I've been going to Walter's for years. Whether it's for replacement of a watch battery or repairing a treasured piece of jewelry, both Walter and Leah have provided superb service in every respect. Work gets done quickly and with great care and Walter's prices are the best! read more

A sign in the window says they change batteries. I needed that service, so I went in. When the woman saw that my watch was a Timex she told me I should throw it away. I said it keeps perfect time. I like it. She did change the battery in a huffy way but charged a reasonable fee, although some places have charged only for the battery. Now I need a watch strap. I won't go to Walter Jewelers. I'm 83 so I don't drive. I guess I'm stuck. read more

I was referred to this place by a colleague. When I read the reviews I was shocked. However, I decided to give this place a chance. I was wrong! I brought my tag watch to replace the pin in the bracelet that had broken. The owner asked me to leave the watch because he didn't have the pin available. A day later, I received the watch back repair with what I thought was the correct pin. I was pleasantly surprised that the repair only cost me $8. Well, fast forward one week; my watch broke again (in the same place). I decided to bring it to another repair shop. Luckily I had the pin Walter had used. The shop told me that it was completely the wrong pin. Then they showed me the difference between the pin Walter used and what was supposed to be used. They were totally different and Walter should have known better. Therefore I was swindled out of $8. DONT GO HERE! read more

Went in to have a battery replaced in 2 of my watches...no problem. Also one of the watches was pretty scratched up. Jeweler buffed it out. Total work under 25 bucks with battery! I will go back. read more

I've been frequenting Walter's Jewelers for many years and it's one of my favorite small business establishments in Brookline. Walter has replaced many watch batteries and watch bands for me and he has made expert repairs to my watches. His prices are always reasonable and I find him to be exceedingly honest and fair. Years ago, one of my old watches wasn't waterproof and I kept dunking it in the water when I was giving my kids baths. Walter was able to repair it inexpensively a couple of times. However after one big dunk in the tub, he gently broke the news to me that although the watch was handsome, it was not well crafted and the damage was extensive enough that the repair would cost more than the value of the watch. The watch had sentimental value to me, but after considering Walter's honest assessment I decided to say goodbye to it. Another jeweler might have been happy to make the repair and take my money, but Walter was too honest for that. Recently, Walter repaired my wife's engagement ring and a pearl necklace and the cost came in under his estimate. My wife and I recently gave my son a watch as a gift, and my son and I brought it to Walter's to get it fitted properly. As always, Walter took care of me. I was really happy to introduce my son to Walter and his lovely wife and I know that my son will be treated as a valued customer whenever he walks through their door. read more

DO NOT GO! TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE! My husband and I went in to get his wedding band re-sized. We asked about the cost and whether or not we could wait and watch, thinking that it would save us the extra trip of coming back if it was a quick procedure. The woman behind the counter was terribly RUDE! Out of nowhere, in response to our questions, she nastily asked us why we would want to watch and then told us to go somewhere else to get the ring re-sized. We didn't know why she was so rude and nasty. We had merely asked a question! Isn't that what customers do? That woman was so rude and disrespectful! We will NEVER go back. We want to support local businesses but this is one place I will never step foot into again. By the way, you have to be buzzed into the store (how ridiculous--you don't need to be buzzed into jewelry stores like Tiffany's and they have much more expensive jewelry than this place). The selection of jewelry and watch bands is poor. Save yourself the poor customer service and poor selection and go to a place where customers are treated better and there is a greater selection of higher-quality goods! read more

Worst experience ever. I was in the area working and thought it would be convenient to have my watch fixed. I went in to have a watch sized smaller. The guy was unfriendly and rude. I wanted the original pieces back so that I would have them if anything happened to the watch, I would have parts. He dropped them on the floor and couldn't find them and insulted me when I asked that he take another look. I would never recommend this place to anyone. read more

Went to get my watch battery replaced. Fast service. Nice selection of jewelry. Recommended. read more

Beware. I had my watch batteries changed here a few times and went back to have a ring sized. The lady said it couldnt be done but to leave it and the jeweler would call me. He called, I was in the car at the time and told him that I thought it was too much ($85 to size it up) then I call from the car again about the ring but can't find the slip the lady gave me - they were very annoyed about it and let me know (I'm not the only person this happens to) so they said they'd look but I should callback when i have the slip. can't find it still. then i go in person and they tell me, "you already picked up that ring" ...WTF "that is not true!" i say. so the lady looks in the box for my ring again. I'm still thinking, "well, maybe it is worth it to have it sized up" but now the lady says "you should go home, your kids probably have the ring, it's not here." OMG I'm panicking now and getting angry (takes a lot to get me angry, kay?) so then she finds it and hands it to me, the guy then says "You wasted all my afternoon!!! you didn't have the paper!" I couldn't believe it. how naive I was. Then I was just relieved to have the ring back and will take it somewhere else. I will NEVER go back in there. How he stays in business, in Brookline, no less, is beyond me! Next time, I'll read the other Yelp reviews before going somewhere. After reading the other reviews, I should have all the stones checked but now I'm really afraid to know. Buyer BEWARE of Walter's!!! read more

I am flabbergasted that this place doesn't get at least a 4 star rating! I chose my engagement ring at this fine establishment Leah listened intently to my needs and budget. She found the perfect ring that was already sized. It was 70% below my stated budget!!! It was every bit as nice as rings that were over my budget! I look forward to returning to the store with my fiance to pick out wedding bands. read more

Every time I need a watch battery or a watch strap adjusted (remove links, etc.), I'm faced with the same dilemma: go to Walter's because it's close to my place and locally owned, or go to some soulless place (mall kiosk, national jewelry chain, etc.). Each time, I think "well, the last time at Walter's was a fluke" or "that other watch was more complicated, this one is so simple that surely nothing can go wrong". And each time, there's some annoying little problem: the battery stops working after a week, the watch gets a small scratch, they don't reseat the back right, some moisture gets into the watch which causes condensation on the crystal inside every time the weather is just right, etc. They've usually been quite nice to me, even when I've come back to ask them to try again to do something (like reseat the back of the watch), but somehow no repair ever seems "complete"-- we joke now that when watches come back from Walter's, it's like the beginning of a long slow decline (like a fall and broken hip). The last time I went, it was just to have a couple links removed from a band, and it was perfectly fine, but while I was waiting and overhearing the lengthy process with lots of disconcerted mumbling and hunting for tools, I realized that I'll probably never come back again... read more

I strongly believe in supporting local businesses. My Mother has shopped at Walter's for as long as I can remember, and so whenever I've needed anything repaired or resized I bring it to them. I WILL NEVER GO BACK after my last experience. I brought in a few rings for resizing and a pair of large amethyst teardrop earrings, one of which had a broken wire. When I went to pick everything up there was a huge scar along the side of one of the amethysts, it looked like someone had smashed it on concrete with a hammer or something, I have no idea what happened to the stone, but when I showed it to the jeweler he immediately raised his voice and started shouting at me that he does me a favor by fixing my jewelry (which I paid his substantial prices for!) and I thank him by complaining, and there must have been something wrong with the stone when I gave it to him. I've since gone back twice to pick up the damaged earring, but each time he has just cut the stone smaller to hide the damage, which had made it misshapen and not match it's pair. Any price is too much to receive such poor service and treatment. read more

I love this store. After years of Shreve's, my husband discovered this place. I find original pieces at reasonable prices. The owners are great. As for the reviewer who complained about 'locked doors' - I've been mugged once in my life. In Brookline!!! There's nothing wrong with a bit of caution. read more

Like others, I went here for the convenience and to support a local business, despite the negative reviews. I have gotten a watch battery changed and a new watch band put on with no problems. The third time, however, was not the charm. I stopped in to get my watch fixed after work. The face had rotated slightly so it was somewhat annoying to read. The owner told me it would be $15 to fix the dials/posts holding it down, which had likely broken. He didn't have what he needed to do it then so I left it with them overnight. When I picked it up, the owner informed me that he fixed the issue with the face, but my watch did not work and the time could no longer change. I was quite unhappy because other than the rotated face (about 10 degrees?), my watch worked when I dropped it off. It was now set perfectly to 3pm, so he was obviously able to adjust the time when he received it. The owner, however, insisted that the watch must have been broken when I dropped it off. (If that were so, I can't imagine why he wouldn't have mentioned it when the item was dropped off, noting it on the form so there are no questions in a he said/she said situation like this. Needless to say, that didn't happen as it was originally working.) The owner did not charge me anything. I took the watch and left because I am not going to get it fixed at the place that broke it and moreover, refused to even acknowledge they had done so. I was too upset too look closely initially, but my fiance noticed that the watch face was not actually not fixed very well. It is now rotated slightly by a few degrees in the opposite direction. read more

I've got to be honest, some of these reviews really bring out why I can't stand Brookline. I have been going to Walters for years. Nothing but honest and helpful. Sometimes didn't even charge, and when they did, very inexpensive. Definitely a Mom and Pop shop, but very nice. If you want to complain about buzzing a door, or paying $10 for a battery change... get a grip on life. That's a joke. read more

This guys is a crook and he is rude too! He wanted to charge $35 to change the battery. He told that normally it would cost $12 but i have to charge $35 for a water proof test otherwise he cant guarantee that my Tag Heuer will remain waterproof! no thanks. Being dishonest is one thing but being dishonest and rude is much much worse. STAY AWAY. read more

If it were not for the woman that was so nice to me while I was waiting for a couple of links to be removed from my new watch I'd give this place 1 star. I thought I was walking in to a mom & pop shop that I could try out and make my go-to for repairs etc. (their selection of jewelry was unoriginal and dated, or maybe not my style I guess. Anyway, I've never been charged to remove links from a watch. Yes, the guy did it on the spot and it only took 2 mins, but I know people in the business and they all do it as a courtesy. This guy charged me $10. Is business that bad?? I should have waited and gone to a high-end jeweler who would have simply smiled and handed me a business card when I asked him "What do I owe?" read more

i had a good experience, also with my grandmother's wedding ring. she had come to visit and long story short the ring got crunched in my sink's garbage disposal. i brought it here and they bent it back into shape, buffed and shined it for $30. the man working here (walter?) was very much the old russian chelovek, with a classic soviet approach to customer service. i can well imagine we would be a bit rude to someone who wanted to replace the battery in a cheap watch, though this makes no sense from a business standpoint, as he doesn't sell cheap watches so if the customer bought a new one he'd lose their business. but i enjoyed the local color. read more

I went into this store about a year ago with an inexpensive watch ($85) that had a cracked crystal and a piece of vintage costume jewelry. I was hoping they could tell me the cost of replacing the crystal of the watch and repairing the clasp on the necklace. The woman at the counter informed me that the watch was cheap and I should just replace it. Well, yeah, maybe I should, but that's MY decision, and I can make that decision on my own after she tells me how much it would cost to replace it. The necklace was an interesting piece of costume jewelry that my grandmother probably bought in the 50's. It had a ton of rhinestones on it. When I explained to the woman at the counter that the clasp was broken, she took it in her hands, said, "It's not real." and DROPPED it on the glass counter. No s*** it's not real. If the rhinestones were diamonds, it would probably be worth $100k and I wouldn't bring it to a dump like Walter's Jewelers to be fixed. I can't comment on their jewelry or their ability to repair, but their customer service is horrendous. read more

I went to Walter recently to replace three rubies on a vintage tennis bracelet that I have wanted to repair for a long time because I finally had some extra money and wanted to use it for this repair. As he was making the slip, I asked that it identify more specifically what I was leaving. I asked him to put, not only bracelet, but to put rubies, 14k, etc. and I offered the information also what its weight was in grams. I should have taken a cue from his not wanting to do this on his own. Then I also told him that it had a maker's mark but I didn't recognize it, and I wondered if he might. I looked through my own loop to find it to tell him what it was. I was together at the counter with Walter behind it and his wife was behind the counter over to the side at a little table working on something and was not involved with this transaction at all. But then suddenly his wife started to yell at me in an vicious bitter, and disturbed manner and said, "Just take your bracelet and get out!" She said, "You want to look at every little thing, so if you don't want to leave it, just get out!" I thought maybe she was a little bit ill and felt bad for Walter and said to him, "You know that I don't feel that way about you, don't you?" I assumed he would understand that it is very basic that you can't just leave a gold ruby bracelet without documenting it on the receipt and "just trust" him. Plus that, I was talking to him, asking his professional opinion about the maker, and her outburst was completely unjustified and shocking. But he just didn't even answer,and I should have taken THAT cue! I was a fool! He didn't call me when he said he would and so I called him and he just said it was ready. When I picked up the bracelet, I saw immediately that the stones were all completely different in appearance. It was a beautiful well made vintage bracelet with bright red-pink sparkling stones and when I got it back, they were dark and dull and totally changed. I was shocked. I hadn't even thought of that happening. I asked him why they appeared that way, and he said because they cleaned it and that changed the color. I told him several times that it looked like he had replaced all my original stones, not just the missing ones. He only shrugged his shoulders and said very casually without conviction, like it wasn't even a serious problem, "No, no, I didn't." I would report him to the attorney general but they surely would want something very concrete in the way of evidence, like a former written appraisal. Plus one of the stones was so light it was almost yellow pink and it stands out like a glaring error. I am certain he replaced all the stones with low quality ones and kept the old finer ones. You cannot tell which stones were the missing ones, so he could have easily replaced them all. Don't let him do this to you! He should be reported! read more

I brought in a Tag Heuer watch to have the battery replaced. The battery has been replaced twice already, once at Tourneau and another time at some shop on Newbury. I figured they could replace without problem. Dropped it off and picked up the receipt. Half an hour later when I return, Walter nonchalantly tosses the watch on the counter and asks for $35. Upon inspection, I noticed deep scratches on the backplate and bracelet links which were never there before. I asked him if he had a tough time replacing the battery. He didn't respond and instead asked me to return half an hour later. I was so infuriated I just stormed off. He ended up polishing the scratches off, turning the back completely shiny, almost chrome-like. The watch's original finish is brushed steel, but now its chrome and brushed steel. He was completely unapologetic and dishonest. If you damaged something, then fess up. Instead this guy was hoping I wouldn't notice the damage. read more

i had a battery replaced on a tag heuer watch. they are unable to water seal, so there goes the waterproofing the watch. the battery only lasted 6 months. i suggest that if you have an expensive watch get it replaced a reputable shop. walter's is not that place. read more