Denis, I want to thank you personally, as I feel that my family owes you a debt of gratitude. This watch has been laying at the bottom of drawers, largely forgotten for a century or more. Your skillful restoration, taking every care to preserve the antique dignity of this watch, while allowing it to take it's place among the prized family heirlooms is very deeply appreciated. You had every opportunity to charge me a LOT more money, as you and I both know that I would have paid almost any amount for this restoration, but your honesty, professionalism, and golden-rule virtues are traits that are so uncommon in today's greed-induced world. I would recommend you without reservation to anybody. My sincere thanks, friend....and God bless. I hope our paths cross again soon. This watch has now been owned by 8 generations of my family. My father will be 91 on his next birthday, and is the oldest son of his father. My father remembers this watch, as a child, but has never seen it run. The history of George & Jonas Roush can be found on the internet, by searching for "The Shenandoah Valley Roushes". This watch is believed to have belonged to one of them, but we are uncertain of which. George Roush married Catherine Zerkle approx 1781, and had a son named John Roush. Jonas Roush married Barbara Fox approx 1785, and had a daughter named Regina. John Roush married Regina Roush, and had a son named Benjamin Roush, who married Sophia Altman in 1839. Benjamin and Sophia had a daughter named Sarah Elizabeth Roush, who married John Michael Kauff I 8/6/1865. Their oldest son was John Michael Kauff II, and the watch was designated to be passed to the oldest living John. It passed to my grandfather, John Preston, on John Michael II's death in 1947, and to my uncle John Richard, upon his father's death in 1973. My father was the eldest son, but was not named John, so I intend to modify the lineage of the watch slightly, having received the watch when my father's younger brother passed in 2005. It was a sad day when I received it, but my intent is to return it to my father to belong to his generation for as long as possible. read more

Over a year ago, I purchased an antique fusee pocket watch that I paid a premium price for. It came with all sorts of ratings and certifications. When it didn't really run at all, I was told by the person who sold it to me that even if it ticks for a few minutes I should be happy with a piece as old as mine (and this piece is very likely older than 250 years). Then I found Denis. He confirmed my suspicion that this expectation was far below what I could expect, even for a watch this old. When he got it apart, it turns out that the watch had been very badly maintained over its lifetime. Things were bent and soldered, and most of the movement had oxidation and rust. It was so bad that I had to make a decision if I even wanted to keep this piece. With Denis' help, I was able to get a partial refund on my purchase, and, although I wasn't looking for a project piece, it seems that's what I had on my hands. Then the real fun started... At every turn in repairing/restoring this piece, Denis found something else wrong with it. He had to order custom tools and cutters just to work on my watch. Denis was great at keeping me informed as to what he was doing and what he was up against. After several set backs, I had started to worry that my watch may never be more than for parts. Denis never gave up on it. I got this back last week and it is amazing. It now runs a little fast, but runs consistently for a full wind. The most amazing part of this story is that this has a quarter hour repeater complication. This was barely working when I sent it to Denis and now works flawlessly. Denis is a fantastically talented antiquarian horologist. If you have a timepiece that needs anything from a cleaning to remanufacture, you can enlist his help and you won't be disappointed. If I could rate him 10 stars I would. read more

I don't know where to begin. My wonderful husband inherited his love of vintage jewelry from his dad. He would spend months finding just the right piece and would always have the sweetest expression on is face when he presented them to me. He was just as meticulous about any repairs that were needed and spent many hours researching to find the perfect place to send our treasures. When he found Denis Carignan, he was overjoyed. From the first repair of my precious wedding rings; and through the years to the most recent find and work on some truly magnificent watches, my husband has been extremely satisfied. He appreciated Mr. Carignan for his craftsmanship and expertise but also for the fine and honest man he is. The wonderful watches that Mr. Carignan found and made whole will be passed on to our daughters and generations to come. This is especially meaningful as my precious husband died this past Christmas Eve before having the opportunity to present me with his final gift, a gorgeous watch that Denis' found and brought back to it's original glory. Denis went the extra mile to track me down and make sure I got this watch that my husband was excited about getting for me. Thank you, Denis Carignan for being an integral part of our family's treasured heirlooms. Mrs. James T. read more

I am lucky enough to live close to this great watch and clock repair / restoration shop. I've been able to meet and chat with Denis in person several times now, and each visit has been great. I've looked around for jewelers, mail in services, authorized service centers, etc to make minor repairs and adjustments to my automatic watches before. Most people I've talked to basically wouldn't even talk back because I wasn't wearing a Rolex or Omega, and my "affordable" watches wouldn't be worth their time. Not Denis. It doesn't matter what you bring or send him. If he can work on it, he will. And he won't make you feel like you're wasting his time. I've now been in with 3 watches that had nothing wrong with them, but I wanted to have them adjusted to keep better time. Each time I just walked in, and Denis was happy to do this for me. All the watches are now running better then when they were new. If you live close enough, stop in and say hi. If you don't, send your watches and clocks to Denis in complete confidence. No games, no BS. If he can't fix it, he'll tell you. If he can, he'll do it right. And chances are, he can. read more

Denis and Heidi were fantastic to work with. I wanted to get my wife's 70-year-old Omega watch repaired, since it barely ran at all, and could not find anyone willing to work on it due to its age. I was turned down by a half dozen places before calling Denis, who immediately said he would be more than happy to work on it. Denis went above and beyond every step of the way. For starters, his cost estimate was spot on. He called us with status updates as he worked on it, and gave us a very detailed explanation of everything he was doing during the repair. He fixed individual parts that he could not find replacements for, and machined and polished the watch case. It looks absolutely like new now. He explained that he has a guarantee on all watches he repairs, and that if it "settles in" and starts gaining or losing time, we could bring it right back to him to be re-adjusted. Thanks so much Denis and Heidi, you will definitely be getting our business again! read more

I'm catching up on my documentation yet again for a watch restored in 2018. This watch needed extensive work due to the worn escape wheel and several jewel issues. They provided an estimate, met the work period time frame, and completed at their estimated cost to restore this watch. The Oliver Gerrish watch, is a private label American watch circa 1850, by a jeweler from Portland Maine. This watch had the escape wheel restored along with other mechanical and jeweling related items. This 18 size silver pocket watch from 1850, is also a Liverpool runner 17J. This watch resides in my civil war era display case. If one has a high end English watch, Carignan will safe guard your watch and they are excellent with all pertinent communications. Big thumbs up in my book. You will find two of my Carignan watch restorations in the "Josh Johnson" thread on the NAWCC message board. Keith Richmond ...........................Kentucky read more

Denis Carignan is indeed a master at his profession! He rightly receives my HIGHEST recommendation! With some anxiety but with hope and anticipation, I sent him a family heirloom for repair ... a 200 year old Tobias fusee 18k gold 19 jewel pocket watch that is nothing less than the most precious object I happen to own. His work was impeccable ... and fairly priced. He even found and replaced the minute and hour hands with two that had been made by M.I. Tobias himself ... treasures in their own right ... simply amazing that he had them as if patiently awaiting the arrival of my precious watch for repair. I feel so very blessed indeed that I found Denis online... he is not simply the 'best of the best' in regard to repairing antique watches. He is also a kind and upright gentleman. I am now pleased to call him my friend though we have only spoken by telephone. Christopher Eiben Shaker Heights, Ohio read more

Denis did an outstanding job restoring my super rare Illinois Watch Co Bunn Special Model 163 Type IIE. This is considered by many to be the ultimate railroad watch ever produced by Illinois, and that's saying something. There were only about 330 of them ever made, and only about 60+ known examples that survived. A part of the movement was heavily worn from decades of use. Normally when a watch gets to that point you can throw it in the trash. Denis was able to restore it to factory new condition. Probably 90% of the Master Watch Makers out there couldn't even attempt this repair; of those that would be willing to try, 90% of them would fail. He is a pleasure to work with. A Master Craftsman and real professional. I would give him more than 5 stars if I could. Steve B. read more

After two failed attempts to have my favorite time piece, given to me by my father, restored to a working condition I was recommended Carignan Watch Company by a friend. While Carignan was located off the beaten path, the drive was certainly worth it. Within half an hour Denis, the owner, had my watch keeping time perfectly, polished and fitted with a new band. Additionally, the price of service and the band was a fraction of the cost of my previous attempts. Denis was knowledgeable, personable and displayed an incredible enthusiasm towards clockwork. As long as my time piece continues to function flawlessly as it has been, I will continue to recommend Carignan Watch Company to anyone in need of service big or small. read more

Mr. Carignan has incredible knowledge and skill and most importantly the desire to do a job to the utmost and create what is honestly a work of art. He had to spend a lot of time working on the dial of the 2d generation Hamilton Odyssee I sent him as he had never done this particular face before. He and Heidi were gracious and communicated with me several times to ensure we agreed on what the finished piece would look like. It far exceeded my expectations and I truly feel like I had the opportunity to have an artisan at work for me. The only thing missing was his engraved signature on the back of the dial so I could prove it was his hand that brought this dial back from the dead! read more

Hi I just wanted to say I had the best experience with the Carignan watch company. I bought an old fuse pocket watch at an auction. The watch was in terrible shape, hands were broken the crystal cracked and face was chipped, and obviously the watch did not run. Mr Carignan contacted me several times and explained what he was doing with the watch. When he was done the watch looks beautiful. It keeps time very well. I cannot thank mr Carignan enough for the work he did to get the watch to run. I could tell by talking to him he really enjoyed working on the watch and bringing back a piece of history. I have other watches that I am going to see if he will work on. read more

I have a vintage Marconi watch that needed some repair after exhausting all of my local options I started looking online for some one to do the work. I contacted several different watch makers and repair shops and kept getting the same answers too old, don't have parts or the estimate was outrages. then I found the Carignan Watch Company and talked to Denis and he seamed knowledgeable and capable in fixing my watch. I sent it to him and within 2 days of him getting the watch he contacted me with great news and told me my watch would be fixed a lot sooner and less expense then estimated. when I got my watch back I was very happy with the work. read more

Denis and Heidi are wonderful people and did a great job cleaning and fixing my great-grandfather's C.L. Guinand watch! Denis was able to fix it in less than a month (although they estimated 2 months due to the backlog of other repairs) and when he opened it up he found a few surprises that he had to deal with. The watch was also cleaned up nicely. It is on display now and is keeping excellent time! I want to get a vest and a chain so I can carry it with me. Beats using my cell phone! Thank you both so much! I don't expect to ever have another watch like this one, but wish I did just so I could stop by and visit again! read more

My Burberry watch was probably not the most valuable nor rare timepiece he'd ever worked on, but Denis treated it with great care and attention just the same. He cleaned and polished it, installed a new battery and made sure it was keeping accurate time, installed a new crocodile watchband and changed out the buckle for the original Burberry buckle. It looks mint and I could not be happier. The repair service, the personal attention, and the communication were all first-rate, and I would recommend Denis most highly. 5 stars in every category! read more

I was given Mr. Carignan's name and number for clock repair a few years ago and just cold-called him about my 8-day movement clock that was recently cleaned by a friend far away. It ran for 8 days and after rewinding it would stop. Mr. Carignan calmly and pleasantly told me it was, out-of-beat, and walked me through how to adjust it on the phone! It is running smoothly again and I feel very fortunate to have called him. I now know where to bring watches for expert repair and service. Exceptional service was given to me as non-customer! read more

Denis did an amazing job on my grandfather's Omega pocket watch which was neglected and mishandled by numerous watch repair services. His attention to detail and knowledge of watches in truly remarkable. Denis also does an excellent job communicating and explaining the repairs that he is making. He is passionate about his work and one of a kind. A true craftsman. My grandfather's watch looks amazing and finally runs well. I look forward to enjoying it for many years to come. read more

Sent a Raymond Whiel man's watch for removal of engraving on case ...could not find any repair facilities, including manufacturer, to remove same. Engraving was removed, engraved areas filled with metallic compound and case re-plated to original condition; virtually impossible to determine the case had been reconditioned! Incredible craftsmanship is an understatement; Truly expert professionalism! Thank you Carignan Watch Company John Moughty Branford, CT read more

Denis is great! I brought in a relatively simple repair and waited a bit while he finished with a customer with a very expensive watch and intricate settings. It was interesting to hear Denis explain the repairs done and information given about the watch. When it was my turn Denis was just as friendly, informative and attentive to my simple small repair. He is a wealth of knowledge. I highly recommend him read more

Denis is very skilled and careful at his craft. He repaired my father's pocket watch that had been a gift from his parents in 1922. There were many years that it had been left in a drawer when no one could fix it. Denis has brought this treasure back to the family and we can all enjoy it. He is very careful, and treats every watch with respect. It is wonderful to know such a dedicated craftsman. Jean B. read more