Austin’s Old Timer Clock and Watch Repair

I walked in to have links in my new watch taken out… They looked at it and said it would be $ 20! I walked across the street to Gallerie Jewelers and the owner did it for free!

What a nice gentleman who helped with my daughter’s watch. We will surely be back for battery changes for years to come. Also, it’s nice to have a bit of Austin’s original personality still on display. Thank you!

Fast, but careless and overpriced. I went in to have my watch battery changed and was charged $ 18.40. It only took a few minutes to change, but when I got my watch back I noticed the back was bent out of shape pretty bad where they popped the back off to change it. I would recommend going somewhere else if you have the option.

I love this place so much I want to go home and break a clock just so I can bring it in for repair. They treated my employer’s grandfather clock with true reverence. They literally cradled it in their arms as they carried it in from my car.
Their shop is a wonderland of beautiful clocks, faces and the intricate designs. It’s very calming to be in there.
It’s old-​school, locally owned, family owned. You feel good doing business here rather than a «big box». These guys are craftsman and from what I gathered, it’s a dying art.
I would trust them with my family heirloom clock if I had one! I’m looking forward to getting the grandfather clock back up and chiming.

The guy shrugged me off in less than 30 seconds. Began helping another patron before even finishing with me. Just totally cut me off. If you are looking for customer service, Watch Out! Unless you appear to be wealthy and asking for native silver… whatever that is. Patrons are treated based on appearance :(

I love this place!
They offer the best customer service ever.
It’s always something when I go to Old Timer Clock and Watch Repair. Its in the name, OLD TIMER! The service is 100% authentic family owned and operated. They give me the same great quality customer service that my mother got when the Stride Rite man fit each of us kids for shoes. The result is feeling like an important person as well as a valued customer. Marion has replaced watch batteries for me, watch bands, and has advised me on repairing my father’s old pocket watch. When you have quality time pieces and you want to take care of them, this is the place to trust.

I’m incredibly biased when it comes to the Old Timer Clock & Watch Shop.
No, I don’t work there, but I’ve gotten to know the guys at the shop (Marion, Scott, & Howard) pretty well over the past couple of years just from stopping by from time to time to discuss my passion (watch collecting) and for any service I need to have done.
I’ve had 5 – 10 watches worked on here over the years and I’ve been extremely satisfied with the work they provide and the cost (which is often much less than their competitors). No job is too big or too small for this crew and the way they treat their customers (e.g. being very friendly and going out of their way to explain things in simple terms) really says a lot.

I know this has turned into a very long review. But, you must read before stepping into this shop. EVER. Do not leave your watch or clock here.
My husband and I are so VERY disappointed with our experience at Old Timers Clock Shop! I brought a very expensive Rolex watch that I had received from a close friend as a wedding gift to the store. It was inscribed and very sentimental to me.
My watch was running slow and I was told by Scott, the owner, that they would repair it and I would have it back in a couple of weeks. It was over a month until I could get Scott on the phone and then he told me that it still was a little slow and that was the best that he could do and that Rolexes run slow sometimes. He raised his voice very loudly and was extremely rude and condescending on the phone. I am sure he just wanted me to believe him and go away.
After SIX months and 7 visits of his telling me that he had replaced the major parts and that the watch was working in the shop we gave him one last chance since they already had our $ 629.00 check! After a day of wearing the watch and looking at it lose time, condensation formed on the inside of the face. We were furious, took it back, were very scared that they had completely ruined my $ 7,200.00. IT STOPPED RUNNING COMPLETELY !
At this point he told me that he never said that he replaced any parts he only serviced it. That was a lie. Why would I want to have a watch serviced for $ 629.00 and have it still not run correctly? It is still not running. I have taken it to another shop.
In closing I will say that I would not give this shop One star except I think that they might not include this without one.
Also, this is the very first review I have ever written. I am that upset with them that I have spent all this time!
Susan C

Very kind. Very quick. Very honest. Great people. Great store. Great products.

I went to 3 different places to get my watch fixed. The pin on the end link had snapped, and half of it was still lodged inside of the link. The first place said they could not fix it, and to try the manufacturer. The 2^nd place (russel korman) did not attempt to fix it because they didnt carry my brand. The third place tried to remove the pin but couldnt get it unstuck. Scott, the owner of bob larson’s old timer, drilled it out and put in a new pin, less than 10 minutes. And he said it was free of charge!

Terrific service. I took in a wrist watch that needed a crystal replacement.
When they called me in to pick up my watch (which took just a few days) it looked great, but wasn’t working properly. When I asked if it just needed a new battery, the guys checked it out and realized that it needed a full service to get it to work properly, which would cost close to $ 200. I didn’t mind, but they insisted that since they replaced the crystal without realizing/​pointing out that the watch didn’t actually function, they wouldn’t allow me to pay for the work they did on it. That’s a $ 70 job that they refused to charge me for.
Great guys, and no question that when I’m ready to pay the $ 200 to get the watch working, Bob Larson’s will be the place I go.

I sent out a few emails to some watch places about my automatic Tissot running fast, and asking about typical pricing for regular maintenance. I received a phone call from a guy here about a half hour later. He was very nice and informed me about the pricing of a cleaning, then went on to suggest that it might just need to be adjusted or demagnetized, which wouldn’t take long and they would do for free if that was the case (in the hopes of garnering future service).
So I stopped by, turned out that it just needed to be demagnetized, and was done in about 30 seconds. I clearly didn’t know much about watches other than the random Googling I’d been doing to try and get myself up to speed, and I really appreciated that they were honest and really just trying to help — they could have taken my watch in for a $ 200 service and I wouldn’t have been the wiser, but instead took the time to give me more information. I’ll definitely be coming back in the future with any issues I might have with my watch and would wholeheartedly recommend them.

I brought my old Swiss Army Watch there a long time ago for a battery change. The battery kept running out very quickly. They advised me it was because it was a cheap watch, and that cheap watches have this problem. So, I ended up buying a more expensive watch ($ 100’s, not $ 1000’s) that they said would not have that problem. Of course, after I replaced the initial battery, none of the new batteries I put in it last more than a few months at most.
Disappointing.

a watch shop that doesn’t open on time. let’s just think about that one for a second…
Russell Korman is down the street.

Excellent service.
Very accommodating and friendly.
Highly recommended.

I just bought a new Casio from Amazon and it was way too big for my wrist. I’m from Austin and have passed by Bob Larson’s hundreds of times and thought of them first. I called at 5:10 PM on a Monday, and they said they were closing at 5:30 PM. I asked if I could hop in my car right then and get there before they closed so I could have my watch fit before I left for Thanksgiving break, and they were really understanding.
I arrived at 5:28 PM and felt terrible! The man I talked to on the phone gave me a smile and the «come in» sign, and they started on it right away. Twenty minutes later and two short fittings, I have a perfectly fit watch. The cost was only $ 20, and their friendliness and quickness were totally worth it.
Sidenote: While I was waiting I checked out the small shop and all the photos and letters Bob Larson had hanging. He seems like a really sweet guy, there were letters from public schools thanking him for his work on a youth development project, and apparently he was personally asked to fix a huge clock in Williamson County back in the day. So even if Walmart could fix my watch for cheaper, I’d rather support this business!

Wow. Simply wow.
I brought my watch in today to have a pusher put back on it. Another watchmaker quoted me a price of $ 650 to make the repairs and re-​seal the watch. Scott offered to attempt the repair while I waited for the insanely low price of $ 20. Needless to say, I took him up on his offer.
Within 15 minutes, Scott returned with my watch repaired. He walked me through the work he did and explained that the gaskets and seals were still intact from the last repair. He was gracious, kind, willing to explain his work, and a true craftsman.
I cannot recommend Scott enough to anyone who needs watch repairs done. Honesty, integrity, and customer service will win me over any day. Scott won me over today.

In December I took my Baume & Mercier watch to be fixed, it stopped running. They said to wait a month as they were busy. In February, they said they had «misplaced» the watch and would get right on it. In April, they said it was on the bench being fixed. Now, in mid June, it still «isn’t running right» and they want two more weeks. SIX MONTHS to fix a watch? Ridiculous. In March, I took another Baume which I inherited to the dealer, Russell Korman’s, just a couple of blocks away, who rebuilt and refurbished the whole thing in ten DAYS, and for less money than I was quoted by Bob Larson’s.
Don’t take fine watches to them, clearly they can’t do the work in a timely fashion. Russell Korman’s gets my fine watch service from now on.
UPDATE June 11:
Update: Yesterday, the very NEXT morning after posting, my watch was «coincidentally» ready! I paid the THREE HUNDRED DOLLAR bill, and here the next morning the watch runs a full HOUR BEHIND in just one day. They didn’t even fix it correctly.
These guys are a disaster.
NEW UPDATE July 8:
June 12 I went back and they INSISTED the watch ran perfectly. He set it himself, and three hours later it was fifteen minutes slow. I took the watch back. They said they had to «send it out» to be fixed. Just called. It STILL IS NOT READY. They have now been «working» on this watch for a total of EIGHT MONTHS and can’t fix the damn thing.
NEWEST UPDATE August 10:
After yet another MONTH of having my watch, it still won’t run right and they claim it is «not repairable».
Let’s see if they refund my money…
FINALLY: September 27: To his credit, Bob Larson called personally and apologized for this fiasco. It was clearly a genuine apology. He refunded my money and sent the watch back to Baume & Mercier in New York, and had the watch made right by them at no cost to me.
Ten months later and the watch is beautiful and running great. So, I can only say that while they screwed up royally, they did do what was required to make it right.

I took two items into Bob Larson’s Old Timer Clock Shop for repair at the same time:
1) A Seiko watch that was given to me as an anniversary present by my husband. Bob Larson’s Old Timer Clock Shop allowed, after several months, that they lost said watch, but graciously offered to let me keep the loaner watch, which retailed for half the price (and had half the looks, to boot) as a consolation prize.
2) My great-grandmother’s antique mantel clock, which really just needed some sprucing up and cleaning of the gears to get it in tip top running shape. Ever since its stay at Bob Larson’s Old Timer Clock Shop, after which I was happy to receive it back again in one piece, the clock has made distressing sproinging, clicking, and clunking noises. Sometimes for variety, the minute hand will decide that life is no longer worth living and fling itself off the clock face.
Some would say to take my clock back to the shop and let them try to make it right, but I’m afraid that it might enter the Bermuda Triangle that my watch disappeared into. Besides, there’s nothing like reading a scary book on a dark windy night and having the clock make an ominous clunk just before you realize that it’s been midnight for the last hour, and that clatter you heard a while back was the minute hand leaping to its demise.
Edit 7÷1÷2015: Despite the business owner claiming this is not Bob Larsen’s Old Timer Clock Shop, it is indeed. They have changed the name.

The Old Timer Clock Shop is just five steps from my apt complex so when I needed watch links taken in, it was the first place I turned to for adjusting my time piece. They are mostly a old school clock/​watch shop specializing in repairs. They do however fix jewelry and time pieces for restoration.
Side note… my watch is from Japan and its rather interesting. The links can’t be removed (I didn’t know this at the time) but the clasp moves up and down the band instead.
See here for my watch:
After the gentleman looked it over, we had to adjust the clasp with some trail and error — my wrist is super small. He checked and double checked to make sure it was the right fit. Wonderful service and he did not charge me at all! I’m definitely coming back if I need a battery replaced or other repairs done to my watch!