Perhaps a long shot, but wanted to see if anyone can recommend a good watch shop/person in Vancouver, BC. For now I dont have much that needs to be done, just bracelet adjustment on Omega that came in today. Would like to start building a relationship however, so that when time does come for other watches and work, I will have someone that knows me and whose work I trust.

I heard few people recommend Time & Gold, who are actually 15 min walk from me, but t seems that they got some mixed reviews lately.

Thanks for the help.

 

Otto Friedl. Otto is now deceased, but as I understand it, his daughter and son in law now have the business. I don't know whether things are still the same, but they do (or have done) watch repairs for a Brinkhaus.

 

Good to know. Otto was one of the places I was looking into. Thanks

 

100% agree with Canuck go to Otto Friedl in the lower floor of the Hotel Vancouver. They still do repair work and are very friendly. The staff at the Vancouver Omega Boutique have recommended them for my vintage pieces.

 

http://www.nesbitswatchservice.com/
Seattle. I have heard good things about them.

 

Was reading some reviews and it seems like whoever is now owner of Otto isnt doing as good of a job. Several reviewers mentioned that they act like jackasses if you dont look like a millionaire. Some said they didnt want to replace the crown on a rolex unless owner got full service from them. These reviews are all from this year. Of course, it is usually bad reviews that are posted, and good are rarely seen.

Another place I heard of that did get good reviews is Roldorf & Co (used to be called The Jewellery and Watch Repair Station). There arent many reviews, but all were great, and were within last 4 months (doesnt seem like they are bogus reviews). Jason, who is their managing director and horologist there, apparently is highly trained - British Horological Institute and the first graduating WOSTEP class. Classmates include Speake-Marin. Now to me this doesnt mean much, and I have no idea who Speake-Marin is, but was thinking about stopping by on Friday. They are in Bentall Center, so close to Otto.

If someone can fill in about who the person above is, and about the class, it would be appreciated.

 

I was considering Seattle as well, as I heard a lot of people recommend that place. I wouldnt mind going there for some major work, but just for small stuff, I would rather keep it local. Seattle is close to 200km one way, so quite a drive for minor things.

 

I was thinking in terms of mailing your watch for repair, if needed.

 

That made too much sense to think of lol :S

 

Why not Al? He's located in Canada.

 

Peter Speake-Marin is a UK watchmaker now based in Switzerland. Here are some examples of his work...





This dial is by Kees Englebarts - they had worked on some watches together at the time...





I can't say his pieces are my style at all, but having seen them in person they are very well done. Peter is also a very nice guy. There is a whole world of watches outside the major brands that many/most are not aware of.

Can't say that being his classmate is any kind of endorsement though...

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks for sharing that info. Some interesting watches, but not my style for sure. I have to say that I agree about being classmates with someone isnt really that big of a deal. How many people were classmates with some extremely smart people, but no one has ever heard of them cause they never did anything at all.

In regards to shipping watch somewhere. Makes sens to certain degree to me. I believe in trying to support local guy, as long as they are good and know what they are doing. i would go as far as saying that I would even pay a bit more locally, as I do have face to face conversation, and can walk in any day when I need to. Of course that all goes down the drain if local shops are crap and/or a lot more expensive. I will take my dad's old seamaster to the 2 shops mentioned. It does need service, so will see what each of them says, how they react and what price they quote me for work.

 

Have you tried adjusting the bracelet yourself? I found that adjusting the screw in bracelets is really easy. I've done it with both of my aqua terra models. I would skip going to a watch shop if I were you. Save yourself the time and money.

 

I was thinking about doing that, but never tried it before. One of the reasons I thought about going the shop route is so that I can scope the place and people out, maybe talk to few and see how they are. I think it would be good to have some sort of previous contact and face to face convo so when time does come for bigger service, that is already all done. Maybe my thought process is wrong, but I think that if watch shop knows of you already, and you dealt with them before for small things, you brought them business and so on, they would possibly provide a bit better service since you are return customer, and not just some random person coming in for the 1st time. Also, by talking to people there it would give me the idea of how they operate and interact with customers, possibly their knowledge and how they run their shop in general. If I was to bring in a watch just to get bracelet adjusted, and they said only way they do it is if I get full service (which is pricey as you are aware most likely) I would probably never come back there again. If they tried to charge me arm and a leg for that adjustment, I would most likely not come back again.

 

For sure. I think if you want to network and find a great shop then you are right, bringing in a bracelet for a simple resizing would be a good way to get you foot in the door. Sounds like a good plan. I'm just trying to help you get that beautiful blue Aqua Terra on your wrist sooner! I don't know how you have had the patience to not wear it yet!

 

haha, yeah I had to learn to be patient for a lot of other things, so I guess you can say I have years of practice. It was also my dad's 60th yesterday so rest of the family bought him a nice Seamaster 168.022. With that in mind, i didnt want to sort of overshadow him, so I am still keeping AT in the box till this friday. On friday i will go and get it resized as shops only work till 5, and I dont get off work till 5 most days.

 

Off topic but while we're talking about Vancouver watch shops...

Has anyone been to the new Rolex store on Alberni St in the Shangri La tower? I went there on Saturday night with my wife. Impressive collection on display. One of the staff mentioned that it's the largest Rolex store in North America.

 

The omega boutique in the Hotel Vancouver can adjust the bracelet for you. Probably while you wait. You can also go downstairs to Otto Friedl. They are great and have quite a selection of vintage pieces for sale. You can try Time and Gold but they can be REALLY expensive for service and they love to polish watches. The German Watchmaker in Yaletown is also quite good. Service while you wait and he's a decent guy to deal with (cash only)
I have dealt with all 4 and would go back to each for different things but Otto Friedl is where I spend most of my time and money.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Canada's a big place. I believe Al is about 2000km from Vancouver.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yeah that makes sense. Definitely don't want to upstage Dad, good call! It will be worth the wait. That's a great watch.