Dorian Clair Clock Repair

We have had a 150 yo French mantel clock for 50 years, and just recently switched to Dorian for its service. It’s never kept better time — he is worth the wait!

Wow… get this. I inherited a very old clock from my mother, that I painstakingly packed and drove to my house. only to find that it stopped once an hour once I got it set back up and installed on the wall. I tried and tried, but could not get it to run. I finally called Dorian. He asked me to hold the phone up the clock and he listened to the ticks. Within a few seconds, he told me that the clock was not level. I leveled it and now it works like a charm! What an amazing ear!

If quality workmanship is important to you then Dorian Clair is your man! We brought him a clock that hadn’t worked in probably 50 years and he fixed it. And it has been ticking away for almost 2 years now!!! Be aware that speed is not his thing, but it will be worth the wait I guarantee it!

Dorian is a nice man and probably the best clock repair person in the Bay Area. I brought my old German Black Forest cuckoo clock in because I really didn’t know how to get it going again. It’s sentimental and cheap. Instead of judging, he fixed it up for me. He’s not snobby at all.
Thanks, Dorian!

This is the shop that other clock shops go to if the repair is beyond their capability. He can repair broken teeth on wheels, custom design and repair one-​off clocks, and fix clocks that by their design … never worked in the first place. When he repairs a clock, it’s completely new, from the inside out.
Be warned… If you go there with a digital clock, or some cheap Korean replica, you may have your clock insulted… or even worse. This guy is a craftsman of the highest order… well respected in the clock world, and well-​known all over America. You don’t bring in a battery powered or electric clock to be repaired… unless there’s something special about it. You don’t go to an artist to have a sign painted!
You might find the owner rebuilding a player piano, or a weather station, or anything extremely mechanically complex… because that’s what he does.

There were able to fix a mantle clock that I had been told could not be fixed! They are so nice in there and knowledgeable, and even a bit excentric!

Dorian knows clocks. He identified my clock, gave me very good advice about not getting some work done now, and performed a small repair on my clock without charging me. When it is time to get the work done, and for any other clock and watch repair I will only go to Dorian.

I LOVE Dorian and Mike!
I had an old and unique vintage watch that needed work and, according to the internets,
this was the best place to bring my precious timekeeper.
The watch was telling me time again, and I wrote a check for it because I had no cash.
That’s how the story started.
After a few months and a couple of visits, I officially declare myself a fan.
Dorian is a living encyclopedia on clocks/​watches and what seems like
life in general! He tells amazing stories, and I never want to leave when I’m here!
Sometimes I look around to see what time it is, but with hundreds of clocks,
my eyes get confused and I go back to telling Dorian about my day.
Then comes Mike.
Mike is the shop keeper.
He’s black, fluffy, has amazing green eyes and is very very sweet.
The first time I came, he was at the window, and when I walked inside,
he had already jumped on the counter to greet me at eye level.
He’s a bit quiet, but never turns down a belly rub.
I hear he’s quite popular and can be bad with names.
He’s the king of the cardboard castle.
Oh. right. this is a review.
I bring my broken stuff here, and it gets fixed… but did I tell you about Dorian and Mike?

I went looking for a threaded thumbwheel for finer adjustment of the pendulum on our antique Seth Thomas 7 day clock. Not only did Dorian Clair have it (non-​standard threads), it was $ 5.00. And I had a nice conversation about the other clocks in our family and the really cool ones in the store. I would have give him six stars, but I dont like cats.

I am so grateful for the advice I got here! I have an old electric clock that I wanted to have repaired but Dorian saved me from all kinds of runaround & frustration. He was friendly, knowledgeable and gave me very pragmatic advice (and in the end, no business for him). I wish more locals shop operated like this!

There’s nobody like Dorian. He’s a legend in this business (if it has legends). There’s nothing he doesn’t know about clocks, no one he doesn’t know in the business.

He’s a really nice guy, but he just can’t seem to say no. He said he could fix my mother’s anniversary clock, but it would cost more than the clock was worth. I asked if he could just replace the balance spring, and he said he would do that for about $ 20. Six months and 4 visits later I finally picked up my clock, still in the bag, still in the same place on the floor, still untouched!

I had a great experience here. An elderly friend left me 67 clocks to sell, and I am clueless about clocks. Everyone said I should stop in to see Dorian, which I did one rainy afternoon. I also met Mike, his very friendly cat. I explained my situation, and Dorian said I could come back later that afternoon with pictures of the clocks.
I came back with my laptop a few hours later, and he spent at least an hour (if not more) looking at each picture, explaining things, noting dates and price ranges as we went. He knew details about each clock, and when he wasn’t sure of something by looking at it, he told me where I could look on the clock itself to find out.
It was really fun, and I got to see him interact with other customers while I was there. If I end up keeping any of the clocks, I will definitely bring them here for repair. Friendly people (and feline), great service, generosity and a nice neighborhood vibe. This store has a great feel. And the man knows clocks.

I recently inherited a cuckoo clock that my German Grandfather purchased in West Germany sometime in the 1970s. It is only a 24 hour clock (which he didn’t realize at the time) and it always annoyed him that he had to reset the weights every day… so eventually he bought a new clock that is 7 days. Up into the attic the 24 hour clock went!
My Grandfather passed away two years ago at Christmas time and we recently found the 24 hour cuckoo clock in the artist had my name on it because I was so enchanted by the Cuckoo bird as a child. One of the chains that holds the weights somehow was removed from the clock, so after seeing all the wonderful reviews here on Unilocal,I entrusted my invaluable treasure to Dorian.
Turns out, I really didn’t need to entrust it to him for very long! He reattached the chain right there on the spot… under the careful scrutiny of Mike the Cat. He commented on how many interesting things came out of the Black Forest in Germany and showed us another clock that he is working on that was made around 1894… so many treasures to be discovered, admired, and observed in his shop!
My mom has a New England clock that she and dad received as a wedding gift years ago and I will be bringing it in for repair one day soon. Any excuse to give Dorian my repeat business, see more of the wonderful clocks he has in his shop, and visit with Mike the Cat.

I called Dorian clock repair to ask about repairing an atmos clock. They told me a guy in SoCal who specializes in these clocks. He said that a lot of people will take them, but then just send them to this guy and put a couple of hundred dollars on top of whatever he charges. He suggested I just cut out the middle-​man and save some money.
So while I didn’t get a clock repaired at his shop, I respect his integrity for giving me good information. That’s why I gave them 5 stars.

Ever since I met him 5 years ago, my husband’s been talking about getting his grandfathers old clock fixed. It’s a mid-​century clock and it’s ridiculous how hard it is to find a good clock repair!
I finally called Dorian and when I asked him if we could fix it he said «no.» He only fixes antiques and I guess mid– 1900’s doesn’t qualify. He came across kind of elitist about his clocks, which I think rubs some people the wrong way, but he does have a guy who comes in every week to work on modern clocks.
What’s also great about Dorian’s is it’s exactly what you’d hope a clock repair to be. His storefront is oozing old clocks, mechanical parts, photos and who knows what else. It feels like what businesses used to be like when people took pride in their craft and in talking with their customers.
It took about a month and the clock is now working like a charm.

Holy 1.21 Gigawatts, I think I found Doc Brown’s shop!!!
(I fear going into there on the hour)
Aside from all of that, this man is fantastic. Friendly, knowledgeable, and to say the least, impressive. I took an inherited Grandfather clock in there for an overhaul. Sentimental at best, I thought is wasn’t worth much but Dorian informed me of quite the contrary. I felt like I was on that Antiques Roadshow commercial or something. He is a one man operation though so don’t expect your stuff back anytime soon.

I’m art student that needed to do some research on antique repair shops. I looked up antique clock repair and the description on google maps by a previous customer intrigued me. I stopped by this afternoon and was amazed. This guy is literally boxed in by old antique clocks. He’s very knowledgeable about the mechanics and he good-​naturedly invited me behind the desk to poke around and take pictures of the space.
I noticed Daniel G’s review and realized something. This guy deals with mechanical analog clocks. He doesn’t deal with power cords and digital clocks. If you want that repaired, head over to the hardware store or someone who isn’t an artist with gears, cogs and wheels. But if you’re looking for a guy to repair your family hierloom grandfather clock or a blackforest coo-​coo clock, this is your guy :)
Thanks Dorian for your conversation and answering my very clockwork naïve questions :)

I won’t trust anyone else with my clocks.
When I first walked in and said I’d had trouble with another service shop who couldn’t seem to get my clock working, he named them straight away — I guess it happens a lot. Entrust your old clocks to Dorian; he won’t be quick but he will do the job right.

It may seem incongruous to start a 5-​star review of a merchant with the declaration that he will not give you an accurate date for the return of your item, and that it in the best of circumstances it will take him anywhere from two to six months or more to complete his work. But for those seeking repair and restoration of mechanical timepieces, one might rightly ask what’s the hurry?
Over the past decade, Dorian Clair has overhauled five clocks for me, including a 200-​year old mantle clock with wooden gears. All are in near perfect working order, running better than they ever did when they belonged to my grandfather, who also repaired clocks. There’s a 6^th clock currently sitting somewhere in his shop, and I’ll likely not see it for many months, which is a good thing. Dorian tends to keep the clocks he likes around a while longer before repairing them.
If you need any further endorsement for Dorian’s work, you need look no further than the Ferry Building, for it was he who restored the clock several years ago during the renovation (he still personally adjusts the clock during the switch to and from Daylight Savings). His shop is a throwback to an earlier era (call to make sure he’s open, as hours can sometimes be erratic), with dark woods, vacuum tube radios (his hobby), and a distinctly unhurried pace.
If you can afford the time, this is an artist who will return your timepiece in the best shape possible, rewarding you with quality work lasting many years.