Gruno’s Diamonds

I have found my new go-​to place for all things watch and jewelry: Gruno’s Diamonds. Their people and service are wonderful.
First, the back story:
A month ago, I took my Seiko Perpetual Calendar wristwatch to Dykman’s to get the battery replaced and the calendar reset. Dykman’s had my watch for a week or so, and charged me approximately $ 60. After leaving their shop I noticed the calendar was out of sync. (Perpetual calendar functions are tricky to set, and require tools I don’t have, so I brought it right back to Dykman’s.) The woman at Dykman’s apologized, and kept it for another week. She said there would be no additional charge, because it should have been done the first time.
When I came to pick it up again, I checked the date before leaving their store. I immediately saw the date was still wrong. I showed the woman, who looked irritated. She took the watch into the back room (I presume to where the repair person was). She came back out 30 seconds later, handed me the watch, and said the repair person followed Seiko’s specs to the letter, so the watch must be broken. (No refund was offered, and I didn’t ask for one.)
Frankly, my confidence in Dykman’s was severely damaged so when I drove by Gruno’s this morning, I figured I’d get a second opinion. Brian and the rest of the folks at Gruno’s were a breath of fresh air!
Gruno’s watch smith (who previously was an instructor at Rolex!) opened up my Seiko and immediately recognized the problem: the person who had changed the battery had inadvertently damaged the circuit board with his/​her tweezers. (Evidently this is a common mistake, and he has seen it frequently.)
The bad news is if I want this fixed, I’ll need to send the watch to Seiko, and it will cost as much as $ 300. As you might imagine, I’m a little upset that I took a watch that was working perfectly to Dykman’s for a new battery, paid them $ 60, and received this expensive headache.
The silver lining to this experience is that I’ve found a shop that is trustworthy and competent: Gruno’s. The folks there are very kind; they didn’t even charge me for opening the watch, identifying the issue, and cleaning he inside thoroughly. (I probably shouldn’t have been surprised that Dykman’s didn’t even blow the dust out.)
TL;DR summary: Gruno’s Diamonds is outstanding. They have a new fan and customer in me, because of their skill, attitude, and professionalism!

Had my watch serviced at Gruno’s. I of course had delayed taking my watch for service, and they were kind enough to write a letter on my behalf to get it in under warranty (three weeks past the expiration). Not only did they go to bat for me as a new customer, they were a wealth of knowledge about the watch. When I went to pick it up after servicing, I spent at least 90 minutes talking with Jacob, Susan, and Brian about anything and everything. It was a pleasure! They took the time to get to know me and learn more about me as a customer. They’re an incredibly friendly bunch who are working hard to build a solid customer base in Madison. I happily recommend them to anyone looking for a local jeweler.

My wife was looking at jewelry. I was looking at watches. We both found lots to love at Gruno’s.
As a watch geek, I wouldn’t think of going anywhere else in Madison. Jacob is an incredibly meticulous Rolex-​certified watchmaker, fellow watch-​geek, and all-​around nice guy. Laurel, Brian, and Susan chatted with my wife at length about ideas for a custom piece of jewelry. Everyone we spoke with was top-​notch, striving to understand their potential customers without ever seeming pushy. Great selection, wonderful staff, no complaints. I would highly recommend anyone seeking jewelry or watches pay them a visit!