine Timing has something of a monopoly in this market, so needless to say I wasnt expecting the most accomodating service. After flying a few hours and landing at a somewhat rural Indiana airport, before starting the business portion of my trip I called the shop and inquired about the particular model AP in which I was interested; the store owner answered and was very helpful, confirming he had what i was looking for in stock. So I drove another two hours in the rental car to Chicago and, looking like a total scumbag in cargo/hiking pants and a hoody, made my way into the store and started asking about what are arguably some of the best watches being made today. The girl behind the counter offered me something to drink and the owner came out from the back and offered to show me a few pieces. I mentioned that we spoke on the phone earlier and he located the watch I'd inquired about previously and what followed was one of the most pleasant watch buying experiences I've ever had. I recommend Swiss Fine Timing to anybody in the midwest who is looking for a fine time piece and an excellent shopping experience. read more

Really couldn't disagree more. I had a great buying experience there five years ago (FP Journe CS) and was in there last week. Had a wonderful discussion with the store manager, tried on whatever I wanted and left totally satisfied. Actually, my preferred watch shop anywhere (and I live in San Francisco). read more

I have bought two watches from Swiss Fine Timing. The choice of brands is excellent and the knowledge of Daniel, who helped me, as detailed as anyone would need when choosing a high quality watch. I needed a repair on one of them and they treated me as though I was making a purchase...GREAT customer service...I spend time in London, and waited until I was back in Chicago to buy a new watch at the store...If you need personal service and great prices this is the place to go. read more

A colleague had recommended Swiss Fine Timing. I ended up purchasing a timepiece from Daniel. Very professional and great follow up. Highly recommended. read more

searched for ap authorized dealers chicagoland and swiss fine timing popped up. over the last year i have talked with daniel atleast 15 to 20 times on different ap watches , questions , along with emails...always professional, always friendly , always accommodating zero arrogance here. very refreshing ! i will not buy from any online retailer without brick and mortar, simply not worth the risk... just go see daniel! you will be glad you did! read more

i was looking for a gift for my husband to celebrate our 10th anniversary. He had seen a magazine article on Nomos watches. He was captivated by the design and inner workings, so I thought "Aha! The perfect gift!" I live just south of Cincinnati and there are no jewelers in this area that sell Nomos. I went online and found the exact watch at Swiss Fine Timing. Daniel immediately responded to my email message. He answered all my questions about the watch in a professional and courteous way. After a few email exchanges, I knew I would purchase the watch from him. He even agreed to have it delivered the next day. We finalized the transaction on Thursday and I had the watch in my possession by Friday morning. My husband has a fondness for watches, so I know I'll be working with Daniel again in the future. Excellent selection! Excellent customer service! read more

I saw a lower end ($7K) Girard Perregaux at a jewler in Aruba during cruise last week . After deciding that I wanted the time piece, I always try to buy local, I sent an email to SFT at 7am Sunday morning. As of Wednesday afternoon I still have no reply. I'm calling Shiva's in Aruba to make my low end purchase. read more

Creating an account to recount my horrible experience while on a business trip to Chicago. Their ego precedes their storefront. Aside from being pretentious, the sales rep (Ali) also had to look up basic specifications about the Royal Oak Offshore I was looking at; nothing gets me to run away faster than a sales rep who doesn't know the product and isn't passionate about watches, especially for specialized brands like AP. Was told that they only discuss pricing with serious buyers... not sure how serious a buyer is if they only go to one location to shop for a watch when better deals can be had within two hours flight. Ended up buying while on vacation in Hong Kong where competition requires stores to stand out. A shame to the brand and their selection isn't great as stated by other reviewers. You would be much better served by Geneva Seal, near by on Oak Street though they don't carry AP. I won't be returning here to purchase anything. read more