Ben Bridge Jeweler

Today I went to check out a new ROLEX Yacht Master that has been on my radar since the beginning of 2016. I was greeted by JUDI HOPKA, a lovely, professional, who was very helpful in providing me with a comprehensive summary of all the benefits/​highlights of this fine ROLEX watch. JUDI was also pro-​active in pre-​fitting the watch with the assistance of BRIAN the watchmaker, so I could feel confident the watch would fit properly on my small wrist. If and when I decide to make a purchase of this watch or possibly another ROLEX model, I will request JUDI complete the transaction. Also, the overall BB staff was very friendly along with Linda the manager.

First of let me preface that my first experience here would have easily been five stars but it’s the follow up visits that brought it down several notches.
For the positives; the turn around and location as far as convenience goes is stellar. The pricing isn’t horrendous given the market and could be a game changer if they get a new manager.
Visit one was to tighten stones on my fiances engagement ring and get a quote for a wedding band. Things went well and we had seriously thought about using them to have a band fabricated given the unique nature of her ring.
Visit two; five days after getting the ring back from tightening we lost a stone. At this point she had been wearing it for six months so we chalked up to coincidence. We sent the ring in for repair and received it back two weeks later. They had recoated the metal which destroyed the engraving not communicating that that was a possibility.
Visit three after wearing less than a day after we lost the same stone we brought it in for. Also chalking up to coincidence they assured us it would be fixed perfectly as well as replace the engraving we lost the first round. We received the ring back fixed and again a few hours later lost the same exact stone.
At this point we brought it to another jeweler who has fixed the stone, tightened 9 additional stones (apparently they did nothing the first time?) and it has held up perfectly for several weeks now.
Definitely wouldn’t have written this if the manager wasn’t such a cold hearted nasty piece of work. Don’t bring your jewelry here ever there are tons of other options in UTC that will actually take care of you.

This 5 star rating is for Brian the watchmaker at the UTC location of Ben Bridge. Brain is extremely good at what he does and he is a great guy. Read my story below.
I purchased a nice Raymond Weil watch online and needed the wrist band sized.
I looked up RW dealers and saw Ben Bridge and Jared listed.
Unfortunately when I called Ben Bridge, the sales lady said it cost $ 20 per link for sizing if I did not buy the watch from them and the watch maker left at 5:30 on week days. I estimated I need 4 to 6 links removed, So I took it to Jareds gallery of jewelry in Mission hills that night. The Jared employee (watch maker?) tried but was unable to get the pins out stating she did have tool needed to do the job. She did want to risk damaging the watch, although later when I took a close look at the watch at home it looked like she already mangled one of the screw heads a little.
The next morning I took the watch to the repair shop in Clairemont Mesa Jared recommended. The repair shop watchmaker tried but also failed. He was really nice and actually ended up breaking a couple of his expensive screw drivers and spending a lot of time. He said these higher end watches have the pins glued in to ensure they never came loose. He even tried to soften the glue with some type of solvent. But After trying for a few hours he called me to say he only got one pin out and had 4 to go. He said he could not do the job and would have to give back the watch at no charge. He suggested I send it back to Raymond Weil for sizing, but said it would be difficult as they are in NY and Sizing could take a couple of tries.
I was ready send the watch back for a refund not wanting to subject it to any more chances of damage. But the seller suggested taking it to Ben Bridge as they are an authorized Raymond Weil dealer. As a last ditch effort I decided to call Ben Bridge Again, but this time To talk directly with the watchmaker so I could tell him the situation and get his expert opinion. Thankfully I talked their watchmaker Brian, who not only told me he was confident he could get the sizing done, but informed me the charge was only $ 20 for the whole job, not $ 20 per link as the sales lady misqouted me earlier. I took the watch in to Brian and he said to give him an hour. He called me back after 15 minutes and said he was done! He had originally thought he may have to steam heat the band to soften the glue, but using a special torque screw driver and got the screws right out. Not only did he do a great job, he did charge me anything! He said to consider a good will complimentary service. I highly recommend him and told him Ben Bridge just got a new long term customer.

I called ahead to the UTC store to inquire about help. I needed to know what sort of old jewelry I had inherited in a box of real gems mixed with costume/​paste. The gal (a Vietnamese name that sounded like Julian, maybe Ju Yen?) was incredibly friendly and helpful. When I got to the store and asked for her, she was very accommodating; she took a lot of time to go thru each piece with me and explain what she was seeing. She also helped me price a new clasp. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

I bought my wedding ring at Ben Bridge 2 years ago, yesterday I stop by because I notice that my diamonds were loose and when I bought it they said I would have a warranty for life and it’s not true. She said I had to purchase that at the time I get the ring or go to the store every six months to check the ring. No one ever told me any of that before!!! Now all the diamonds of my ring are loose, who knows why and who know how much it would be to repair it! I wish I knew that before I would never purchase my wedding ring there!

Excellent service! I was looking for an anniversary present for my wife, and I found what I was looking for for a good price.

Brian the watchmaker again performed flawlessly repairing my Hamilton and adjusting the band on my Luminox. Andrea is the person to see for help. Thanks BB.

Great customer service! Russell helped my husband and I pick out fabulous new rings for our 20^th anniversary. He took lots of time and got us exactly what we wanted!

Brian was awesome. I was short on time trying to get my watch resized during my lunch break and he was able to fit it perfectly in about a minute. I was impressed by this because the last time I got a watch resized it took over about 10 minutes. Very friendly staff and great selection. I will definitely be coming here to purchase my next watch.

Great selection — poor customer service. Manager indifferent to mis-​tagged/​priced items. We’ll be calling corporate headquarters to report both sales person and store manager.
Bought Rolex there last year and when engraving was mis-​spelled, they suggested squeezing in an ‘s’ rather than rectifying mistake. I took watch to another Ben Bridge and they were horrified by shoddy work and unprofessionalism. My fault in making a return visit.

I just want to say that this is an amazing place!!! I have had the best service ever and truly recommend Kim Yeo who went above and beyond too make my experience awesome! If you need anything please go to Ben Bridge and ask for her!!! Kim Yeo rocks and will make your experience beyond wonderful!!!
Thank you for your amazing service!!! Much appreciated!!!

My Fiancé and I stopped in to get my new Tag watch sized and Andrea couldn’t have been more helpful and polite. She made our experience that much better and we will definitely be going back again in the future for all of our watch purchases.
Their Watchmaker, Brian did a fantastic job with my timepiece and I couldn’t be more pleased with their services.
Thanks again Ben Bridge!

I have been here several times now as I was looking for a Fathers Day gift for my husband. I had a last minute bright idea to get my husband’s old watch, that used to be his father’s, restored. The woman who helped me on my first visit and took the watch to be sent out for an estimate was very nice and explained the process. I learned that since it had to be sent out for an estimate and then repaired before being sent back, that I would likely not get it in time for Fathers Day. Although that put a damper on my husband’s surprise, I decided to go ahead and see what would happen. I then had most of my interactions with their watchmaker, Brian, who was really nice and helpful. When I wasn’t sure about certain recommended repairs/​restorations, because of the cost, he tried to offer some other helpful suggestions and solutions for me to try. I did look into his suggestions and ultimately opted to go ahead with the repairs at Ben Bridge but felt happy knowing I had at least looked around. We got the watch back a few weeks after Fathers Day and although it was late, it was worth the wait. The almost 30 year old watch looks brand new and can now be an heirloom passed down from father to son. Overall, great service and great products. Thank you Brian and Ben Bridge!

So first of all I want to thank Andrea for all of her hard work and for being so kind and wonderful throughout the process of getting my custom engagement and wedding rings.
My husband, Travis, and I had been looking at rings at various jewelry stores for over 6 months. We were getting married in a little less than 3 months… I know usually the engagement ring comes at the beginning of an engagement, but we were eloping and it turned into a very small, planned, wedding.
Anyway, we walked into BB and were courteously greeted by Andrea. She offered us coffee/​water, gave us space to browse, was happy to bring out various rings for me to try on, and super knowledgeable about the various ring makers and settings.
We saw a ring we liked the concept of and her and my husband took it from there, creating a gorgeous pear, yellow diamond engagement ring. It was a tight schedule, rings take anywhere from 8 – 10 weeks to make I believe, but Andrea kept Travis informed of the process and had the wonderful idea of engraving our wedding date and eternity sign on the wedding band.
The rings are STUNNING and I’m not just saying that because they’re mine I swear :)
Truly my jaw dropped when I saw it. What’s more the pricing is very fair. We feel we got an amazing price on a gorgeous ring.
Andrea took care of everything making the process as seamless as possible. I won’t go to anyone else now.

I have always walked by this store in awe looking at all of the beautiful items they have up for display behind the windows never knowing much about it. I was searching for a 21^st birthday present for my long term girlfriend and decided on a particular Swiss watch company called Tissot. Looking on Tissot’s website I saw that Ben Bridge, the store in the center of the mall with all of the awesome eye candy was the only place in San Diego that carried what I was looking for. When I walked in, I was greeted by their friendly security team, and then soon after Nedila came to help me make my decision.
Nedila was not only helpful, friendly, and informative, but also extremely good at finding what you are looking for throughout the hundreds of options you have when going into Ben Bridge. As somebody who wasn’t spending thousands, but hundreds, I was very happy to receive such attentive service through and through by Nedila and the rest of the Ben Bridge staff. My girlfriend absolutely loved the watch Nedila helped me choose and I look forward to picking up myself another watch for myself someday.

I went to Ben Bridge to have the band on my watch adjusted to my wrist. The woman who helped me, Andrea, was very nice, very professional, and very patient. The service was quick, and at the end, the watch fit very well and looked pristine; she cleaned it off as well. I am very happy with the service!
I highly recommend this place for all your watch repair needs.

I don’t understand why communication on their part is such a struggle. I was working with Judy over the phone with buying a Rolex timepiece. I specified what size, material, bezel type, dial color, and dial type to her multiple times and she still calls me back and also sends me an email with details for the wrong timepiece.
I expect undivided attention and never to have to repeat myself more than once.
I was eventually told this watch was not available. Would not deal with this location again; specifically because Judy. I don’t have time to waste; and my time was completely wasted in regards to this purchase.

In all honesty, I haven’t been into Ben bridge for quite some time. The reason being I felt their customer service was very poor. But this week two young ladies have changed my mind. I wanted to get my Tag watch fixed and since this is one of Ben bridges specialties I thought I’d give them a try again. I was in on Monday and Kim helped me. I just need the band on my watch fixed and she told me their watch person wasn’t their and she didn’t feel comfortable doing the repair herself. Which was fine with me and glad she told me rather then trying to fix it herself. She was very helpful and friendly and told me to come back when the watch person was there.
I returned today and was greeted by Andrea. She was extremely friendly. She said their watch person wasn’t there but she was able to fix it herself. I gave her my watch and then she also asked if I wanted my diamond ring cleaned so I gave her that as well. Off she went and within a matter of minutes she returned with my watch fixed and my ring shiny! Thank you, Andrea! I will definitely be returning without hesitation!

Outstanding service! Judy was a huge help and was extremely nice. Way better than my other experiences at jewelry stores. Did not feel bombarded or obligated to buy anything I didn’t want. I will definitely be back when I’m ready to buy more!

I should have posted this review a while back but somehow never got to it. In a nutshell — Love the Ben Bridge @ UTC!
We went in here cos hubby wanted to buy me my first Pandora for my birthday. After a long day at work we trooped in at 8:15. After being pleasantly greeted by our customer rep Andrea, she went on to show us the bracelets & charms. This was my first tryst with Pandora and I was like a kid at a candy store. Totally in awe on on end yet totally confused on the selections to be made. But Andrea was extremely patient and courteous through the entire process. When we were finally done with the selections it was past closing time but we never felt rushed.
The bracelet was beautifully wrapped and presented with the Ben Bridge Teddy. Since it was for my birthday, Andrea and another customer rep (who’s name I can’t recollect) wanted to buy a small cake (I overheard their conversation: P) but since it was past 9 the shops were closed. That was such a sweet thought!
Great job you guys :)