Helvetia Service Des Montres Ltee

People who are masters at their art are rare these days. Here is one of them! When my Omega Seamaster Pro Chrono (purchased new) was due for its regular service, I had to go through BIRKS hell (sent to Omega Toronto 4 times) who ended up damaging the watch. The next time around, tried another «official» repair place in Montréal who, after 4 iterations, damaged the watch and stained the inside of the crystal anti-​reflection surface with oil, etc, etc… and charged me 600 $ for it!!! Anyhow, was ready to ship my watch to Geneva for service when I found out about this place. Went there, paid the fair-​price, and my baby is now top shape. I’m a physicist and appreciate things well built and people who know their stuff. This guy knows and loves his art. This is THE place to go for a face-​to-​face, pro service. No cutting corners.

My grandmother gave me my grandfathers Tissot watch, which she gave him in 1972. When she gave it to me, it was in need of cleaning and service. I found this business, where Hans, the proprietor offered to service the watch with his Horologist expertise for a price of $ 250.
They were to do the following:
1. replace the crown
2. apply luminescence to the dial
3. buff the scratches off of the glass
4. oil the interior
5. clean and inspect the rest of the watch
In the end, they did not replace the crown or repair the identified issue with the calendar gear as the components required are no longer available… but, it still cost me $ 250.
Over all, I am satisfied, and I would recommend this establishment for watch repair. They are a Tissot certified repair center.

I received a Tissot watch for my 18^th birthday. About a year later the battery died. I decided to go to Birks to get it replaced. That turned into a $ 80 fiasco over 3 weeks — the service centre Birk’s mailed the watch off to decided to do an inventory right after it’s arrival. Not pleased at all.
5 years later or so, the battery was showing signs of dying again. Instead of going to Birks for another miserable and expensive experience, I did further research and discovered there was a local service centre in Montréal for Tissot and Omega watches.
I went in person and after about 5 minutes they replaced the battery on-​site and had it back in my possession for a fraction of what I paid at Birk’s.
I moved to San Francisco about a year ago and felt that I needed to add another link to the watch band — my wrist had grown bigger over the 6.5 years of owning the Tissot. I considered bringing the link with me however instead I made it a priority to go here to get it done while I was visiting Montréal for 2 weeks.
The first time I swung by to get the band enlarged they were still closed at 8:40am. I had other things planned that day so came back another time later in the week. I lost track of the days during that last week and had no choice but to swung by at 4:40pm.
5 minutes later I was out with a properly sized watch band for $ 5. It was actually quite amusing as the rep asked me who first adjusted the band for me (I had to explain that I’ve had to watch for more than 6 years and my wrist had gotten larger over the years rather than being hustled by a crazy watch dealer).
They’ll do it for you on the spot or at minimum you save yourself shipping costs.
Key takeaway points
1. If you have an Omega or Tissot watch, go here to get it serviced if you live in/​around Montréal!
2. I’m not sure of their opening/​closing hours (call and double check ahead of time before going).
3. Their office is difficult to find… go to the corner of Peel and Gauchetiere. The entrance is right on that corner. If you enter the grand Windsor Station Hall, you’ve gone too far. There’s a security desk at the right entrance, go past it and take the elevator to the second floor. Down the long corridor and you’ll find the office on your right, Suite #267. Just walk right in even if the door is closed.