Hey folks, does anyone have a recommendation for a watchmaker in the Maryland area? In particular, I'm looking to have a vintage Heuer chronograph serviced, in case you know anyone who is good with vintage chronographs. Thanks so much for your help!

 

Can recommend Annandale Watch & Clock.

https://m.facebook.com/389595991116289

Knows his stuff and has always dealt with me very scrupulously in when certain things were worth doing or not.

 

Thanks! I'll check them out. Looks like they are only an hour away from me.

 

Interested in responses here too since Zaf Basha has retired. I’ve heard good things about Maryland Watch Works in Hagerstown but don’t have any personal experience with them. They work on vintage and when I spoke with them on the phone they seemed to know what they were talking about at least in terms of Omega 321/861.

 

Oh cool, I'll check them out too. That's also not terribly far from me.

 

John Alabaster in Vienna, VA too but if it’s a non-chronograph I’d ship it to Justin at tag1000diver.com He does good work at a good price and has a bunch of spare and custom (sapphire lens replacements for mineral glass watches) parts on hand. I’ve had watchmakers tell me they hate the caliber 11 so hopefully that’s not the case for you if it’s a chrono.

 

I’m watching this thread too. The previous threads on this topic are outdated- time for a refresh.

And don’t tell there is something wrong with my future Heuer??

 

Sharing from the wruw thread.

Sorry you have to send it out for service, but it will be good to get this sorted so you can wear it worry free. If you are comfortable shipping it out, I have a very good recommendation I can PM you.

 

How does your brain keep all these things cataloged??

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I think it's a caliber 12 (it's a Viceroy)?

Lol, I'm afraid so. The seller did warn me in no uncertain terms that it was likely due, but I've been living dangerously and wearing it nonetheless. Date wheel has gotten stuck in between days a couple times and it now takes a bit more force to set the time than seems normal. I'm giving it one last hurrah today but then it's probably best to let it chill while I sort out a service.

But, I've needed to find a watchmaker for a couple years now, anyway.

Sure, I'd love a recommendation. I think I'd be ok paying for shipping and insurance for a reliable service.

 

@JwRosenthal did I see in another thread that your watchmaker is having some health troubles. Are you trying to sort out a new watchmaker too?

 

He is. He wrapped up a few that he had been holding on to for a while so I’m getting them back in dribs and drabs. But he does spec work for jewelry stores as well and they always get priority in the little time he is feeling well enough to work on them. I knew this was coming as he’s been winding down for a while, let several of his big clients (stores) go and has been taking longer and longer to get watches back- I just didn’t know why, now I do.
So the hunt is on for a reliable and affordable watchmaker.

 

Well that's a bummer. Sorry to hear that. Sucks to have your career wind down because you aren't healthy enough to keep going.

I have a bit of concern that reliable, affordable, and available may be a tough combo to find, so I'm curious to see where these suggestions take me.

 

I have stopped by Annandale Watch and Clock several times and once brought a couple Omega 565 watches there for an estimate. The owner seems knowledgable and like he would be reliable. He’s very pleasant to speak with. They have an Omega parts account.

I have had most of my services done by 24 Hour Watch and Clock Repair in McLean, and I find the work has always been excellent and reasonably priced for the area.

There is another local service called Timepiece Repair (dot com) who I cannot recommend based on my experiences.

Lastly, I stop by Arlington Watch Works occasionally and have never been made to feel welcome or like I would be valued as a customer, so I haven’t really considered them as an option for servicing. I know other people who have had similar interactions, so hopefully the customer service isn’t just related to me being some sort of jerk.

On another note I feel like I regularly see OF members write advice along the lines of “don’t forget to factor in a service at $200 - $300”, but that doesn’t seem to be our reality in the DMV. I’ve been to any shop I can find, several not listed above, and vintage Omega usually gets quoted $600 and up for a 3 hand movement. Those ongoing costs have made me rethink how I approach collecting and I currently aim to get the number of watches in my collection down to where my annual servicing costs take a smaller bite of my hobby funds. I’ve already got several vintage watches in the service queue and several that were last serviced in 2018 coming due, not to mention a handful of modern watches that aren’t far out from needing a clean, oil, and adjustment. So if anyone knows of watchmakers who are doing quality work that is more affordable than what I’ve outlined above, I’d love to check them out.

Looking forward to input from others as well.

 

I'm feeling this for sure. I've been adding a lot to my collection but have not paused to service anything. The annual cost really adds up if I were to actually want to keep a couple dozen watches in working condition. If I were smart I'd edit down quite a lot...

Thanks so much for the suggestions!

 

The cost issue is a factor for those of us that enjoy the bargain hunting. My watchmaker usually charged around $175 for a 3-hand and $250 for a chrono- just labor of course, parts were additional. He didn’t have parts accounts for any company but had a network of other watchmakers and collectors from whom he could get parts- or he would tell me what was wrong after he tore them apart and would let me bring parts to him if I had better luck sourcing them.

He was a great resource for the bargain watches- he even did my GMT and Speedy without issue (and sourced parts for the GMT). I know he was an anomaly and I told him often he charged too little (his wife agreed) but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
$600 for service (sans parts other than gaskets) on a three hander would absolutely change the way I collect. $300 I could live with if I love the watch.

 

The black dial Geneve I have listed for sale was one of the watches I brought to Annandale for a quote and was told $600 and at least 12 weeks. I couldn’t justify paying nearly as much for the service as I paid for the watch, which is why I decided to (try to) move it on. He didn’t specify if parts would be additional or included in the $600 price. $300 I could totally live with, in fact I’d be quite excited.

 

That's a bummer to hear about AWW. I haven't been in person, but my phone/email interactions seemed very pleasant FWIW. He had said that he has an Omega account as well.

Same experience here with servicing costs in the DMV. A few years ago, 3-hander services were in the $250-300 range several years ago but I've noticed higher rates lately. I was quoted $1000 to service my 861 Speedy by another local shop who advised me to not service it -- I couldn't tell if he was trying to get rid of me (I'm always polite) or just didn't want to do the work.

 

Maybe I’ll give it another go and report back. It’s been years since I’ve struck up a conversation with him, although I do pop in from time to time to quickly peruse the watches he has for sale. The time I did ask him about servicing vintage Omegas, it was just a general inquiry, but he said no date manual wind watches start at $800 plus parts - and that was 5 years ago. It came across like he just wasn’t interested in doing what I was asking about. Maybe the conversation would be different if I brought a watch with me and he thought it was something nice that warranted the effort for preservation.

I really wish he were a good fit, because the shop is very close to me.

 

+1 for Maryland Watch Works. Eugene has always been honest in telling me if it's worth the effort if the cost or scarcity of parts is too great for the specific watch. He did a fantastic job bringing a family heirloom Tissot Seastar back to life after it had sat for nearly 40 years in a sock drawer after it died. IIRC the total cost was $300-$350 parts included. This was back when he was still with his uncle Matthew at The Watch Pocket in Four Corners, Silver Spring before he moved up to Hagerstown to open his place up there.

I would also recommend Matthew at The Watch Pocket for the same quality and ethics. He's serviced an old Waltham I snagged off the bargain thread for my lady, again, fantastic work and estimate was around $250-$300 and I believe it came in a bit less than the low end. Another one I took to him, he just raised an eyebrow and said something to the effect of "this is a hundred dollar watch, and after service will be worth maybe $106...parts are scarce, so it'll take a long time to get them, if we're lucky, and estimated cost to service is about $300-$500 depending on parts cost...are you really sure you want to do this?"

I'd recommend both Eugene and Matthew as they are from a three generation watchmaking family and have always been very honest and knowledgeable when I've worked with them.

Edit: Mind you, all mine have been three handers, I'm sure their estimates for watches with more complications will be higher than noted above, that said, they do always seem to give a solid honest ballpark and have hit their target each time.