Liljenquist & Beckstead — Attraction in North Bethesda

My husband had been doing research on purchasing a Rolex and finally decided to go to a authorized dealer to see what they had in stock. After a few failed attempts of finding what he wanted, while we were leaving from one establishment I went online to search for another store to check for more authorize dealers near me. Liljenquist & Beckstead was one of the responses that came back so we decided to give them a call to see what they had in stock and to see if they had a particular watch my husband was looking for. When we called, we spoke to Ms Cindy and were told that they did not have that watch in stock, she told us that she insists us visiting the store when we had an opportunity to see what they had. My husband decided that we were going to go then while we were out. When we arrived we were warmly greeted and asked to speak to Ms Cindy. Ms. Cindy came out from the back room and we informed her that we were the ones whom she just spoke to on the phone regarding the Rolex. She was very happy that we came in and proceeded to show us the Rolex watches they had in stock. My husband tried a few on, but realized the ones they had wasnt what he wanted. Ms Cindy took note of the watches he was interested in along with size and told us another shipment will be arriving in about 10 days and she will contact us when she gets one in stock. Honestly we thought she said give her 10 days but it very well could be the excitement of purchasing a Rolex that caused the confusion. She gave us a beautiful gift bag with some literature on Rolex which was very much appreciated and we left. After a few days my husband was getting very impatient and was even considering purchasing one from the grey market. We made a second visit to the store about 3 days later to see if anything may have changed and to keep us top of mind. Ms Cindy informed us still no change in stock and assured us she will contact us as soon as she gets something. On the 9th day my husband was going to make that purchase from the grey market and before the person could get back to him, he recieved a call from Ms Cindy, and she told him his watch is there. He was so happy that she kept her word and called. She told him whenever he gets a chance to come in he may do so and he made time to go that day. He informed me that the service he recieved when they did the sizing to how much knowledge Mr. Mohammad had when speaking to him about his new watch and giving him valuable information was amazing. He is so happy with his purchase he is already planning to get another one for his birthday. We were very pleased with this company and definitely reccomend anyone looking for a Rolex, and even jewelry as well as other luxury watch brands to please visit them. You will receive exceptional service and view such...

I'm not sure why I have such difficulty with posting my review - it wouldn't show up publicly at first until I changed it from 1 to 2 stars and then it went public for only 2 weeks before being taken down again. I think it's important for me to share my honest review and my experience with L&B b/c it was very upsetting to me. But I will say that the owner's response was very empathetic and apologetic. We all make mistakes and I think as long as someone from that store acknowledges it and wants to prevent it from happening again, that goes a long way. But here's my original post again (with some edits) and hopefully, it'll post this time. I took my late father's circa 1970 Rolex there for a band adjustment and possible refurbishment and left being told that his Rolex was a fake. Of course, I was stunned and disappointed but it was the way the condescending watch repair guy told me that was off-putting. The salesman who initially talked to me was nice but then he went to the back room and summoned some watch 'expert' who quickly and bluntly said, 'first of all, it's not a real Rolex'. The reasons he gave were 1. the 2 toned jubilee band did not have a gold tone on the undersurface and 2. the watch 'felt' too light. And then, with a wave of his hand, he says, 'so I can't help you' and walked away. Well, it's a good thing I didn't take his word for it because I then had it examined by 3 true knowledgeable Rolex experts and they independently verified that the watch itself was authentic but the band was an aftermarket product. So, this unprofessional watch 'expert' who was so quick to judgement almost led me to doubt that my father had a real Rolex for 50 years which he cherished. The moral of the story is, always get other opinions and definitely don't trust this 'expert' from L&B who jumped to a conclusion based on the appearance of the band and the weight of a watch (which was probably lighter bc of the aftermarket band). Save your time and money and go to a real watch store such as the one in Pikesville, MD. They were the ones who ultimately appraised my father's watch and certified its authenticity, found a genuine 2-toned band for replacement and will be refurbishing (which they will only do for authentic Rolex's) the genuine Rolex watch that my father worked so hard to buy 50 years ago and...

Having recently moved to the area from Chicago where I had a longstanding relationship with another jeweler, I found Liljenquist & Beckstead through word of mouth and in walking through Montgomery Mall. I stopped by to say hello and was greeted by Harold who spent time chatting through my interests in Rolex timepieces and what I might by interested in should I decide to purchase another watch in the future.

Unfortunately while out on a business trip shortly thereafter, one of my watches was stolen from me which I was absolutely devastated by. While it hadn't too much trouble procuring the piece when I had purchased it originally, in talking with Harold after the loss, it became apparent that demand had skyrocketed since and it would be extremely difficult to come by a replacement (something my insurance provider also informed me of).

Harold offered to keep his eyes out should a piece come in but was upfront that it would likely take time. To my surprise, in a casual visit this afternoon to say hello after having spoken with him on the phone to check in, Harold mentioned he had something in the back that I might be interested in and, lo behold, promptly produced the same model of the watch that I had lost last year to see if I'd like to purchase my replacement!

That might have been the easiest purchase I've ever made and, couldn't be more pleased with my experience with Harold and Liljenquist & Beckstead. While I'm ecstatic that I have a replacement for my old watch on my wrist, I will definitely be back when ready to start hunting for my next piece or if I'm ever in need of jewelry!!

Harold, thank you again for all your guidance and help - looking forward to catching up next...