Good Watchmaker In Chicago?

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Title says it all. Who do people recommend for service in the City or North Suburbs?
 
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I've seen many threads on this topic, so a search could yield some good results.

 
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Would also be interested to hear if anyone has a recommended watchmaker ~2022.
 
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My go to is MJ Watch Service in Glenview. They service all brands, all eras including Omega. They are fairly priced and stand behind their work. No BS. Great parts network and understand the collector community. I’m guessing they have serviced 15-20 watches for me over the years from my wife’s Ebel quartz to my Chronographs and three handers from UG, Longines, Eterna, Ardath, Mido and vintage Rolex (Sadly they lost their parts account when Rolex cut back). I’ve confirmed that they have an Omega parts account and have a few on deck to go in for service.
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I live in the suburbs of Chicago so I would be interested to know too.
 
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M meglos
I live in the suburbs of Chicago so I would be interested to know too.
MJ Is in Glenview….
 
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I've used Cornerstone Service in Gurnee for servicing an Omega Cosmic, a Universal Geneve that he was able to source a set bridge for, and my Seiko flyback chrono. I've been very pleased with the work and the prices. Facebook page has a lot more content than the website.
 
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I've used Cornerstone Service in Gurnee for servicing an Omega Cosmic, a Universal Geneve that he was able to source a set bridge for, and my Seiko flyback chrono. I've been very pleased with the work and the prices. Facebook page has a lot more content than the website.
I had bad experience with multiple watches, none were completed how I asked. One relume just got plain paint and another was a gross mismatch in color. A pocket watch ran worse after service than before. I wouldn't go back there on a bet.
 
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Forgotten Times in Arlington Heights. I never actually had anything serviced there but they took the time to chat with me on a few watches I brought in for them to look at. They did fix a loose stem on one of my vintage Bulovas for free right there.
 
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Rolf Klotz, Klotz Watches, Wauwatosa WI.
https://www.klotzwatches.com/
He told me he worked for Omega in the past.
I have struggled to find a watchmaker in the Chicago area. So difficult to judge by just the online reviews. (Having seen the same bad review from the same reviewer on multiple business sites, I am never sure what to believe.)

Rolf is an interesting character who moves at his own pace. If you are in a hurry he is probably not your guy.
He overhauled and replaced the crystal in my inherited Seamaster. Overhauled, replaced the crystal and repaired the bezel in my, purchased new in 1987, Tag Heuer (Heuer would no longer repair) that I have blown the seals on diving and have beaten to death and have now passed on to one of my sons in perfect working order. Has also done repairs on a few Seikos for me.
It takes a while sometimes, he is always very busy, so call ahead, even if he gave you a pick up date, but I feel like he is trustworthy.
 
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Forgotten Times in Arlington Heights. I never actually had anything serviced there but they took the time to chat with me on a few watches I brought in for them to look at. They did fix a loose stem on one of my vintage Bulovas for free right there.

I had a bad experience with Forgotten Times in Arlington Heights. After no response to my initial email I took a 1960's Jules Jurgensen dress watch (time and date only, no major complications.) in that was running 2.5 minutes fast per day.

I told the man behind the counter i wanted a basic cleaning, to have it adjusted to keep better time and that I only occasionally wore it. The employee at the counter took the watch to someone in the back and returned to tell me it would cost $695. I said that was significantly more than I expected and politely thanked him for his time.

Also when I was in the store I asked if they had any used Omegas. The guy behind the counter said they did and it was $1,000 even though it had no price tag. He handed it to me and it was an obvious redial, no Omega crown, case back was unsigned, and it wasn't a model familiar to me. Never even seen any similar model.

A few days later I received the following email reply, last names removed for privacy.

"
Hello Mr. XXXX,

I’m sorry that I didn’t have the time to speak to you directly while you were at my shop on Saturday.
Your Jules Jurgensen watch looks to be in above average condition for its age. My estimate is that the watch was made in the late 60’s to early 70’s.
As you were told on Saturday, the cost to do a complete service of this type of watch is $695, however, depending on how you want to use the watch, we can do a partial cleaning which will address just the critical service points of the watch and will greatly improve its timekeeping and would cost $195.
I don’t recommend this type of partial service if the watch is to be worn everyday, but this would be fine if it is to be worn once or twice a week at the most.
Thank you for visiting my shop and let me know if you have any further questions.

Kind regards,
Joe XXXXXXXXXX
"
There was no mention of the $195 option while I was in the store. It felt like they were trying to see how much I would pay and when I didn't go for it they followed up by quoting me a more reasonable price.

All of the above concerns (high initial price quote, questionable "Omega" watch with no price tag, and more reasonable revised price in an email after I left) made me very uncomfortable. Nothing definitively "wrong" but enough bad vibes to just walk away and never go back.
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M meglos
I had a bad experience with Forgotten Times in Arlington Heights. After no response to my initial email I took a 1960's Jules Jurgensen dress watch (time and date only, no major complications.) in that was running 2.5 minutes fast per day.

I told the man behind the counter i wanted a basic cleaning, to have it adjusted to keep better time and that I only occasionally wore it. The employee at the counter took the watch to someone in the back and returned to tell me it would cost $695. I said that was significantly more than I expected and politely thanked him for his time.

Also when I was in the store I asked if they had any used Omegas. The guy behind the counter said they did and it was $1,000 even though it had no price tag. He handed it to me and it was an obvious redial, no Omega crown, case back was unsigned, and it wasn't a model familiar to me. Never even seen any similar model.

A few days later I received the following email reply, last names removed for privacy.

"
Hello Mr. XXXX,

I’m sorry that I didn’t have the time to speak to you directly while you were at my shop on Saturday.
Your Jules Jurgensen watch looks to be in above average condition for its age. My estimate is that the watch was made in the late 60’s to early 70’s.
As you were told on Saturday, the cost to do a complete service of this type of watch is $695, however, depending on how you want to use the watch, we can do a partial cleaning which will address just the critical service points of the watch and will greatly improve its timekeeping and would cost $195.
I don’t recommend this type of partial service if the watch is to be worn everyday, but this would be fine if it is to be worn once or twice a week at the most.
Thank you for visiting my shop and let me know if you have any further questions.

Kind regards,
Joe XXXXXXXXXX
"
There was no mention of the $195 option while I was in the store. It felt like they were trying to see how much I would pay and when I didn't go for it they followed up by quoting me a more reasonable price.

All of the above concerns (high initial price quote, questionable "Omega" watch with no price tag, and more reasonable revised price in an email after I left) made me very uncomfortable. Nothing definitively "wrong" but enough bad vibes to just walk away and never go back.
I kinda view them as a clock repair place. I’d never think to bring a watch there.
 
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M meglos
I had a bad experience with Forgotten Times in Arlington Heights. After no response to my initial email I took a 1960's Jules Jurgensen dress watch (time and date only, no major complications.) in that was running 2.5 minutes fast per day.

I told the man behind the counter i wanted a basic cleaning, to have it adjusted to keep better time and that I only occasionally wore it. The employee at the counter took the watch to someone in the back and returned to tell me it would cost $695. I said that was significantly more than I expected and politely thanked him for his time.

Also when I was in the store I asked if they had any used Omegas. The guy behind the counter said they did and it was $1,000 even though it had no price tag. He handed it to me and it was an obvious redial, no Omega crown, case back was unsigned, and it wasn't a model familiar to me. Never even seen any similar model.

A few days later I received the following email reply, last names removed for privacy.

"
Hello Mr. XXXX,

I’m sorry that I didn’t have the time to speak to you directly while you were at my shop on Saturday.
Your Jules Jurgensen watch looks to be in above average condition for its age. My estimate is that the watch was made in the late 60’s to early 70’s.
As you were told on Saturday, the cost to do a complete service of this type of watch is $695, however, depending on how you want to use the watch, we can do a partial cleaning which will address just the critical service points of the watch and will greatly improve its timekeeping and would cost $195.
I don’t recommend this type of partial service if the watch is to be worn everyday, but this would be fine if it is to be worn once or twice a week at the most.
Thank you for visiting my shop and let me know if you have any further questions.

Kind regards,
Joe XXXXXXXXXX
"
There was no mention of the $195 option while I was in the store. It felt like they were trying to see how much I would pay and when I didn't go for it they followed up by quoting me a more reasonable price.

All of the above concerns (high initial price quote, questionable "Omega" watch with no price tag, and more reasonable revised price in an email after I left) made me very uncomfortable. Nothing definitively "wrong" but enough bad vibes to just walk away and never go back.

good to know. That’s a shame since they are so close to me. However I’ve honestly never been back since my visit.
 
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I kinda view them as a clock repair place. I’d never think to bring a watch there.
Certainly more of a clock repair place too. Another important point.
 
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The reasons folks are reluctant to recommend watchmakers are twofold, concern over overloading a precious resource, feeling responsible if there is an issue. I have enough history with MJ to feel comfortable with a recommendation.
 
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I've used Cornerstone Service in Gurnee for servicing an Omega Cosmic, a Universal Geneve that he was able to source a set bridge for, and my Seiko flyback chrono. I've been very pleased with the work and the prices. Facebook page has a lot more content than the website.
I've used them as well with good results.