Great watch, excellent service and a pleasure to deal with.

This store will make customers feel like it is a privilege to be in their store, instead of the store feeling privileged to serve the customers. They are arrogant, expensive, and seem to completely miss/ignore the concept of serving the customer. My recent experience went as follows: 1) Dropped off an automatic Seiko watch that I bought in Japan 5 years ago. One of the dials on the face of the watch had come off and would jam the needles. I asked to have it reattached and the timing looked at. $25 deposit was asked to have it looked at. 2) I receive a call one week later to tell me that the watch needed to be tuned up or overhauled, which all automatic automatic watches need every 5 years or so. This would cost $225 (minus the $25 deposit). Expensive, but I expected top notch work. 3 weeks later, the watch was ready for pick up. The dial was reattached but was slightly off-centered. The timing was fine. I pay and receive back the watch. The bill says that there is a 6 month warranty on any work or repair that they do. 3) 2 months later, the dial falls off and jams the needles. I can see some glue on the spot where the dial was reattached. So I go back, assuming that this would still be under warranty (well within the 6 month period). 4) As I walk in the store to pick up the watch, a gentleman behind the counter brings out the repaired watch and asks to charge $50. I open up my original receipt to show the warranty date. He tells me that the "lady with the hat" can help me, and kindly asks me to step aside to the furthest corner of the store so that he can help other customers that were interesting in buying watches. I stand in the corner (there is literally no space for me to move) and wait, and wait and wait while the "lady with the hat" is tending to another customer. 30 minutes later, she comes to my service. No apology, thank you for waiting, nothing. I show her the receipt with the warranty information and date. She just looks at me and says that it was due to a "shock". She did not even look at the paperwork that I took out from my wallet. This whole time, I am holding a bicycle helmet in my hand, since I rode my bike to the store. Then she gestures with her eyes to look at the helmet and then back at me and says "it's a bumpy ride". That's when I finally understood why she was not even remotely interested in considering that maybe the repair was not done right and that it is still under warranty of the repair, but instead it was my fault that I ride a bike and that's what damaged the watch. The watch was fine for 5 years since it's purchase, and now it only lasts 2 months (I ride my bike less now than I did before). Alas, a snap judgment and arrogance of the "lady with the hat" and $50 more to add to the $225 repair job is what I got. No apologies, no clear explanation, nothing. Just a clear judgment and assumption that they are right, and I am wrong. Whatever happened to "the customer is always right"??? I WILL NEVER RETURN TO THIS STORE. THEY DO NOT DESERVE TO SERVE ME AS A CUSTOMER. read more

BUYER BEWARE. The place is a bunch of crooks. After giving them my watch for service, they performed unauthorized work on my watch diminishing the value of the watch, and then fraudulently redacted their copy of the receipt to corroborate their mishandling. They have no remorse and insist that I pay for the work. This is an ongoing 4 month story - not worth anyone's time or money. Totally unethical and criminal. read more

The owner of this store and her staff are willing to go the extra mile (or two...) to fulfill a customers wants and or needs. Never have I experienced such service, patience and care for even the smallest of repairs. Shopping is yet another pleasure as the staff is not only knowledgeable but enthusiastic about the watches they sell. Truly a gem in Harvard Square! read more

I would give it zero star if I could. I took my baby in the stroller and walked in the store. The sales guy saw me and the baby in the stroller, was instantly frowning. He probably did not want to waste any time on me who does not look like those older/wealthy customers who are likely to spend money on the expensive watches. He then even implied us to leave. I was totally shaking and could not believe such horrible customer service and his discrimination to women with children. I read other reviews and now I know what kind of people who work at this place. Anyway, I am glad I did not spend one penny at this business. I will never spend my money on a business that has such low morality. The people who work there reflect the morality of this whole store. I will never spend money at this business. read more

WORST SERVICE EXPERIENCE EVER. I bought a brand new watch and took it to this shop to have links removed. Within a week, my watch lost a pin. Shop says they have a 6 month warranty on all service. Went to the shop to get it repaired, and they charge me for the repairs and tell me I must have had an accident and it was my fault. Service tech was very rude. DONT GO HERE read more

i wanted to put 0 stars. do not trust this company!!!! i dropped off my $300 watch for repairs, which they quoted at $60, and they gave the watch back to someone else who knew my information and my watch type, but i did not authorize the pick-up!!!!!! so someone walked into the store, paid $60, and walked out with my $300 watch without the company consulting me about it. terrible trust issues. do not bring anything expensive here (my $300 watch is minnows compared to some of the watch prices out there), or else it may be gone when you go to pick it up. this company should not be trusted read more

One of the top watch repair centers in the US. A well qualified team with a passion for watches. Good assortment of watches with in depth knoweodge of each brand. Fair pricing and service that can not be beat. Happy long term customer. read more

They do terrible work and substantiate that with even worse customer service. They are inexperienced - there are many better places in Boston to go. Avoid!!! read more

Horrible experience. So bad that this review has the honor of being my first and only on Yelp. I usually don't post, but I couldn't let this place get away with how poorly they treated me. Anyways, I had recently received a Seiko 5 as a gift, and I took it to Swiss Watchmaker to have a few links removed. They told me it would be $10, which I thought was a tad expensive, but I understood that their time is valuable. I walked back to the store about an hour later to pick the watch up. Everything seemed fine. Well, later that day, I was walking down the street, and the watch just fell off my hand, separated at the links. The pin went missing too. I took the watch back to the store to explain the problem. Instead of taking it upon themselves to alleviate the problem, one rude employee gives ME the tool to fix it. I have should have demanded him to fix it on the spot, but I allowed myself to be walked over. Well, as I'm sitting there struggling for some 10 minutes trying to put my watch back together (something they should have been doing in the first place), one of the springs lost its tension and shot out from the links. At this point, I'm extremely frustrated, so I called the rude employee back over. He proceeds to tell me that replacing the spring and pin would be an additional $5. Are you kidding me? I asked for the manager, and after a stern 10 minute exchange, he finally acquiesced to repairing the watch without additional cost. No apology or anything. But that still doesn't solve the fact that, two weeks later, my watch is scratched and the movement is likely damaged as well, having been dropped on hard concrete because of such a shoddy job. I'm not a watch enthusiast, so I didn't realize at the time that the fall my watch experienced would disrupt the movement to the extent it did. At this point, I've cut my losses, but I will emphatically tell everyone in the Boston area to avoid this place like the plague. They are extremely rude and will try to nickel-and-dime you at every opportunity. read more

Woman who is the owner or manager is mean, and they do TERRIBLE work! Don't bring your stuff there, they break it and then try to charge you twice what was quoted and get angry when you question it! I have a Swiss watch that simply needed the crystal replaced, wrong one was put on, then they scratched my watch and denied it. How does such a horrible place stay in business?? read more

My experience with Swiss Watchmaker was a bit strange. I brought in a mini-grandfather clock that my parents had given me that was no longer working the hopes they could fix it. When they gave me the original slip with my name on it, the clock info, etc., there was no mention of an estimate fee. But I'll get to that in a sec. They finally called a couple weeks later to tell me that they could fix it for $325-$350. My parents and I decided the clock itself was probably not worth that amount, so I declined to fix it. When I came back to get it, Seth (who was very helpful, by the way) said that he might be able to find someone to buy it from me. Alas, he couldn't, so I had to come back AGAIN to the store to pick up the clock. I told the owner that the $25 estimate fee had not been mentioned to me at the beginning, so I had no intention of paying it (I didn't say it rudely like that, but I made it clear). Fortunately, he made no fuss about it, just asked Seth to help carry the clock out to my car. So while Seth's service was great, the owner was a little cold, and I didn't end up getting the clock fixed. Oh well, I guess...? read more

I left my Rolex for maintenance and they took really good care of it! Trustworthy and they charge exactly what they tell you. Could not have chosen a better place. read more

Distrustful, overpriced, unpleasant and weird. Unfortunately, since I live in the area, I used them several times. yeeek. Impossible to find parking. Look for another place. read more

Slow, uncomfortable service. Got a new strap, did not fit the watch after the sales person repeadtedly said it did. Finally had the watch repairmen step in and swap the strap out agreeing that it did not fit. Overpriced as well, twice as much as the normal cost to replace a quartz battery. read more

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. First of all, I am a fool for not reading these review before I took my watch in. Second of all, when I did, I saw the exact thing that happened to me happened to someone else. I took in my watch for a routine battery change and cleaning. When I got it back ($35 later-- I guess you pay for location convenience), immediately the face started fogging up. I was going to take it back in a day later, when a pin fell out of the band and the whole watch fell off my wrist. So basically I took in a perfectly fine watch that needed a battery change and got back a broken one. I am going to ask for a refund, but I doubt I'll get it. read more

The younger guy is great and performs work where you can see it. That's the right way. But the older lady is inexperienced and has no expertise on repair. She take your watch behind the curtain and gives your watch to the tech who performs work without asking. She says I don't know a lot. It's so strange. I'm really upset! You can never talk to the actual repair man. She cut my time short to talk to her friend about some stupid chirping clock. Buyer beware. Your watch might get ruined. I regret asking for help from her. I should have waited for the sales guy. read more

I agree with some of the other folks that tell you to avoid this place. Yes, $15.50 for a watch battery - but there aren't many other options in Harvard Square, unfortunately. Also, they'll try to talk you into things you don't need - and when you decline then, they'll still try to charge you for them when you pick up your watch. Honest? No. Good service? No. Can they change a watch battery? Yes - at a premium. read more

My watch stopped working, so I thought the battery was dead. I took it to Swiss Watchmaker to replace, and it promptly did (for around $10). The watch still didn't work when I picked it up, although I only noticed it a little while later (it is my spare watch). When I took it back to Swiss Watchmaker, they diagnosed it as a factory error. Moreover, they refused to refund anything. Now I own a useless watch with a brand new battery. I expected them to either notice that the watch wasn't working after replacing the battery, or alternatively I expected them to refund their work. Although polite and soft-spoken, they did neither. read more

Their service is above and beyond. Extremely competent and professional, very well priced and just very good people. Will trust with them my best clocks / watches. Peter read more

If I could leave zero stars, I would. Had my watch "repaired" there only to get cheap parts put in from a digital watch. The manager of owner (a lady, I forgot her name) was incredibly rude as well when dealing with my predicament. read more

Horrible service - feels like no one working there has seen a watch before. I was told changing a battery on my watch would cost $10. The women who works there did not have the right tools when I got there, and I was told to pick it up the next day. The next day, they were not able to find my watch for over half an hour, I was sure they had lost it. In the end, the watch was found but they ended up charging $30 with no explanation. Find another watch repair place! read more

This review is based on service only... I brought in a couple of lighters to have engraved for my groomsmen. When I brought them in, I knew it was a rush job so I double-checked to make sure it could be done on time. I also told them how important it was that they be ready when I picked them up because they were gifts for my wedding party. When I stopped by on the morning of my departure, they had not been engraved. No one had even thought of calling to tell me they wouldn't be ready. So I had to take them back, without engraving, and explain to my buddies that these would eventually be their presents, after I got back from my honeymoon. The only upshot to them screwing up is that they quoted me a ridiculously high price for the engraving, which I was willing to swallow to have them done in time. Instead I got to take them elsewhere and save myself a bundle. I would not recommend them for anything time sensitive, important, or really for anything customer-service related. read more

0 star, the second hand of my watch was loosed and they charged me 70$ for repairing it. I left for the military base after two weeks, then the second hand loosed again. I was in combat training in Texas, so that I could not contact with them. It is acceptable to get an overpriced service, but, you guys did not finished your work. Because of your frauds, I had no watch during the training. Cheated a soldier? Good for you guys. read more

Not much else to say other than terrible and disappointing service. Watch was returned damaged. They held my watch ransom until I paid for the service, although they did more damage than good. If you love your watch, don't bring it to Swiss Watchmaker. Susan Lelyveld and Seth, they're all crooks. I have literally never gone online to write a negative review. But my experience with them warrants it. Most disappointed consumer interaction with a store/service I've ever had. These people should be reported to the BBB. read more

I recently brought a family heirloom 19th century carriage clock in for engraving and had a very bad experience. When I brought it in I asked if I could get a broken glass pane fixed and the woman taking the order insisted it was acrylic despite that being impossible as it was original, tapping hard on the sides of this delicate timepiece. When she tested the replacement key the hands spun around in a way it had never done before. She said it would be $200 to fix just the glass so I declined and ordered only the engraving, which I asked match the four other engravings already on the clock's top. I was assured it could be back in a week in time for a birthday celebration on Saturday. Instead the clock wasn't ready until Tuesday, and the engraving font didn't match: it was a serif font when all the others were non-serif. The clock was wrapped in bubble wrap so I didn't see the worst part until it was unwrapped: the minute hand is now missing and the corner of the face is chipped. I will eventually get the broken mechanism fixed but definitely not here ever as they have damaged an irreplaceable family heirloom. It's too bad as the store is a Harvard Square institution. read more

If you want your watch or clock skillfully repaired AVOID this place. They are overpriced and their workmanship does not last past a year. I paid over a $100 to have a battery box changed on a clock and after 8 months it's in the same condition as when I took it in. I should have learned but I brought another clock in for a similar repair and now this one doesn't work either. Don't bring your treasured time pieces to this sham. read more

Yet another thumb down for this duplicitous, badly-run business. They set a watch face in a piece of jewelry for me awhile back and I was happy with that, but their M.O. is to kiss up relentlessly to the customers they have taken a liking to [myself, and other people who bring them unusual, expensive projects I guess] and treat everyone else like dirt. The woman, Susan, is prone to flights of fancy. Diagon Alley is a good comparison; maybe that shady dark-magic store that Harry ends up in by mistake... I digress. My boyfriend dropped a wall clock that I had given him and broke the twisting knob, which was sticking out the bottom just waiting for that kind of accident. He brought it to Swiss Watchmaker, they looked at it, and they said they would call him the next day with an ESTIMATE of what it would cost for this relatively simple job. Weeks passed. He called them a couple times during this interval, not to be a pest but just to check on the status of his clock. Each time he was brushed off in various ways: We'll-Call-You-Back-Later-Today (they never did) or putting him on hold and then having a different person pick up the phone and act like they had no idea who he was or where his clock was, even though the shop is the size of an elevator. (They send their repairs to somewhere else, I'm sure.) At one point they told him that a gear was broken and their jeweler would have to MAKE a new gear. The woman, Susan, gushed about "restoring" the clock to its original splendor and glory... This was a simple electric clock just like the ones in every classroom of every public school. After six weeks of them evading his questions about when the clock would be ready and what it would cost, approximately, my boyfriend called and told them that, with all due respect, he would like his broken clock back please. He went to pick it up... and... they had stuck a little battery-pack movement onto the back! No mention of our six weeks waiting for an "estimate" on a quick fix that took less than a day, no mention of custom-made gears. I am sure they charged him more than what I paid for the clock, but we are just happy that we can tell the time in his apartment again. read more

This will be the first and last time I will be visiting this establishment. I called a head to ask the pricing how much they charged for watch battery replacement. She told me 10.25 which I thought was reasonable price. I stopped by after work and said I would like to get my watch battery changed, then the women said it's going be 15 dollars. I said wait you said on the phone it was 10.25 she yes but it has to do with the model it's a 3 tier watch and etc. I was like then you were being honest on the phone. This is an act of poor business etiquette mis informing customer of actually price including labor and then tell the person a different price bracket when the person is at the establishment. I only went here because my usual watch person is all the way in the city who's honest. read more

These people have an attitude which is not conducive to business. The mechanism on my Chelsea clock was not working so I took it to the Swiss Watchmaker to see if it could be fixed. They said they would estimate the repair cost, and I did get a text about that. Today I went in to pick up the mechanism saying I did not want to have it fixed. They said the work estimate would be $25 . . . I was shocked. They said I had signed a receipt acknowledging the $25 estimate fee -- yes, I did, but I did not notice that fee nor did Tom tell me about it. He said he did, but I know he didn't because I would never have agreed to leaving the mechanism for this repair estimate at that cost. Tom did give me back the mechanism and as I was leaving said "bitch!". That is unprofessional! I don't ever plan to step foot in that pace again and hope you don't either. read more

Came in for a small repair on a cheap $70 swatch.. everyone in the store was friendly. i waited about 10 minutes for my $5 repair, and they polished the crystal for me. Great service. Friendly staff. A+ in my book. read more

After buying a Swiss Army watch 10 years ago at Swiss Watchmaker I returned to this store to purchase yet another Swiss Army Victorinox watch. I purchased a top of the line self winding one for about $1600. I decided to return it and get store credit. I then picked a Swiss Army Victorinox battery operated for about $600 and used some of the remaning store credit on a watch for about $200. Then the problem started. I realized that the hour and minute hands on the Swiss Army watch did not synchronize, so when the time was, say, 10:30 AM the minute hand pointed straight down (as it should) but the hour hand was pointing sharp at 10 (not halfway between 10 and 11). I returned the watch and asked for a replacement (I only had it less than a week and had been very careful with it). Getting a new watch was not possible. The owner said he would "take care of it". Under warranty he would send it back to the factory to have it "reset". A month later he called me and told me the watch was ready to be picked up. My wife picked it up for me. I immediately realized nothing had been done to the watch. It was still not working properly. I am sure he never sent it back to the factory. He simply put it in a drawer and waited for the appropiate time to pass. I called up the owner of the store. He said there was nothing wrong with the watch but was willing to look at again. Both myself and my wife called several times but they thought we should contact the company ourselves. There was nothing they could do. So... these people sold me a watch that was never working correctly and then argued we should take care of it ourselves. Nice! You ask yourself what the benefit is to buy a watch in this store over purchasing it via Amazon which no doubt would take the watch back. The owner of this store is a liar and a crook. Avoid this store! read more

Brought in my Movado watch to have links removed and they were quick with serving me, (30 minutes!) and did a great job. It cost $15 which is very reasonable, considering the service fees from Movado. I was quoted polishing of $75 for a small Movado watch (for polishing the case and bracelet,) which is at least 25% cheaper than from any other watch store I have been to or from Movado. Great service for a fair price. I highly recommend! read more

Amazing selection and great customer service. A true Cambridge experience :) highly recommended!

All of my dealings with this store and the staff have been wonderful. I recently lost a crown on my vintage watch and the one they replaced it with was not to my liking. The owner immediately reconciled the problem and I was able to pick from a number of crowns the exact one that I wanted. I got this and a cleaning done on the same day! They had it completed when they said they were going to. I went in several times prior to this to get their opinion on the two vintage watches I was deciding between, and they were more than happy to give me their opinion and their time even though they were not getting any business out of it. I also spoke on the phone to one of the staff prior to going to the store, and he was very warm and personable. I am very satisfied and would go back anytime. read more

While this place has the air of an old-time watchmaker, and they certainly seem to be somewhat competent, a recent visit was far from satisfactory. I bought my girlfriend a very nice watch and she needed to have some links taken from the band in order for it to fit properly. This small job cost $10. Within a day, a pin came out of the strap and the watch came flying off. With luck, she was at home and noticed it. If she's been out it could easily have been lost or damaged. She took it back and barely received any kind of apology, but they fixed it (and so far so good), but we were not happy with their service. Another customer was in the shop at the same time as we returned the watch; they were returning a clock which the store had fixed. Fixed, that is, except for the small matter of not reattaching one of the hands of the clock, which they'd left sitting at the bottom of the clock's case. Perhaps they are competent at this place, but they sure don't seem to have much attention to detail, at least not from our experience. read more

These guys are watch and clock geniuses! Got a clock problem? These guys know everything, the real old deal. Fair pricing and such knowledgeable friendly staff. Over the years they have fixed my grandmother's wind up clock from 1920, a watch that my parents gave me as a graduation gift and the second hand on my table clock. Not to mention putting batteries in my little alarm clock a bunch of times. They helped me a pick out a watch band once. Thanks, Swiss Watchmaker!!! Look forward to doing business with you again :) read more

I'm not sure why there are so many negative reviews! I first came to the watchmaker when my fossil watch died and I couldn't figure out why. Instead of replacing my old watch (I had fallen in love with it) the store replaced some of the insides for around $75. Steep yes, but considering there were no other watches out there I liked, I considered it an investment. I then came back when the battery died and they replaced it for free. Finally, just today I went by to ask them to fix a broken clasp - they did this for free in 10mins. Yes, its' not as cheap as the mall watch kiosk, but they do a great job and know what they are doing! read more

I had my watch battery replaced at Swiss Watchmaker. It was a bit more expensive than other places ($15 versus $10 at other stores in Boston), but I decided to go here since it's right near my apartment. They were able to fix it pretty quickly (within 15 minutes). read more

The folks at Swiss Watchmaker are always friendly, competent and respectful. They do good work, on time, and for much less than I expect every time. I typically hate shopping but I know that when i go here I will be treated well. Thanks guys! read more