Watching Out

September 16, 2009 12:19 PM

Please help me determine whether this watch-repair business is legitimate, or help me find a reputable Accutron specialist in the Bay Area.

I need to have my father's 1960s Bulova Accutron watch serviced and restored. Unfortunately, Accutrons have a unique electric mechanism and require specially-trained technicians who know how to service and repair them. Financially, the watch isn't worth much, but its sentimental value is priceless.

I've found what appears to be a reputable specialist: www.oldfathertimeNOLINK.com (remove the NOLINK), but the address and the images of their storefront and business on their website do not match the images of the same address on Google Maps.

Please help me find a reputable Accutron specialist in the Bay Area, and help me find out whether this business is legitimate, and how I can find out if they're reputable.

posted by mattdidthat to home & garden (8 comments total)

Not exactly what you asked for but Rene Rondeau is probably the foremost Hamilton electric watch specialist. He's in Corte Madera. If nothing else you could email him and ask who he would recommend if he wouldn't deal w/ Accutrons himself. Personally I wouldn't insist on keeping the watch local. Mail the watch to whomever is most qualified.
posted by well_balanced at 1:05 PM on September 16

I guess I don't really understand why you're so leery of this place. Google maps is not infalliable. On the "contact us" page they claim to be members of the American Watchmakers
Clockmakers Inst. and their listing is the same as on the website:

John C. Polk
(John)
Old Father Time, Inc.
16595 Pouncey Tract Road
Suite 2
Rockville, VA 23146 USA
Work Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]

Why don't you call them?

Another picture shown here.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 1:05 PM on September 16

Compare the photo on the home page with the Google Street View of 16595 Pouncey Tract Road in Rockville, VA 23146.
posted by mattdidthat at 1:16 PM on September 16

When I searched for "old father time loc: Rockville, Virginia" in Google Maps, I got an ugly building that probably matches the ugly storefront on the ugly website. (rotate to the other side of the street)
posted by desjardins at 1:51 PM on September 16

Rotate this to the other side of the street. It's the same building.
posted by dersins at 2:40 PM on September 16

Just down the road from desjardins' link...
posted by dersins at 2:41 PM on September 16

I asked Metafilter for a Bay Area watch repair recommendation a few years ago & was referred to Alain Baume, who did an excellent job. You might call him for a referral.
posted by judith at 4:38 PM on September 16

Have Bulova repair it! You can send it in and have one of their jewelers repair it.

Just recently, I sent my Citizen in for repair (after a lot of fretting about which local jeweler I should take it to) and I was extremely happy with the price and quality of the service.

I had a dial marker reattached, a new leather strap installed, along with a new battery; and it cost cost less than $60. The battery was like $5.

Now Citizen headquarters is in California and I'm in Chicago. When I got the watch back it was set to Chicago DST and set perfectly. When the hour beeped on the radio, so did the hour chime on my watch. That's pride in workmanship!

I checked Bulova's website and they seem to offer the same service as Citizen.
posted by qsysopr at 7:20 AM on September 18