John Bouwman Clockmaker

We brought our family heirloom to Mr. Bouwman’s shop believing we would be looked after in a professional manner. Mr Bouwman looked at our clock, reviewed the previous repair history with us, and explained what he thought was the problem. I believe he was completely correct in his diagnosis, and he outlined his repair plan, which seemed reasonable, along with an approximate estimate and timeline for repairs.Five months later, there had been no movement, and after several follow-up calls, and we informed Mr. Bouwman that we would be picking our clock up again. As soon as he learned that he would not be repairing the clock, he wanted us to pick the clock up immediately, as it was taking up space in his shop. We lived an hour’s drive away.We picked up the clock the next day. It was still hanging in the exact spot Mr. Bouwman had hung it five months previously, and the weights were still in the same paper towel wrap and plastic bag we had left them in when we left. In spite of several phone calls, Mr Bouwman had not even touched our clock.We found another clockmaker in Jordan, Ontario. His estimate for repairs was less than half the “starting” estimate from Mr. Bouwman, and he repaired the clock for that price. It took five weeks, and the clock has been running perfectly since the work was done eight months ago. Part of this clockmaker’s repair policy includes coming to your home to set the clock up, as well as a one year written guarantee.I believe Mr Bouwman has the knowledge and expertise to do excellent work. His demeanour and work ethic, however, indicate that it might be time to turn the shop over to someone else.

I've used him twice without any issues. He fixed my wife's watch which was ruined by accidentally dropping it in water. He repaired it within a reasonable amount of time (about 2 weeks) and it has work perfectly since. I also use him to replace batteries in our expensive watches since I don't trust a kid at a department store watch shop with a high end watch. John is very knowledgeable about watches and clocks.

I have had nothing but exceptional service from John. He has been trusted with repairing and restoring several watches and clocks that are treasured by my family. His clock repair can take several months, however, he is very clear and honest with you as to what is involved. He is straight forward, and will generally discourage work on clocks that have poor initial quality if the cost of the service is going to exceed the value of the piece. It is obvious from reading some reviews that this can be taken as a slight, when he is really doing you a favour. (I speak from personal experience here!)My husband is a vintage watch collector and trusts only John to repair his timepieces. He has sent several other collectors to John with positive feedback.In summary I would highly recommend John for your clock and watch repair. He is friendly and genuine....it's not his style to kiss your a**. He is very talented at his trade. You will get an honest and respectful opinion from a man with passion for his work.

I just took one of my husband's favourite watches in for repair. The watch had not worked for several years but John found the problem quickly and fixed it while I waited. I found John to be friendly and knowledgeable.Thanks for the great service!

I was looking for the Hamilton watch featured in the movie Interstellar. After contacting some big chain jewellery stores, John not only answered my emails but took the time to explain & describe the watch. I was very pleased with my special order and kind service. A true professional.

I went in to Mr. Bouwman's shop to look at and discuss Hamilton watches. While there he took the time to answer my questions in a way that only someone in the business, and with the years of experience could do. Your not going to find that level of knowledge from someone behind the counter of a department store!I highly recommend him, and yes, I did end up purchasing a watch and I'm very happy with it.

My wife and I brought in a couple of old clocks and a couple of old pocket watches that had not worked in a long time. Not knowing what to expect, John was right on with his pleasantness and with his honesty about the clocks and watches. He explained the problems right away to us on both the clocks and watches and advised that it would be too costly to repair any of them, as they were not really worth it to spend the kind of money that it would take to get the old Gilbert clock ,(especially), going again, as the parts were not going to be available to get it back to new condition. Before we left, I asked if he could adjust the watch band on a new watch that I had purchased recently, he did this without hesitation and free of charge. I would not hesitate to comeback and have John repair any of our other clocks or watches.

To be fair, they may provide adequate service but I will never know. What I got treated too was a condescending lecture about servicing high end watches. If you are looking for a reasonably priced or personalized service of your higher end watch you might as well send it to the manufacturer as that is exactly what he said his prices would be like.

I went to this shop last week to get my antique wall clock fixed. It was bonging the wrong time. I received wonderful service from John and his associate. Not only was he able to fix my clock, he showed me how to reset it when it bongs the wrong time. Excellent shop and excellent service. I would not hesitate to bring my clock here.

I went to John Bouwman wanting to fix my grandfather's gold watch, which wouldn't wind properly. After opening the back and muttering a few things under his breath, he said the watch needed rare parts, which he wouldn't be able to source. Too bad