Precision Watch Repair

Unfortunately, I’ve had to qualify my earlier enthusiastic review, which is included below. I just brought in a second watch for repair. It needed to have a crown replaced, and I brought in a replacement crown and tube that the watch’s original manufacturer, Albert Wajs of Ollech & Wajs watches, had sent me from Zurich. Mikhail insisted that the crown wasn’t right for the watch. I don’t doubt his expert opinion, but, frustratingly, when I accepted his suggestion that I buy a new crown, he insisted on only doing the repair along with a full overhaul of the watch, even though I explained that the watch had already received a full overhaul (except for the crown) four months ago. He wasn’t willing to only do the smaller, necessary repair, so I took the watch down the street to one of his competitors, who agreed to do the repair without any hesitation. This doesn’t detract from the superb work he did on my other watch (described below), but it suggests that Mikhail may not be the person to go to for every repair. If you want a vintage watch brought back to life for a great price, he’s still the guy I’d recommend.
I have a very small collection of Swiss and German mechanical watches, and I’ve been to six other watch repair shops around the city over the years. Mikhail is the most recent watchmaker I’ve visited, and he is by far the fastest, most talented, friendliest, most accommodating, and most affordable of the bunch. I brought in a 60-​year-​old Omega bumper automatic (a long discontinued and somewhat unusual movement) that hadn’t been worn in at least 40 years. The crystal was so scratched I could barely see the face, and the hands wouldn’t even move when I turned the crown. It was in truly hideous condition. I had previously taken the watch in to another shop to have the repairs (a full service and polishing the acrylic crystal) estimated. The estimate took a week, and I was quoted a price of over $ 400 for the job. When I took the watch in to Mikhail for a second opinion, he took the time to give me an estimate while I waited (only about 10 minutes), described the movement and necessary repairs to me, and quoted a price that was almost half as much as the previous estimate — a full $ 200 less! No less astonishingly, he said he could finish he repairs in just a week.
He said that the watch would likely need a new mainspring, which would cost more, but that he would call for me to approve the additional expense. I fully expected him to call, since my impression is that other watchmakers have tried to sell me as many new parts as possible. When I didn’t hear from him in a week, I began to worry that he had forgotten about the watch, especially since I had recently had a negative experience with a different watchmaker who took a full month to complete a routine overhaul of a common automatic movement. I called Mikhail exactly a week after dropping the watch off, and, to my surprise, learned that the watch had been fixed and was ready for pick-​up. When I saw the watch, I was blown away by the job he did. The watch had looked ready for the junk heap before Mikhail worked on it, but he completely brought it back to life; not only does it look beautiful, it keeps better time than the far newer watch I recently had serviced at a different shop. I plan to go to Mikhail for all future repairs. He’s truly an artist. I couldn’t be more pleased with the quality of the work he did, the speed at which he did it, and the price he charged for expert labor.

Sadly, I am downgrading my prior review from 2 stars to 1. I finally got my watch back a little over a week ago, after my watch was in this shop for a month and a half (the first time I went to pick it up, it was a Friday and Mikhail left at least 25 minutes early, so when I got there at 5:05, he was already gone, despite the fact that I’d called a little earlier and he said he would be there until 5:30; the second time I went to pick it up only to find they were closed for 3 weeks, without any warning!). I was so eager to retriever it that, stupidly enough, when I got it I didn’t check that the main repair (a crown that would not screw in) was completed correctly. I’ve just put it on for the first time since retrieving it and, sure enough, it still doesn’t screw down.
So, what did I pay $ 380 for? Possibly nothing. Maybe a pressure. Maybe a tune-​up that I can’t tell was ever done, as the watch was running well beforehand. Possibly nothing. I am dreading going back in there tomorrow to face Mikhail and tell him he didn’t complete the work, as other reviews have led me to believe it will be a fight. I’ll let you know how it goes. For now, I advise people to stay away — this place is incredibly low on communication and customer service. Perhaps Mikhail is reliable for simple repairs, but for an expansive and complicated watch/​repair, I recommend paying more to go to someone who is communicative and reliable.

DO NOT GO TO THIS GUY. If I could give 0 stars I would.
Brought my Movado watch in that in 20 years had no problems. This was not the first time I’ve gone there. My stone fell out and he couldn’t tell why or how. After he glued it back on, yes glue, I had him do an overhaul. He said it was a year warranty. When I picked it up he told me it was 6 months. Considering he does not give receipts he probably can’t keep track anyway. The next day the crystal fell off. I took it back and smirked and said «oops, guess I forgot to put it back on» A week later it fell off again but this time I lost the crystal and the bezel.
I took it somewhere else and it had a greasy film on it. Nice overhaul Mike. The replacement parts are hard to find and are so expensive I might as well buy a new watch. And I’m out the $ 180 cleaning that he never did. But hey, the glue worked. My stone is still there

Yes … one star, and rightfully so.
I brought my watch in because it was making a rattling sound, sounds like a loose piece inside. The couple that run the shop do not speak very good English but seemed to understand the problem.
Two issues sprang from this one experience.
1. The big issue is non-​performance: Later that day the rattling started again. They obviously did not fix the issue, I would be surprised if they even opened the watch up. It would be easy to find a broken or a loose piece of a mechanism floating around inside a watch if they inspected it properly.
2. Fake «genuine» alligator band: I went to pick up the watch and decided I might like to switch out the band. It has a black alligator band and I chose a brown one. They assured me it was genuine alligator but I was hesitant due to the rigidness and the coating felt like plastic. They tried to keep my black one without saying anything, luckily I caught it and retrieved my original band back. Also, I am pretty sure this is fake leather. It feels cheap, almost like a plastic coating. I thought it would break in after some wear but it is still «plastic’y».

Have to walk through a bunch of jewelers, but get to the very end and make a right, and he will be at the end to the left.
Very knowledgeable, and absolute professional.
Got Battery and pressure testing for shinola watch and movado. All is good!

After reading these reviews I decided I would bring my Swiss Army watch and Emporio Armani time pieces in for batteries and a new band for the Swiss Army watch. Mikhail was very accommodating and knowledgeable. His demeanor was warm and kind. He worked on my watches while I waited and showed me the packaged new batteries before putting them in my timepieces and put the date on them. The price for batteries and the band for my Swiss Army watch was VERY reasonable. I highly recommend Mikhail’s services. I’m bringing in my other timepieces for new batteries next week! He KNOW timepieces. This is James Alexander and I ENDORSE this message.

Update:
As was written in other reviews, the battery only lasted 3 months.
Essentially, he is selling used batteries. Not very honest.

Mikhail is our watch man. Highly skilled, honest, fast and a really nice man. Sit and chat with him while he repairs your watch. This is the guy the Madison Ave jewelers send your watch to. Bypass that expense and go to the expert. He is all the way in the back, turn right~Under the Precision Watch sign.

I took my Tag Heuer link watch in to have my battery replaced and pressure tested. The owner was incredibly nice and completed the service while I waited. The entire process took about 15 minutes. I now find it crazy that for the past 15 years I have paid double to nearly five times his price to have this done and had to leave the timepiece for 2 to 3 weeks. I watched him repair another walk up customers Rolex in a couple minutes while my pressure test was being completed. Mikhail addressed the other customer but kept his attention on me while I was there. Incredible experience and clearly very knowledgeable. I wish he was located closer to my phone. I highly recommend his services if you are in need. Top notch all the way!

My watch crystal repair was prompt and an accurate fit. It is holding up nicely more than a month later. I’m happy with the work and service at the reasonable cost.

I went to swap out the bezel on my 2006 Rolex GMT Master II. these guys did an excellent job! 1 day turnaround time. Plus, only $ 160 vs probably $ 600/​$ 700 at the Rolex store.
Highly recommend.

Exactly what you want with a watch shop. Fixed my battery right in front of me and was very open about battery life on this watch and others. Fantastic service. Fair cost. Will definitely come back here next time I need a repair.

I am new to the watch world and had to replace a battery and adjust the size of the strap. The prices were very decent for a place on midtown. The smith was very genuine and meticulous. Even a novice like me can tell his professionalism. He’s a great guy.
The whole process was very quick maybe 10 minutes. The only thing is it’s a little difficult to find. It is a very small office located in a fairly large jewelry center. Just make sure you ignore the other vendors and proceed all the way to the back right.
I would definitely return for other watch fixes.

Brought in my 28 yo Baume & Mercier watch in for a crystal and battery replacement fully expecting to have to leave it for a couple weeks. I was very happy Michael was able to handle both repairs in an hour for half what they charge in many other places. Quick, precise service, reasonably priced. I’m a satisfied customer.

I’ve probably gone about 5 or 6 times for various small jobs ranging from battery replacements to cosmetic fixes. I agree with most of the reviewers here that he’s fast, really knows his stuff and I’d trust him with bigger jobs.
The only issue I’ve had has been with the life of my battery replacements. A few weeks back, I noticed that one of the watches he replaced the battery in less than a year ago was dead. I found it odd that the battery died so soon, but shrugged it off. Then last week I found that the other two watches had stopped. So 3 watches died within two weeks of each other — at most 9 months after I paid for (fairly pricey) replacements.
So thumbs up that the guy will open your watch and get right to work while you wait, but thumbs down because his batteries may be from a table on Canal st.

All the five star reviews are legit – my experience was pleasant, quick, and underpriced.
I can understand if some will be upset with Mikhail’s demeanor, but that suggests to me that they don’t interact with people that work in midtown, or NYCers in general, on a regular basis.

Nice and honest guy.
I took my Tag Heuer for repair. The day was not changing at midnight but it was changing at 6am.
He said, if it doesn’t bother you, I would wait 3 years (had the watch 2 years) and have a overhaul maintenance and fix the alignment as well.
I wasn’t bothered by the date changing at the wrong time. I am glad he saved me $ 300 — $ 400.

Despite all of the positive reviews, I had a terrible experience with this guy. It’s probably important to note that 90% of the reviews here were for very simple cheap procedures.
He was not only rude, he was actually a huge asshole about everything. Every time i asked a question he shook his head and sighed at me. However, this is a watch repair guy so i will NOT let his attitude affect this review.
This guy was so unpleasant i would like to give him 1 star, but, out of fairness, my watch is running and appears «fixed». I went in with a shattered crystal and the watch wasn’t running. He suggested a complete overhaul for $ 500 which would take about two weeks and he’d call me when it’s done. Out of laziness and not having any better options, I reluctantly agreed. Two and a half weeks later, i call him and he says the watch has been ready for over a week.
I go in and ask for invoices or receipts for parts and what work was done, because, I want to know what parts went into my watch. He refused to provide anything, just got angry and shook his head at me, and repeated «you pay $ 500 for full overhaul» As i gave up and left he says «don’t drop it, it will break»
For all i know there’s a piece of cheap glass over my swiss made automatic watch in place of a sapphire crystal, and i payed $ 500 for it. Giving 3 stars to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he’s just an honest asshole
*edit: came back and downgraded to one star. I was ripped off. the watch fogs up on the inside when it rains, WHILE I’M INDOORS. I’m going to have to take it somewhere else to have the crystal replaced

I stopped by Precision Watch repair because of all the great ratings on Unilocal —
And they were right!
I went in on a lunch break from work (near rocker feller center).
It was bit hard to find because it’s in the very corner of a building.
I had to get my watch adjusted, and was in and out in literally 5 minutes.
For 10 $, it was well spent!

Went to Mikhail based on the Unilocal reviews and he did not disappoint. His little shop is in a building with a bunch of other jewelers who are really annoying and bark at you as you walk in, but if you just ignore them and keep walking all the way to the back and then take a right, you’ll find this little shop.
Mikhail is extremely nice, honest, and very professional. Highly recommend seeking him out.
It should be noted that he’s not open on the weekends; I think his hours are 10:00am –5:30pm Monday-​Friday. Also he’s cash only.