Recommendations for vintage Omega watch repairer, United States

140dave

For the Bay Area that’s around par for pricing. May be a tad high for that movement, (I would have guessed $550) but not much and again it’s in range for SF from my experience. And yes, independents usually charge a flat service charge plus additional parts costs as needed.

And, rare that they open it and spot the trouble right off the bat.

I don’t have a go-to locally. I’ve used a couple but no one I’d go out of my way to recommend. Use the advance search function here on the forum, more than a couple of threads exist on Bay Area watchmakers.

Dan S

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of threads on this topic. I recommend using the search function. You can also try searching threads for keywords indicating that someone lives in your area and then contacting them directly, if you are looking for a local repair shop. Many people are reluctant to post the contact info of their trusted watchmaker on a searchable forum, where they can't vet the people who might contact the watchmaker using them as a referral. For that same reason, I'd suggest joining a local watch enthusiasts group and asking for firsthand recommendations in person.

It's nice that they gave you a rough idea of cost so you can decide if it makes sense for you. In my experience, that's a pretty high number for a basic service of an uncomplicated watch with no parts or repairs needed. And refusing to open it for insurance reasons sounds ridiculous to me, I've never encountered that. Most likely you contacted a big shop with high overhead, which is not the type of watchmaker I use.

However, if it's a one-off job, you'll need to decide how much energy you want to invest in saving a few hundred dollars. If you were having 10 watches serviced each year, that's a different story.