Layne’s Clocks

Layne’s has been around since I was in utero. This awesome family legacy of clock craftsmen/​women know their stuff and don’t dilly-​dally when it comes to telling you what you need.
I brought in a clock that my Mom had on her mantle since I was a kid. I recently rediscovered it bruised and battered in a dusty makeshift bubble wrap coffin in my folks’ garage. I grabbed the clock and decided to have Layne’s breathe new life into the thing.
Honestly, it was probably not worth what it cost to repair it but it has nostalgic and sentimental value so I rolled with it. I was also appreciative that the staff at Layne’s didn’t simply direct me to their trash can when I brought it in.
I was given a few options for similar sounds, actions and pendulums and informed they would do all they could to preserve the original look of the clock.
The whole process took about a week and the finished product was exactly what I envisioned. I highly recommend Layne’s for any clock repairs, sales or concerns.

Affordable and fast watch battery replacement. Had my battery replaced for $ 10 in about 5 minutes. Everywhere else I called in town charged a lot more than that. The shop has some epic clocks, too.

Great service. I took my mother’s West German cuckoo clock from the 70s here to be repaired/​restored. After two weeks waiting on an estimate for the job, I was told they couldn’t repair it; they said it was made as a tourist item and not meant to be repaired. I understand and appreciated the honesty. The lady at the counter was very nice and friendly on both my visits about this clock. My only complaint was that the estimate took so long with no upfront notice. I wasn’t in a hurry but it would have been helpful to know that process takes so long. However, if I ever need clock/​watch repair again I will give them another try.

The final installment of «A Tale of Two Post Offices»
I watched my little mom sadly walk up the long driveway, kettle bell purse and cane dragging in the pea gravel.
Still smarting from the USPS drubbing, I turned up the Lynyrd Skynyrd, dropped the MDX in drive and spun out, kicking up a cloud of hot Tucson dust.
I’d be damned if I’d let the postman rob me of my birthright (say it like Christopher Walken)
So I got my head together and went straight to Bert Layne. I didn’t know if they could fix this Black Forest beast, but I wasn’t going to let it roll around in the back of my ride anymore.
I walked in to the smallish store and gently squeezed by some huge grandfather clocks, my uncomfortably large and damaged package just clearing the expensive merchandise.
Hey– can you fix this?
Hmmmmm.
For a $ 25 diagnosis fee. But you can apply that to the repair cost, if you choose to have us fix it.
Fair enough.
Bert Layne and his staff were really professional, called me back within a couple days and let me know what was going on and what the damage was. They gave me an estimate of the cost and how long it would take.
Fair enough.
So in less than a week, I got the cuckoo clock back.
Noisy, busy, but oddly charming.
Fun fact time!
In Greek mythology, the mighty Zeus turned himself into a cuckoo to seduce Hera.
A pathetic quivering storm beaten cuckoo.
Hera took pity on the washed out bird and let him into her room and into her heart.
I’m kinda guessing that’s what happened with my mom.
The repair cost? Well let’s just say it was worth it.
Bert Layne has a sh*t ton of different cuckoos and grandfathers in his shop, and also sells and repairs watches. Cool stuff, good people.
Thanks, Bert Layne, for making this story have a happy ending.

This clock store is pricey and we took back our Howard Miller clock shine they were charging $ 600.00 for changing springs etc. Took it home and it worked perfectly! Beware! All it needed was lubrication.

Given this is one of the only places to get my old German clock repaired I am kind of stuck getting it repaired here. The people are friendly enough and they do good work. The only down side is they are pricey and it takes 2 – 4 months in order to get my clock repaired.