Total Watch Repair

After accidentally yanking the stem out of my old Seiko diver watch, I looked for a local repair service with reasonable prices, to no avail. So I emailed Total Watch Repair for an estimate and was told the cost would be $ 39 – 59, which I thought was reasonable. I packed up the watch along with a note (asking if they could adjust it so it no longer gains a few minutes per week) and off it went across the country to Encino.
A while later I got an email: my watch would need a complete overhaul. total cost $ 269. I was shocked — this is a watch that worked just fine (except for gaining a few minutes a week) until I yanked the stem out. (It even still worked fine without its stem, actually, but I needed to be able to set the time.)
I can’t afford to throw $ 269 into a watch, and wrote to tell TWR that. they very kindly offered a discount, and installment payments, but after thinking about it for a while, I decided not to have the work done so I wrote back and asked them to just do the stem repair, not the overhaul, or send the watch back if they couldn’t comply. Well, they wrote back, it turned out that they had gone ahead and done the overhaul and repair already. so they offered to let me pay for just the stem repair and return shipping ($ 65 total) and they would «eat the cost of the overhaul». Wow, lucky for me…
So I paid and they shipped the watch back. but… the new stem doesn’t feel like it fits properly. The original one was easy to manipulate, and setting the time was very easy; the new one requires a lot of force to pull out, and lots of finger-​torque to move the watch’s hands — the new stem feels like it’s going to break every time I try to use it.
But I really have to wonder about the overhaul that it supposedly needed (and which was supposedly performed): the darned thing still gains a few minutes per week. (Wouldn’t that have been addressed if it had really been «overhauled»?? I received a little piece of paper documenting the results of a water-​tightness test, but where is the result of the timekeeping test — isn’t the number-​one purpose of a watch to keep somewhat accurate time?)
Now I have to agree with other reviewers — their customer service manager, Nicole, was especially nice to deal with, and she certainly appeared to go out of her way to help me out. But I’m still suspicious of this «overhaul» business — they never really answered my questions about why an overhaul was deemed necessary, and I’m very dubious that it was actually done. And I’m worried that the stem is going to break and the repair is going to wind up having to be redone. [err. «wind up». pun accidental.]
It’s always a leap of faith to turn over a complex item to an expert for repair; unless you’re an expert yourself, you wind up having to take someone’s word that your computer really does need a new motherboard or your watch needs an overhaul. But at least when you use a local shop, you can look the mechanic in the eye when he or she breaks the expensive news to you. a shop which performs mail-​order repairs needs to understand the importance and the challenges of establishing a level of trust with remote customers. Nice folks and thoughtful customer service are certainly appreciated, but competence and honesty are more important; for this vendor I experienced the former but have good reason to be skeptical about the latter.

This is a review for the mail-​in repair service of Total Watch Repair (TWR).
An older Bulova watch of mine needed the crystal replaced, and after getting some quotes both locally and from other online businesses, I settled on TWR.
After using their online contact form, I received an estimate within 24 hours, which included the price of the repair in addition to some optional services. As my watch had a number of noticeable nicks and scratches along the band, I decided to get the optional polish + buff service as well.
To be honest, I was fairly skeptical of how effective the polish + buff would be and with this added service the total did double my initial estimate, but I decided to chance it since the watch did hold some sentimental value and definitely could use a little extra shine.
The estimated turnaround time was listed as between 2 – 4 weeks or so, but I was pleasantly surprised when I received a Quickbooks invoice within one week of my watch arriving to TWR which notified me that my Bulova was repaired and ready to be shipped once payment was made.
After a few days, I received the watch via UPS Ground Shipping and I am thrilled with the results. The replaced crystal is brand new and to my surprise, TWR managed to buff out nearly all the surface imperfections and scratches the watch had accumulated over the past 12+ years. Sure, you can see little remnants of marks here and there if you look carefully, but at a glance, the watch looks sleek and brand new.
Though they specialize in repair and maintenance of high-​end watches, I was happy to see that TWR did not hesitate to take care of my humble timepiece with expertise and efficiency.
They also included some coupons with my watch so I will definitely keep them handy in case any friends or family need their watches repaired.

I sent TWR my 8 year old Michele watch for a full service and to replace the crystal, battery and crown. What I got back looks like a brand new watch! I was nervous about sending my watch across the country (from NY), but TWR emailed me when they received my watch so I knew it got there safe and sound! They contacted me every step of the way to make sure that they were doing everything I wanted at the price they quoted. They did not do a thing without getting my express permission first. When the work was completed, my watch was sent back to me via 2 day UPS with tracking so I knew exactly when it was delivered back to my house. TWR’s customer service is nothing short of incredible. If you are looking for a trustworthy place to put some love into your timepiece, please check out TWR. I chose TWR over many places in the NYC Diamond District and the Michele service center in Texas and do not regret it.

The only certified repair center for Skagen is in Dallas, TX, which did us no good for a simple battery replacement. But we also wanted the watch to be tested for water resistance after the replacement. Nicole was wonderful. Her patience and customer service very much appreciated. And their watch technicians work on all manner of high-​end watches, so with years of experience and an apparent large online following, their expertise is proven. In and out in less than 10 minutes. Very reasonable prices ($ 18 for battery and water pressure test). Expeditious, professional, reliable, and with top-​notch customer service. This is how all businesses should be run. Thank you Total Watch Repair!

$ 7. Five Minutes. You can’t beat that for replacing your watch battery. They also have a real live human watch repairman who works on high-​end watches, so you know he can replace the battery on whatever you have!
What’s more, Nicole couldn’t have been more charming or helpful.
And – just upstairs, they also have what’s probably the largest collection of watch bands in all of Los Angeles.
I got a hard-​to-​find super-​high-​quality mesh bracelet for under $ 30, and they even gave me $ 5 off.
So bring in all your watches, because for $ 7 each, you can get a new battery, and with the money you saved you can buy a beautiful new band, too!

All around the most professional, reliable, and trustworthy watch shop around. Please don’t waste your time going anywhere else. 5 stars everyday!!!

I took my Philippe Stark watch in for a replacement battery. They replaced the battery within minutes and gave me a chance to check out one of their Invicta watches while chatting with Nicole — who is an absolute doll. Great service + friendly people = happy customer. In the immortal words of Arnold — «I’ll be back.»

Great people; excellent selection of watchbands; will come back for other needs

I recently dusted off an old watch I hadn’t worn in years because of a worn-​out wrist band.
I just happened to be driving by Total Watch Repair and popped in.
Very friendly and helpful young ladies welcomed me and offered to help.
They introduced me to the owner Dan. He quickly found me a reasonably priced leather wristband. He admired my watch and said it would look even better cleaned-​up. «How much?» I asked. ‘No charge.” He replied. After I expressed concern about how well it keeps time, he had his watchmaker do a free assessment of the jewel movement. He did all this in 15 minutes! I have another watch I’m going to dig out now and bring in.
Dan told me he has a large internet following and does the bulk of his business online. And he still treats a walk-​in with such courtesy and respect. Wow! You don’t find places like this much anymore.

LOOK NO FURTHER! Great, fast service at the best price! I needed a new battery for an old watch. I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. And by checking in on Unilocal I received a free battery with service. Battery = $ 6.99; Service = Free; Cost to me = $ 0. I will definitely be back… for a different watch of course ;)

Great source for affordable Citizen watch bands. Prompt shipping. Recommended watch repair business.

fantastic customer service, I bothered the customer service representative Michael several times with questions, etc. The band I ordered ROCKS, took me a long time to find a band this great, very please with this company, highly recommend.

Thy are Really nice people very fast service very reasonable price and very professional!
I’m Very happy with the results and I’m highly recommended to use their service.
Shay
08/​11/​2015

If you live in the San Fernando Valley and are in need of a watch repair, this is the place to go. The prices are very very reasonable. In my opinion it’s how prices for watch repair should be. I’ve been to other watch repair stores in the valley that just boggle my mind with their ridiculous over priced services. I just recently took a Michael Kors watch to get links removed for my girlfriend. Was pleased wit the pricing and speed of service. I was in and out in 10 minutes. I’m about to go back and bring in my own watch that needs repair as well. Service here was excellent. Not to mention the employee was beautiful so that’s always a plus. Definitely highly recommend this store to anyone :)

I came in to replace a battery and left with a smile from ear to ear. The service from the beautiful lady named Nadine was superb and the timeliness of the ye j who replaced the battery was beyond my expectation. If you need anything watch related, give these folks a shot.

So happy We found TWR in an internet search. Fast, Timely & Great Guest Service. Nicole & Staff answered our questions & made sure we were informed of the work being performed. They even sent back the parts that were replaced.
I hope We never need to have a watch repair again, but if We do, We will only use TWR.

We found TWR online & will now have any further repairs, though We hope don’t need any, only done through TWR. Nicole & staff were fast, courteous & Very helpful in understanding what was being performed.
We were happy with price & turnaround time. We like them.

I recently had my watch repaired by
. The watch once again has moisture under the bezel and I have only had the watch back in my possession for a week (this is part of the reason I wants it rebuilt). I contacted customer service and the watch will be serviced and fixed under the warranty. I appreciate the fact that the company stands by the work that they perform

I brought in several watches to get the batteries replaced, the prices were great and the service was even better. I would definitely recommend them. Nice guy named Don helped me, I think he is the owner

«Took my tag watch in for a battery and water test, prices were very reasonable and they even polished it for free. Great service and honest people! They made me feel at home.