Chelsea, ManhattanNY 10011

Master watchmaker on premises(646) 684-3500

A Chelsea workshop, since the brick was new

The vintage timepiece you stopped winding,
running again by next Friday.

Boris has run his bench in this small Chelsea shop for years. Watches your grandfather wore. Necklaces you thought were finished. Rings that didn't fit since 1998. Brought back, by hand, while you sit on the leather chair across the bench and watch.

Call Boris (646) 684-3500 Visit 122 W 20th

4.9

out of 5

Google rating

394

five-star

customer reviews

W 20th

between 6 & 7

our address

RolexCartierJaeger-LeCoultreOmegaPatekSeikoTudorLonginesTag HeuerIWCTiffanyVan CleefBulgariTiffany & CoRolexCartierJaeger-LeCoultreOmegaPatekSeikoTudorLonginesTag HeuerIWCTiffanyVan CleefBulgariTiffany & Co

The shop

A small bench on West 20th.

No drop-off, no mail-out, no third-party sub-contractor. The piece you bring in stays on this bench until it leaves with you.

Walk through the gold lettering on West 20th and the shop opens out into exposed brick, hardwood floor, a long jewelry case, and one workbench at the back. That bench is where every piece lives while we work on it. Nothing is sent out. Nothing is mailed off-shore. Nothing is done by a name that isn't Boris's.

Most of what passes across the bench is twofold. Watches: vintage, mechanical, automatic, the occasional quartz, brought in by collectors and by people who didn't know their inherited piece was a collector item. And fine jewelry: chains snapped on the subway, clasps that have given up, prongs lifted by a doorframe, rings that haven't come off in a decade.

Estimates are free, given in person, and based on the work the piece actually needs. Not the brand on the dial.

On premises

Master watchmaker

Estimates

Free, in person

Turnaround

Days, not weeks

Specialty

Vintage & antique

What crosses the bench

Eight services, one workbench.

From a $9 battery to a tourbillon restoration. From a single charm to a full chain rebuild. Everything Boris does, he does himself, on the workbench at the back of 122 West 20th.

Vintage & antique watch restoration

Pocket watches a century old, your grandfather's mechanical, the watch you inherited and never wound. Sympathetic restoration done by hand on the bench, never sent away.

II.

Battery & movement service

Rolex, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, Seiko and every modern brand. A fair second opinion before you authorise an authorised-dealer estimate.

III.

Fine jewelry repair

Broken clasps, snapped chains, lost stones, bent prongs, ring resizing. The pieces you wear every day, brought back to wearable in days, not weeks.

IV.

Charm bracelets & assembly

Whether you have one charm or eleven, soldered or jump-ringed, gold or sterling. Layouts laid out on the bench so you see the spacing before we set it.

While-you-wait small repairs

A clasp re-soldered, a watch link removed, a stud post replaced, a stretch bracelet re-strung. Walk-in friendly, often handled on the spot.

VI.

Polishing & re-finishing

Gold, sterling, gold-fill and mixed metals. Hand-finished, not buffed flat. Engravings, hallmarks and edge details preserved.

VII.

Vintage & secondhand jewelry

A curated case of pieces with provenance, set out alongside the workbench. Unusual, timeless, and often the reason regulars stop in.

VIII.

Honest estimates

Free, in person, while you wait. A real explanation of the work involved before any commitment.

Boris at his workbench in Chelsea Watch and Jewelry Repair, brick walls behind

On the bench

Boris, master watchmaker & jeweler

Who you're leaving your piece with

You hand it to Boris.

In the Google reviews customers don't mention the shop by name. They mention Boris. The one constant across 394 reviews is the same first name, doing the work himself, charging a fair price and explaining what the piece needs and what it doesn't.

That includes the kind of work that authorised service centres quietly upcharge for, fixed for an honest fraction. And the kind of antique restoration most New York jewelers won't touch, handled with a steady hand and a hundred-year-old loupe.

“Boris is extremely knowledgeable and fair with his business practices. You can trust him.”

Joe Malley, restoring two great-grandfather pocket watches

Letters from the bench

Five stars, three hundred and ninety four times.

4.9

394 Google reviews

“Chelsea Watch and Jewelry Repair is an absolute gem. Truly one of New York's best-kept secrets. From the moment you walk in, you can feel the authenticity, craftsmanship, and heart that goes into every piece they work on. Boris is in a league of his own.”

Berit Franwick

Necklace repair

Google

“I took my vintage Cartier Santos to Cartier for a battery replacement. The estimate came back at $486. Boris was amazing. In and out and $85 for my replacement. I will bring all my goods to this man.”

Alec Negron

Vintage Cartier Santos service

Google

“I am eternally grateful for the excellent work Boris has done on my behalf. I came in with two of my great-grandfather's pocket watches, well over 100 years old. He gave me a fair price and got them both working in time for the holidays. I gave them to my father for Christmas, in working order, and he was amazed.”

Joe Malley

Two 100-year-old pocket watches

Google

“Amazing job putting on 11 different charms. Everything was polished beautifully and done so quickly. They also fixed a purse clasp and another bracelet on the spot. Such great service.”

Kaydee Stumpf

Eleven-charm bracelet, on-the-spot repairs

Google

“Boris repaired my grandfather's 45 year old watch. It looks amazing and runs as if it's brand new. Boris was kind, easy to work with, offered a very competitive price, and completed the service very quickly. 10/10.”

Doug Saper

45-year-old grandfather's watch

Google

Read all 394 reviews on Google

Recent work

Pieces that left the bench running again.

A fraction of what passes through. Photographed in the shop, mostly with the brick wall in the background.

From the bench
Two-tone Rolex Datejust, in for a service

From the bench
Vintage Seiko Automatic, 23 jewels

From the bench
Inside the shop, looking back toward West 20th

From the bench
Antique pocket-watch movement, dial side

From the bench
Diamond cluster cocktail ring, finished

From the bench
Eleven-charm bracelet, soldered & polished

From the bench
Gold rings under the workshop sign

Brands we service

Authorized-quality work, without authorized-dealer pricing.

RolexCartierJaeger-LeCoultreOmegaPatek PhilippeTudorSeikoLonginesIWCTag HeuerTissotVacheron Constantin

Independent watchmaker, not affiliated with the brands listed. Bring the watch in for a no-pressure estimate before you authorise anything.

Visit the workshop

122 West 20th Street, between 6th and 7th.

Walk in. No appointment needed for estimates, batteries, or small repairs. For larger restorations, a quick call ahead means Boris can set the bench for the piece.