Josef's Clock & Watch Shop — Local services in Oakland Park

Minus 5 stars for the jeweler in service who tried to tell me misinformation about my own stone and adding back one star for the sweet jeweler who fixed my fiance's watch and to the other who gave us coffee.

Coming from someone who has been borderline obsessed with moissanite for 7 years, I consider myself well informed about the stone and its chemical properties. In the past I've been to other jewelers who scoff at the name of it and refuse to work with it, only because it's an amazing alternative to diamonds. Unfortunately I have to add Josef's to the list. For those of you who have never heard of the stone I suggest you do your own research. Originally a "space rock" that is now created in a lab it is the rarest gemstone on Earth. It's a 9.25 on the hardness scale, making it slightly less hard than a diamond but harder than ALL other gemstones (emeralds, sapphires, rubies, etc). Moissanite also has what's called double refraction which makes it more sparkly than a diamond, comes at a fraction of the price, it will never cloud, and you're supporting something ethical.

I came in to get my prongs tightened on my new ring, not wanting to mail it back to the original jeweler since I just got engaged. The jeweler at service only becomes snarky once she finds out my main stone is moissanite and proceeds to tell me even though people say its hard, it is not. I asked if its softer than emeralds and sapphires and she said yes, which I know is a lie. I cannot support a business that spreads misinformation and blatantly lies about a physical composition of a gemstone. She proceeded to tell me it will probably crack and once again it is a soft stone. Stones that are harder (diamond) are less likely to scratch, yes. BUT harder stones (diamond) are MORE likely to crack and chip due to their hardness, making them more brittle. Diamonds also have what's called cleavage planes which make them more susceptible to splitting or cracking. Moissanite stones do not have cleavage planes, their composition is more uniform and solid making them less likely to have this problem. She also mentions I will keep having problems with my setting because it is set so high, but then comes back to tell me my stone is set too close to the bottom, so which is it??

I'm very disappointed in Josef's. I hope you can please educate all jewelers on moissanite even if you don't support it. No matter the stone I believe all customers should be treated equal. Spreading lies is never okay. I will not be shopping for my wedding band here nor suggesting Josef's to any of my friends who are all at an age to...

Such a disappointing service. I came here not even two years ago with a family heirloom grandfather clock after it stopped running and they told me I would to have everything inside the clock fully renewed and it needed a complete refurbishment. They gave me a price of $780 and while I thought the price was pretty steep, the clock is very meaningful to me and so I went ahead and had Josef and Joseph fix it. When I got the clock back it was not initially running smoothly and they had to fix it again, but without charge. Now, barely two years later, the clock has an issue again. It will run for 3-4 hours and stops always at the exact same place before the 6 or 12. I took the clock in to Josef and Joseph and waited to get a call back for an estimate. After over a week and no call back, I decided call them and the clerk let me know they did not have an estimate ready. After another week with no call back, I called and again the clerk let me know they did not have an estimate ready but then an hour later I got a call back that it would be $550 and they would need to completely take the clock apart. They can’t go from not having any estimate ready to having it ready in the next hour because the clock would need to run for a few days to understand the problem. It was clear they were scamming and overcharging me especially since it was not even two years since they completely renewed the clock!!! I told them not to touch it and when I went to pick it up and try to understand where they got this price, I was told the springs inside were very old and would need to be changed. I told the clerk that’s what they did two years ago, and she even checked the service I got and confirmed the springs were changed when they repaired the clock the first time!!! Two year old springs are not old springs for a clock… especially that has always run for DECADES without needing repairs so frequently. I wouldn’t traditionally write a bad review but this was just so disappointing and I spent a lot...

I recently took several watches to this shop to have batteries replaced and service done. I spent over $250. It has been the most disappointing experience. In particular, I took my 500M scuba dive watch there to have a battery replaced and pressure tested. I went scuba diving a few days later. Once I was back at the surface I felt that the back plate on the watch was loose. I took it back to the shop. The watch was still working but I knew there was salt water intrusion. A few weeks later they told me that I needed a new movement and the cost would be $350. Never mind that the watch cost me $250. How can this back plate come loose if it was not attached properly!!!!??? I called them and they gave me the run around and did not budge. There is no way that the back could have come loose if it was screwed on properly. They did not apologize, offer any compromise and basically blamed me!! I never saw the pressure test report printout. I have been diving for 15 years, had many scuba watches and had them pressure tested. They also did not ask me if I wanted to pick up the watch. This business does not seem to care. I have spent a fair amount of money there in past few years and sent them business. It is such a let down. If you like your watch. Do not...