Watch Shop At Porter Square

I have been going to this place for a number of years, and was generally pleased with both the service and the value. I had a defective pin from a band he installed, and I needed a new battery for another watch.
He overcharged me, and made flimsy, lame excuses when I challenged him. He will never see another penny of my money. Really pathetic and inexcusable to bilk remaining customers because fewer people are wearing watches now.

I brought my watch in after the band broke, and I paid $ 20 for a new band, plus $ 5 for the repair. Three days later, the new band broke as well, so I brought it back to the shop. The owner told me that it it was my fault that the band broke (from overuse after three days, apparently), so he wanted to change me for the labor to fix it again. The owner is dishonest and dishonorable, and I’ll be taking my business elsewhere from now on.

Liar and rip-​off artist.
Brought my dress watch in for a new battery. Having read the other reviews, I put the watch down upside down hoping he wouldn’t see the brand. He picks the watch up, flips it over, and says, «Oh, Raymond Weil. That will be $ 45.» I said, «But the last time I had it done, the jeweler charged about $ 10.» He replied, «It’s a special battery.» and waved me out of the store.
I took it home and popped the cover off myself. The battery is a 371 — about $ 1 – 2 retail.

OK, I obviously should have checked Unilocal first. I stupidly trusted the owner’s story about the «special» battery my watch required. I later found out that I paid $ 20 for a $ 3 battery. The labor involved using a nickel to open the back of the watch. I went back to ask for a refund, and the owner refused, yelled at me, and told me to leave. You have been warned!

I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who still wears a watch. Mine isn’t fancy, but it is a discontinued Timex bracelet style that I went through great pains to adjust. If only I knew this place existed then!
When the battery finally died, I popped in here for a replacement. $ 15 (cash only) and 10 minutes later, my watch is back in business! I think $ 15 is reasonable. Batteries are $ 6 or so on their own and you have to take into account tools and skilled labor.

Today, I bought my first nice watch. The store owner was kind, courteous, and honest. I walked away with a nice watch that – for the first time – I was proud of. I felt like it was the first watch I’ve owned that actually reflects my personality.
Six hours later, the watch has already stopped working. For a few seconds, it ticks and tocks regularly, and then the second hand stays put for a while. I usually wouldn’t care, but it also affects the second and hour hands, i.e., the time it displays. Which is important, because displaying the correct time is pretty much the only function I require of a watch.
I’ll take it to a different watch shop tomorrow to have it repaired. I’m sure it’ll be a quick and easy fix – maybe it just needs a new battery, and he probably didn’t know – but I didn’t spend a (for me) large sum of money on a new watch so that it could stop working immediately.

I needed to have my watch battery replaced and this was the closest in the Somerville area I could find. The gentleman is friendly and was able to change the battery in my watch right on the spot which was helpful. However, I was not very pleased with the 15 dollar price tag that came with it. To me, this seemed a bit much for a relatively easy fix and low cost item. There weren’t any posted prices either which was a bit weird but not surprising based on the reviews on here. He won’t take credit cards and will only do debit cards if the purchase is over 20 dollars so I had to run to the atm while I was there. I am guessing he doesn’t want to have to deal with the fees. He does have a large array of watches and clocks in the shop — but I feel like most of them are second hand or purchased new and marked up. I probably won’t be coming back here anytime soon.

Glad to know there are still old-​school shops like this providing repair services. Recently the pin on my watchband broke and woudn’tcha know it, my back-​up watch’s battery was dead. A mere 10 minutes and $ 21 later, I had a repaired watchband, new battery, and I could keep track of the time again.

This man is not polite. It’s conveniently located but it’s price-​y and he’s just.. .. not polite. I am going elsewhere.

Horrible customer service walked in and asked for help with my watch which needed screws for the back and a battery. The guy behind the counter quickly looked at my watch and said «I can’t help you» I asked why he said contact the factory. That’s it. I turned around and walked out. Needless to say I won’t ever be back there any time soon.

I definitely won’t be back, and I wouldn’t recommend this shop to anyone.
He charged $ 93 to change three watch batteries. It was my fault, I suppose, for not asking a price first – though in my defense, I’d had the batteries replaced in the same watches for $ 10 – 20 each in midtown Manhattan, so it hadn’t occurred to me that this guy in an old underground shop in Porter Square could possibly charge more. When I told him I thought the price was too high, he seemed surprised and became belligerent and defensive, claiming that two of my watches required special, expensive batteries. (This is just not true.)
It also took him an hour to replace the three batteries, though he’d told us it would be 20 minutes. We went for a walk, returned after 40 minutes or so; the last 20 minutes we were standing at the counter, waiting, because he clearly hadn’t even looked at the watches in our absence. But let’s be honest, that’s a lot less upsetting than being ripped off so blatantly.
In answer to a question raised in other reviews: he told us no credit cards, only debit cards – and the sign on the counter makes this clear as well.

If you’re going to close for a month, you might want to mention that on your website or voice mail. It was nice to go all the way down there today in 17 degree winds to find a hand written note on your front door asking me to come back next month. Screw that.

I recently had a situation present itself where I needed to get my daughters watch repaired locally and then shipped to her in NYC. Since I had no real new business for the W.S.@P.S. I thought I would get the rush treatment when I asked the store owner to do a quick fix on my daughters watch. Wow was I in for a rude awakening. The store owner refused to take my money and told me the repair was totally «on the house»…great customer service I will not soon forget.

Poor work. Poor service.
I bring my watch in to have a broken crystal replaced. The glue does not hold and the crystal falls off and is lost. I bring the watch back and he is going to replace for free. The next day I find the crystal in my apartment and I bring it back to him, saving him $ 35 because now he does not have to buy a replacement crystal. After reattaching crystal he still wants to charge $ 10 for a small adjustment to the band. I ask him if he will waive the $ 10 adjustment fee considering that I have just saved him from buying a $ 35 replacement crystal but he refuses. I should have just let him buy the replacement crystal and saved myself the extra trip over to his place. So much for appreciation of my time and effort to save him money. Poor service.
Take your business somewhere else.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS! I left this place crying. One of my most prized possessions that my dad left to me was his watch, which he was given by his favorite uncle. After daily wear and holding on as long as possible it was time to get a new band. I asked the owner about options for bands and could I see my top choice on the watch itself. He got gruff saying he didn’t have time for that (another great watch shop did it and it took maybe 20 seconds to do). So I asked could he at least take off my current band so I could hold the watch up to the band. Still gruff, he RIPPED off the band. Now I know I was replacing it but the band was still attached. I started to cry and after collecting myself as best I could calmly explained how much the watch meant to me and said he should be more careful with people’s possessions. He yelled at me, interrupted me and didn’t come close to apologizing and continued to yell as I gave up and walked out.
I would highly recommend Leo Carroll in Inman Square!

He broke my watch changing the battery!
I had the exact same experience as another reviewer: I had him replace the battery cover on my watch (after I changed the battery, I realized my make needed to be pressed in a vice). To do this, he had to open the band up. The next day the band fell apart where he opened it, and and the watch fell off my wrist while walking. When I brought it back he said it was worn out and I need a new band (it was the first time I’d changed the battery!). He took no responsibility for ruining my perfectly good band, after I paid him $ 10 for 2 min of labor to put the cover on. It’s scary that this seems to be a recurring thing with him; maybe he’s trying to sell bands.

in and out in a flash with new battery installed in my timepiece.
cheap bands there too (and i do mean CHEAP)

My watch battery died so I popped in to meet Sam after work. Traffic was rough and I arrived 30 min before he closed but he greeted me with a wide smile and bid me to wait while he worked. Fifteen minutes later I walked out with my watch batteries replaced and no major damage to my wallet. Sam is friendly, professional, and speedy. I’ll be returning for sure and I recommend him for all your timekeeping needs.
Of note: credit cards ARE accepted but there’s a $ 20 min, and my bill was way under so hit the atm if your problem is a small one.

I brought my watch in last week to get the battery replaced. Three days later there was condensation on the inside of the watch face and the watch stopped working. The owner has a sign saying that he is not responsible for the watch being water-​resistant after he replaces a battery. I have never had this problem before, and that disclaimer seems ridiculous.
I feel like your job shouldn’t be fixing watches if you cannot change a battery without ruining the water-​resistance of the watch. The fact that the guy has a sign up to protect him from this problem is also pretty sketchy.
Now I have to send the watch in to the manufacturer to have the watch movements replaced for $ 150.

My experience of the place is rather limited. I took my watch in to have a piece of the face reattached. I got it back the next day, fixed, and was charged what seems like an appropriate amount ($ 12).
The place is a little difficult to find (doesn’t appear in Google Streetview, for example, and as of this writing Google Maps mislocates it slightly). It’s on the lower level beneath «Tibet Arts» at the corner of Davenport and Mass. Ave.