James & Williams Jewelers — Local services in Berwyn

I read a number of positive reviews of their watch repair service, so I decided to give them a try. A short while ago, the crown of my Orient Kamasu dive watch popped off. I brought the watch in and a few weeks later I received a call with an estimate to repair the watch for $150. I originally purchased the watch for $270 new, but I didn't mind paying $150 for the repair as long as the watch was repaired with similar parts and functionality (i.e. a screw-down crown.) In other words, I wasn't looking for OEM parts, but I did expect the original screw-down crown to be replaced with a screw-down crown, at the very least. Unfortunately, this was a very poor assumption on my part. When I went to pick up the watch, I realized that the crown was replaced with one that was not a screw-down. When I asked about this, the responses / excuses I received were ridiculous. My favorite was, "it doesn't really matter because the watch is ONLY water resistant, so you shouldn't submerge it in water anyway." What?? The watch is a dive watch that is water resistant to 650 feet! The whole point of the screw down crown is to maintain this water resistance. Not to mention that despite what Rolex claims, there is no such thing as a waterproof watch. From Tourneau's website: 'The truth is that no watch is waterproof. There is always a limit to how much water pressure a watch can handle. The term "waterproof" implies that a watch can't leak under any circumstance—that no moisture will permeate the case and get into the movement. However, under certain circumstances anything can leak. Therefore, in the watch industry, we refer to a watch's ability to withstand water pressure as water resistance.' Using James & Williams' logic then, there would be no such thing as a dive watch because no watch should be submerged in water unless it is waterproof...which doesn't exist! I would love to hear Omega's response to someone telling them that the Seamaster Plofprof shouldn't be submerged in water because it's ONLY water resistant to a depth of 4,000 ft. Ultimately, James & Williams offered to keep the watch and ask their watchmaker to check if they could replace the crown with a screw-down crown. I declined this option as my confidence in their ability had already been shaken - if they initially had the opportunity to repair the watch properly but chose not to do so, why would I feel comfortable giving them another chance? I paid the $150 for the "repair" and left the store. As a matter of business practice, there would have been two appropriate ways for James & Williams to handle this situation: 1) Let me know that they would not be able to install a screw-down crown BEFORE doing the work, or 2) Not charge for the "repair" that wasn't really a repair. My advice for anyone who trusts this store with their timepieces: make sure you have a complete understanding of what the "repair" of your watch means before you agree to the service. I...

Being the procrastinator that I am, I stopped in James and Williams a few days before Christmas- looking for a last minute gift for my wife.

I had the pleasure of meeting Judith K. There were many options and price points- something for everyone. Got to admit, it was a bit overwhelming at first glance- but then the conversation with Judith began. She asked some very simple questions- and then some that i would have never thought of. After chatting for 5 min, we headed off to check out her recommendations. Literally, the first item she showed me- was EXACTLY what i needed (although I did not know it when i walked in). She positively narrowed down the selection- and found exactly what i was looking for.

My wife is very picky, so admittedly, I was a bit nervous come Christmas morning. Her eyes lit up the moment she opened the professionaly wrapped box. Part of her must have known that I did not pick the earrings out alone, but unlike many Christmas gifts in the past, she wears these often.

Highly recommend this store for those who are shopping for themselves or for others. The staff is accomodating and the whole process was not intmidating at all. Everything was very casual, friendly and quick.

Thanks again Judith...

I’m giving this 5 stars but I’m disappointed in my last experience. I brought 2 rings in to be repaired and sized. The gentleman who helped me measured the ring I was wearing, which was a wide band, at a 6/1/2. The rings I was bringing in, one was a very narrow band and the other slightly wider. He insisted I get the rings repaired at a size 6, but then agreed to a 6-1/4 when I voiced my objections. I felt the slightly wider one should be the same as my current ring, 6-1/2. Both he and the woman there kept saying it would be too loose. Well, I should have stuck with my initial thoughts and the wider one should, in fact, have been a 6-1/2. That one feels slightly snug. It’s wearable, but it would have been better slightly looser. I’m sure in the summer when it’s hot, I won’t be able to wear it at all. The repair work they did on both of them was excellent. We come from 20 miles away to go to James and Williams. We grew up in Berwyn, our wedding rings were purchased there, my parents purchased jewelry there, and I feel I can trust them with my jewelry. However this time was disappointing. Would I use them again, probably. Would I...