9 Vital Tips for Choosing a Reliable Service of Watch Repair in Los Angeles
Posted by Alan A on
Important Tips for Choosing a Reliable Watch Repair Service in Los Angeles
Your watch may have extensive monetary or sentimental value. That’s why an experienced, professional service provider is necessary. Whether it’s a simpler job such as a strap adjustment or battery change, or a more extensive job such as a complete overhaul or movement replacement, you need someone you can trust to get the job done right. This is especially true if you have a vintage watch that went out of production a long time ago.
A timepiece contains many delicate parts that could be damaged if they aren’t handled correctly. This is why selecting the correct service provider is so important—you need someone who will take the utmost care when handling your watch and its components.
With this in mind, let’s look at some tips for finding a watch service provider in Los Angeles:
- Ask About Watch Types
It’s generally not the best idea to just give your watch to the first service provider you find in Los Angeles. There are some important questions to ask first. For example, ask about the watchmaker’s area of expertise. While many service providers deal with watches of all sorts, some will focus on specific watch types, and others on certain brands. It’s important to be sure that the repair person is familiar with the movements of your watch in particular. If your watch is an antique, be sure the repair person is experienced with vintage watches.
- Check Reviews
Once you have a Los Angeles repair shop in mind, check the reviews posted online. It’s best not to just look at star ratings, but actually read the reviews to see why such a review was posted. For example, if you have a Movado automatic watch that needs repair, you might give more weight to a review from someone who also had a Movado and/or automatic watch repaired at that location.
- Check Certifications and Experience
When it comes to watch repair, qualifications and certifications matter. Some watch repair professionals have years of experience restoring and repairing various kinds of watches. They have earned advanced qualifications, giving them the necessary experience and expertise to service wide variety of timepieces.
- You Get What You Pay For
If you’re low on cash, it may be tempting to just take your watch to the cheapest repair person you can find. This is strongly not recommend, however. Timepieces are complex pieces of machinery, requiring years of experience and expertise to fix properly. It’s better to wait until you have the funds necessary to make sure the job gets done right.
- Get a Quote and Check Their Warranty
Never leave your watch with a service provider who can’t give you a quote for the cost of the service provided. Also, remember that experienced and certified professionals will guarantee their work in writing. Make sure that you understand what work is covered, and for how long.
- Check Location
Does the watch repair service have a physical location, or do they operate exclusively via mail-in? Some professionals have an independent business, while others are employed by large companies. If your timepiece is worth a lot to you, and you’re not comfortable with shipping it, it would be worth ensuring that the shop is a physical location that’s reasonably close to where you live or work.
- Check Quality of Replacement Parts
Original replacement parts of a timepiece are very important—inexpensive replacement parts will seriously detract from the overall longevity of the watch. A certified, experienced professional will source parts from the original manufacturer, or have suppliers that do. Ideally, look for a place that has a physical location with plenty of replacement parts on-site.
- Ask About Turnaround Time
Watch repairs can be very complex and often take weeks to perform. If a repair person says they can do the job very quickly, be wary—watches are delicate and need to be handled very carefully.
If turnaround time is important to you, look for a place that has their professionals on-site, as well as a decent selection of replacement parts. Avoid places that outsource their watch repairs to another site.
Conclusion
Armed with these tips, you should be able to find a quality watch service professional in Los Angeles that meets your needs.
We hope you can consider our local services at Total Watch Repair
