I went there to see if they could replace the battery on my car remote. They took the remote apart and tested the battery, to make sure it was OK and it turned out it was good and did not need to be replaced. They cleaned some rust off the contacts which turned out fixed the remote. They did this all with no charge and in less than 5 minutes. read more

I wish all my retail experiences could go like it did at Timekeepers. My only regret was not giving them more of my business. Honest,Knowledable, and Friendly to EVERYONE. I 100% recommend this place. read more

Nice, friendly guys. Customer service is top notch! I get all my watch work done here!

Went here to get my watch band replaced and was ultimately impressed by the sheer attention to detail and quality of the watch care they exercised. Any questions about watch problems and advice they were quick to answer and did so professionally. I purchased a leather watch band from this place and was profoundly impressed by the quality of the products and will be visiting many times in the future. read more

Needed a new battery for my Invicta watch - in and out in 4 minutes! Great prices - my "go to" place from now on!

I put out the word on Nextdoor for recommendations for someone to check out a clock and pocket watch I inherited. I was flooded with recs for Timekeepers in Encinitas. Now I see why! What a cool place. They are so knowledgeable and nice there. Mario didn't even have a chance to give me the free estimate he had promised...he was able to fix the issue so quickly. It was fun chatting with him for a bit; he was so awesome. I know now that I have the perfect place to count on for future issues with any watch or clock. Take your clocks here and you will be well cared for. read more

Amazing service. Have you ever taken your watch to a jeweler to get a watch battery replaced and were told a couple days and $40? That is not this place. Walked in handed the nice gentleman my piece and he went right to work. Took less than 5 minutes because he had all the parts and i walked out paying $10. A few days later i took 3 other older watches one of which had a vacuum seal etc. and same experience with these guys. A few minutes and a ridiculously affordable price paid and i was out the door! read more

Fast, professional, great pricing. I have been here twice now. I was in an out in under 5 minutes both times. One was for a battery replacement and one was for a broken watch pin. Highly recommend. read more

We had 11 watches that needed new batteries. I took them to Timekeepers and was able to wait while they changed all 11. They also shortened two watch bands (remove links) and repaired a band with a new pin. Their service was outstanding and the cost was one third of what I would have been charged at other places. Great customer service and very personable. This is the place for any type watch/clock needs. read more

Kind, professional, proficient, efficient and generous. My watch lost a pin and they replaced it--for free! I'm blown away.

Some of the kindest small-business owners I've ever encountered. They earn a highest recommendation with every interaction. Not only have they overdelivered for me, they also don't try to upsell you into services you don't need. Ethical, nice, and skilled. It doesn't get better. Plus, this sort of repair specialty is hard to find, so Encinitas is lucky. read more

Fantastic and quick. New watch battery in 2 minutes. Cash only! These guys are fantastic and very friendly. I would NEVER go anywhere else!

Stopped by to have my watch band repaired. They fixed it right on the spot in under 5 minutes at no charge! I'll be coming back for all my watch/clock repairs. No wonder they have 5 stars on Yelp with hundreds of reviews. What great customer service! read more

I wish I could give these gentlemen a hundred stars! I love this place! They only charge $5 if that, for a new battery that they happily install in a moment. You can also buy a really nice quality watchband and they will put it on as well. The whole store is full of beautiful antique clocks that are for sale and they will repair your old broken one as well. They will even come out and fix a grandfathers clock! The two men working here, brothers I'm sure, are so kind, patient and nice, its a real pleasure every year or two stopping by and getting my watch battery installed by such rare and nice shop owners. read more

I just... I have to... update. Had a Russian watch that needed fixing, they did not want to work on it because it's Russian (junk), but finally, they got around to it, and they charged me... nothing.. ZERO. I could not comprehend this. I literally left a 20 dollar bill on the counter because I felt so guilty. If they go out of business some day for having such reasonable prices, I will blame myself. These guys.... THE BEST!!! I am a huge fan. If they had a t-shirt, I would buy it, and wear it a lot. read more

Excellent place to replace my battery. Super fast, Friendly, only six dollars. They replace the battery on the spot, it's nice I don't have to leave my watch and come back. read more

They were fast and efficient and lower price for watch battery replacement than others I have paid for. I would highly recommend them. Please remember to bring cash since they don't take credit cards. read more

Got a new battery for my Shinola Birdy in less than 10 mins for $6. It doesn't get much better than that.

Wow, costly mistake. I checked this place out based on the Yelp reviews, it appears everyone (at this moment in time) is talking about having batteries replaced. That's not really a measure of skill for a horologist... seriously folks, you can do that one yourself. I brought in a late 50s Omega Constellation as one of the arrow markers on the dial had come off, plus it had been about 7 years since its last service/calibration. I handed it to the guy behind the counter, explaining that I was looking to have the marker reset and to get an estimate on on a servicing. He looked at it a bit and said "do you have a few minutes?" I said sure and sat down. He handed it to an older gentlemen in the back of the store. About 10 minutes later he handed me the watch. The marker was back on. I said "oh wow, that's fantastic. What's the charge?" He said "nothing". Even more fantastic. I asked about the servicing, he said it's keeping time well and doesn't need it. Hmm... everything I've known over the years on vintage time-pieces says to get your watch serviced at least once a decade for preventive maintenance. I walk out the store and put it on my wrist... and I feel something. I feel a clunking as I move my hand. I take the watch off and listen closely - it sounds like something big is rattling around in the case. "Thunk, thunk, thunk". I go back inside the store and show the watch to the guy who first took it, and he claims the watch was like this when I brought it in - that the piece was hit hard and that's why the dial marker was loose. But I remember clearly it came off after a long day at the office; I never dropped or treated the watch roughly. And I've handled the watch several times since... this is WAY obvious and never noticed a thing. This new issue is significant, and I 'feel' it. I mention all this. He says, "how could it be our fault, we didn't even open it up". I change my tone to being non-accusatory - I ask if they can fix it. He says no, that the part of the movement that autowinds is broken and must be sent to Omega for repair. Yet he just said moments before they didn't open it, how would they know? And why wasn't it brought to my attention? I'm getting the impression they are trying to just get rid of me, like they know they just made an expensive boo-boo. Won't look me in the eye... as I walk out the store again feeling a real horrible pit in my gut, I notice there are a few new specks of dust in the dial. Fantastic job and for 'free' too, thanks Timekeepers! So a week later I take it to another listed horologist on Yelp in the area. Have to leave it there in the morning and wait all day to get a call, but I get the impression the watch has actually been inspected this time. I'm told the screw that holds the movement to the case has been broken. I asked if this could have happened by someone removing the crystal to work on the dial, if they may have used some sort of device to do that, and he said yes - too much pressure on the casing securing it for service work can damage the movement. The watch will have to be dissambled and completely overhauled. The cost to fix this? $245 and about 10 days. (Update: it took about 3 weeks but it was fixed at that cost. The watch is still working great years later). Yikes. To be fair it looks like they had a ton of grandfather clocks in the shop and that's what they must specialize in, but if you have a delicate smaller timepiece, a highly valuable timepiece... beware. Let's recap: 1) They refused to service a vintage mechanical movement that hadn't been serviced in 7 years because it was 'keeping time'. No respected horologist would take this tact. 2) They fixed a small aesthetic issue, but (let's take their stance the watch was broken internally before they handled it) they neglected to mention something functionally wrong with the timepiece, until I came back and brought it to their attention. Either their attention to detail is abysmal or they are covering something up. 3) Once it was brought to their attention the watch had an internal issue, they out of hand dismissed it as something they couldn't fix without even opening the watch. 4) That thing they assumed they couldn't fix, that would require being sent back to Omega, had indeed been fixed in-house by another local horologist. The place I took it to wasn't an Omega service center, just another small shop. Taken altogether - it doesn't matter if it's watches, cars, electronics, etc - these are red flags of poor performance in the service industry. read more

A watch and clock-lover's dream come true, the Timekeepers offers amazing, quick, affordable services, from battery replacements and watch repairs to life-changing BLT Grandfather Clock repairs all performed with masterful, expert skill and backed by a good guarantee of customer satisfaction; though lines can get crazy for a battery replacement during busy hours, the fun, indoor settings (with lots of classic analog clocks, grandfather clocks, and cuckoo clocks) and fantastic customer service, quick turn around time, and afforable prices compensate and you can't beat the value. The two men who run it are always jovial and courteous. I've come here on several different occasions for all types of watch repair work. The last time I brought my watch to repair the bracelet which had been broken. They repaired it right away. I tried to tip them, they didn't accept the tip. I left it on the counter, and they told me "NO WAY.. you're not going to tip us for this easy fix. Save your money." I'm always blown away and impressed by their generosity and the love they have for their work. My hat's off to the two brothers who run this wonderful business. Cheers to the Timekeepers! read more

So, where do you go when you need to get your watch serviced and you want to make sure it's in good hands and you don't get ripped off? Well, that was the question I posed to my fellow Yelpers, and they directed me to Timekeepers in Encinitas. I grew up in Encinitas, so I knew exactly where they were talking about -- that place on El Camino Real with all the funky clocks outside -- but for some reason had never had a reason to go there before. My husband's watch, which I spent a pretty penny for as a wedding gift, needed a new battery and a good cleaning of the stainless steel band. It is only four years old, but we had a free service package from Ben Bridge for the first three years for an annual cleaning, service and battery change. Now that coverage has expired, I wanted someone reliable and honest to service it. In addition, my brother just bought me a watch, which needed to be resized to fit my wrist. On my lunch break the other day, I dropped into Timekeepers. The two guys (I'm assuming brothers?), greeted me along with the three other people who walked in the door the same instant I did... popular place!... good sign! These guys graciously facilitated each customer with new batteries, bands, and answered questions with remarkable speed. It was my turn before I knew it. I explained what I needed, and one of the brothers took care of me on the spot! Within 10 minutes he had resized my band (twice, because I first thought I needed two rungs taken out, but really I only needed one), replaced the battery in my husband's watch and given it a sonic cleaning. Excellent! "Great. How much do I owe you?" I asked. "For you? $5 for the battery," he replied. (Whaaaaa? Only $5? For all that service? Incredible. Oh shoot, I don't have any cash!) I pull out my credit card and look at him, "I'm sorry sir, I don't have any cash. Will you accept my bank card?" "No problem," he says to me, "Just bring it next time." I reply (in total disbelief), "Oh, I will go to the ATM right now, do you want me to leave the watches here as collateral?" "Oh, no. Don't leave them here! Just bring $5 next time." Well, I thanked him profusely, grabbed my watches and smiled at the new line of eager and loyal customers that had formed behind me. I went to the bank, got cash, and returned as quickly as I could to Timekeepers still smiling. "Here you go!" I said to the man upon my return, handing him my $5 bill. At first he looked at me confused, and then with delayed recognition, he smiled and chuckled at me. Wow! You just do not find that kind of service anymore in these days of corporate-chain-mega-stores. I am glad to know small family owned businesses of integrity still exist. Thank you Timekeepers, for the service and my renewed faith in the world! Sometimes it's just the little things that make your day. read more

I can't rave enough about this long time Encinitas clock/watch shop. The Petroski's have owned this place since I was in grade school, and the technical knowledge that they have when it comes to timepieces is unmatched. I've taken my Tag Heuer watch in for battery replacements many times. Some places will gouge you for $25-30, Timekeepers? Five bucks. Not only that, he asked a favor that I pay with cash since transaction fees on small purchases is so high. I didn't have cash, so he just said he trusted me. I went back the next day to pay. It's so awesome to see basic human civility in a business. Don't think they just do the high end. I've taken a counterfeit Movado watch in for a new battery and to have links removed from the band, and they've happily done the work. For any watch or clock issue, forget a jeweler. Go straight into Timekeepers. You'll save money and restore your faith in humanity. read more

Short and sweet - these guys are the nicest, most genuine business owners you will ever come across. Need a battery replaced? $5.00. Every time. Need a few links removed? They will literally put money back into your hand if you try to pay them for the service. Been going here for 4 years and have never been disappointed. One thing to note - they will not always replace a battery if the watch is waterproof. They are smart enough to know and will politely tell you that breaking certain manufacturer seals will both void the warranty, and not guarantee a water proof seal if it's known to use a proprietary sealing technique. Stop in and say hi the next time you need a battery. You'll save time, money and get to see customer service at it's absolute finest. read more

Amazingly, these people are for real. While I generally shop locally, I do also shop online and at Big Box stores. By far, however, Timekeepers is an exceptional treasure. These owner brothers are knowledgeable, warm, funny, fast, efficient and extremely helpful. You are not just a number or a nameless customer. You are a person with a unique situation and the brothers are so glad that you came to see them. Quite literally, you experience a different sense of time and interaction with them. I brought Timekeepers three watches that needed new batteries. Two of the three watches were fixable and the third one, a Swatch, had a movement that was no longer good. Swatch watches are designed to be replaced not repaired. I accepted my situation and was told that each successful battery replacement was $5, instead of the $20-30 that I had had to pay before in my home state at various locations. This seemed to good to be true but the story got even more amazing. The next day, one watch was not working, so I brought it back. Timekeepers told me that the movement was bad and gave me my $5 for the battery back, which seemed unusual, since I had received a fully functioning battery and the service of installing it. I asked how much it would cost to repair the watch and Timekeepers quoted me a price. I immediately said that I wanted the watch repaired because it was important to me and had been a lovely gift from my parents. Since I was leaving the next day to go back out of state, Timekeepers even offered to mail me the watch. They absolutely refused to accept any money up front several times and said that I should send them a check once they had repaired the watch. I walked out not believing this type of service was even still possible in this era of credit checks and electronic payments. Less than a week after returning home, I received my watch, functioning, cleaned, as well as beautifully and carefully wrapped in a priority box. There was no bill...just a lovely note saying that Timekeepers had been able to repair the watch using the original watch movement, so there would be no charge. Even though there were no new parts, there was not even a charge for the repair labor, the replaced battery, or the postage. How does such a fantastic place like this stay in business? Please do yourself a BIG favor: buy clocks, watches and repairs at Timekeepers and tell ALL of your friends! read more

My aunt has been raving about this place for a long time and I can see why! I took 2 watches here to get batteries changes and a couple links taken out ( only $10!). I must not be a very good yelper for missing the fact that they only take cash. Quite embarrassing when it's time to pay! "You can just drop it off next time you are here." "You mean...?? That's insane!" I offered to run across the street to the gas station, but he was insisting it was fine. How fantastic is that? I was quite shocked and really need a second to comprehend what was happening. It was suddenly as if I was back in the olden days, living a little village with cobble streets where everyone knows everyone and this sort of occurrence was commonplace. They have some really awesome cuckoo clocks and grandfather clocks if you are looking for a unique gift or clock for your own house. Also worth mentioning is that they have a great variety of very affordable watch bands that would turn a boring watch into an awesome timepiece. If you've been putting off replacing those watch batteries or getting a watch resized, don''t sweat it. It is quick and painless and you'll be happy to visit such a great shop. read more

My first time here and I simply needed my car key battery replaced. He did it in 2 minutes and it was only $5. It's CASH or CHECK ONLY, which I did not know and of course happened to have no cash. The guy was so sweet and said no worries just bring it when you can! So sweet and amazing customer service. I ran to the ATM and then he refused to even take my tip. 10/10 recommend! Amazing people read more

This is unbelievable. Last Saturday I went in to Timekeepers to look for a replacment band. Unfortunately, they didn't have one on hand. Worse than that, I left my phone there. After coming back home to LA, I called Timekeepers on Tuesday morning and not only did they have my phone, they shipped it back to me overnight and refused my 3 offers to give my credit card info so I could cover the shipping cost. My phone arrived this morning (Wednesday). While my review isn't exactly about conducting "watch" business with them, it is about acknowledging the uncommon graciousness of a small business. If I were to move to London, I would still use Timekeepers for my watch repairs and replacments. Just look at all of the five-star reviews they have here. Timekeepers are a rare and dying breed of business. Thanks again guys! M. read more

Simply put: knowledgable, super courteous, local business cannot get any better. My experiences include not having enough cash on hand to pay for a battery and having them say "Don't worry about it. You can give it to us next time" and I had not even been there in 10 years so its doubtful they knew me or knew I would be back. You could just drool over the counter there are so many amazing mechanism in there. Watching the masters at work is equivalent to a good ball game for those interested in such things. I now look for excuses to go in and will be visiting this week to clean some jewelry and tune up a watch that runs fine but I just want their expert eyes to make sure. I wish every business and service was as enjoyable and anticipated as this was. read more

Timekeepers quickly replaced 2 watch batteries and removed a link from my watch. Great price and great service.

Wow! First and foremost...I'm warning you BEFORE you go...CASH ONLY! Or at least no credit cards. If I wasn't one of those people who barely knows what cash looks like this wouldn't be an issue. Finally after staring at my watch that was in VERY deep sleep for 3 weeks I decided in an effort to support local business I would take it here for a new battery. I popped in last week after the gym and asked if they could do a new battery. He barely answered me...took the watch and sat down with it. I just started to settle into the chair and he said "here you go!" Oh....well, sure. How much good sir? $5. Five bones and done in 2 minutes maybe? You take credit cards right?? "No" he says, and I'm standing there wondering what to do. He says "just drop the money off next time you pop by." Entire bug-eyed face here; I'd never even been here before and he's so casual about it. I asked sir are you SURE and he said yes of course and waved me off. I wasn't able to get back until yesterday (had to get it off of my conscious!) and strolled in with the money. I'm not sure he even remembered but he had a good sense of humor, accepted the payment and that was that as they say. What a friendly, old-school, refreshing place to do business! It would've taken me longer to park and walk into Target than it did to get the watch handled by a professional. Kudos! read more

This is perhaps one of the best run businesses in North County San Diego. I've had extra links put into two different watches and each time, they haven't charged me a dime. They are always busy with repeat customers and if you ever have to go there for clock or watch related issue, you'll know why. Both guys behind the counter are super nice, super efficient and super reasonable in terms of prices. I even overheard them saying they were going to fix a gentelman's clock and mail it to him since he lived a few miles from the location. It's crazy how great their customer service and repair quality are on a consistent basis. Five stars just isn't enough. read more

These guys rock! We took to them for repair a small fiber optic Christmas tree that had the color wheel inside the base stop rotating. They suggested we order a replacement motor on eBay and bring it back, which we did. A couple days later it was fixed and they charged us only $5! Nothing is $5 these days! Thanks Timekeepers! read more

Jeez, these guys have been in Encinitas for such a long time now, treating their customers like relatives, asking so little for the top-notch work they do. Stemming as I do from what may appear to others as a rather dicey inner-city background, I sometimes think that low prices and first-rate work are the stuff of "fronts" (businesses run as a disguise for other subterreanean activities), but such is far from the case with these amazing gents. They are first-rate craftsmen who apparently left their native land (somewhere in LA maybe?) and were well enough off to open a place of business just for the sake of bringing back a little of the ancient honor of the Craft Guilds. Their clock collection (NFS) is formidable and offers a little diversion while you wait, ever so briefly, for them to fix your watch or clock. The only guess work involved on your part will be wondering if they can still shock you with the tiny-ness of the price for whatever they're doing for you. My gawd, the number of times they've done this little thing or that for me and asked for no remittance at all! May they find their way clear to staying with us for years yet to come! I will be inconsolable should they leave! read more

Such an honest business here! I went in to get about 4 watch batteries replaced at the same time. He replaced all at such a great price! While I was there I watched people come in and out and I watched him interact with his customers, he would tell them if he couldn't fix their clocks with such honesty. He would say it would cost you more to fix that clock than it would to buy a new one and then the person would say it means a lot or one person said oh OK thank you very much. SO REFRESHING to see such honestly and integrity in a business owner these days. I will be customer for life which probably explains which he has such high reviews and why he has been in business for so long. read more

AMAZING Came in to get a watch sized (after botching the job my self) and the guy there did it for me while I was there. I said thanks and asked what I owed him... HE SAD DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, HAVE A NICE DAY!!!! FIXED IT FOR FREE!!! He was a fun to chat with too. Real cool guy. GET ANYTHING WATCH RELATED DONE HERE!!! ...still cant believe he didn't charge me, apparently there is a God! read more

Not sure why I waited almost a year to get the batteries fixed in two watches. Stopped here and it took five minutes and cost $10. CASH ONLY + checks Saturday morning and the line was growing as I left. These guys know what they're doing. read more

This place is a no brainer! $5 for a battery replacement and I was in and out in under 10 minutes! Why did I ever wait so long to get my watch fixed? I must bring my other watch here too. I read in the yelp reviews that it was CASH ONLY so I came prepared with $5. In and out and a happy, punctual, timekeeper later. read more

Timekeepers - Clocks! - Watches Near Me - Encinitas, California

This is the third time I've brought my watch, that needs a special band and they were extra patient With my questions and eventually told me where to get it online. When it came in I took the watch and band back to be put on. They did it on the spot and didn't charge me. I insisted and he just smiled and shook my hand. Top notch. Extra friendly. I will for sure go back and refer anyone to them. 6 stars!! read more

These guys are really , really cool. I can't believe they quickly replaced my battery for free- and I just walked in. I will definitely go back whenever I need something for my watches. I would give them six stars for service if I could! lol read more

Just came in there today to fix an old watch my wife received from her Nan before she passed away. One of the gentlemen took a look at the watch and said it's probably some sort of spring (he used the name, but I can't remember what it was), and that the fix was probably going to cost more than the watch was worth. I told him that was ok, since it had sentimental value, I'd pay for whatever it cost. He then took it over to his work bench for about 3-4 minutes, brought it back and said some of the screws had come loose from inside the watch, and it was now working. Handed it to me and smiled. I asked him how much and he said, "Nothing". Blows my mind that places like this still exist in this world. He could have charged me, but since it took just a couple mins and no parts, etc. let me out the door without paying a dime! I will definitely be coming back with my other watch that needs a band very soon!!! read more