Mountain View, California

The watches of Mountain View have a home.

A small shop in Grant Road Plaza, behind where the Rite-Aid used to be. Same-day batteries, watchband repair, car key fobs — and the careful restoration of antique Swiss movements by appointment.

Plan a visit (650) 969-5601

Fig. I. Swiss lever escapement — the heart of a mechanical watch.

I.

The Shop

For nearly two decades, M & S has cared for the watches of Mountain View. The shop began as a small counter inside the Grant Road Plaza Rite-Aid — a kiosk you walked past on your way to pick up a prescription, a five-minute battery swap while you waited.

When the Rite-Aid closed, the watchmaker took the work next door and opened a storefront of his own. The yellow letters on the black sign went up. The clock-face logo of M and S took its place between the two words. The kiosk had grown into a gallery.

What changed wasn’t the work; the shop still does same-day batteries and watch bands for anyone who walks in. What changed was the room around the workbench — a little more space for the patient, careful work that doesn’t fit between aisles of cough syrup.

The owner is a quiet craftsman. He repairs antique Swiss watches on commission and as a hobby — the kind of unhurried restoration work that gets shipped to luxury service centers in other zip codes. Here, it happens on the workbench behind the counter.

Walk in with a $10 battery; leave in five minutes. Or come back on a Tuesday with a watch your father wore and find someone who’ll listen, then take it apart, then set the click of an escapement right.

II.

The Craft

What we do, from the quick to the careful.

  1. i

    Quartz Batteries

    Same-day battery replacement for most watches. About $10. Walk in — usually done while you finish your errands at the plaza.

  2. ii

    Watchbands & Straps

    Replacement, resizing, and custom fitting. Leather, metal, rubber — bring the watch, we’ll find the band.

  3. iii

    Mechanical Movements

    Swiss and Japanese, manual wind and automatic. Cleaning, regulation, movement replacements, capacitor service for Eco-Drive and other solar pieces.

  4. iv

    Antique Swiss Restoration

    By appointment. Vintage and antique pieces are restored on the workbench behind the counter, the careful way, on the watchmaker’s own time. Bring the piece in; we’ll talk about what it needs.

  5. v

    Pocket Watches

    Cleaning and repair for inherited pocket watches and railroad-era pieces. The shop has the loupes and the patience.

  6. vi

    Car Key Fobs

    Battery replacement for car key fobs while you wait. The same small kindness as a watch battery, just on a different shell.

III.

Recognition

Checkbook also notes prices roughly 9% below the Bay Area average for watch repair.

IV.

Visit

Find us in Grant Road Plaza. Park in front. The door says OPEN in neon.

Address

1040 Grant Road, Suite 315 Grant Road Plaza Mountain View, CA 94040

Free lot, Grant Road Plaza.

Open in Google Maps

Telephone

(650) 969-5601

Call ahead for antique restoration appointments.

Hours

MonClosed
Tue10 – 7
Wed10 – 7
Thu10 – 7
Fri10 – 7
Sat10 – 6
SunClosed

Closed 2–3 p.m. each day for lunch.

The shop door at M and S Watch Gallery in Grant Road Plaza, with a red neon OPEN sign and a poster reading watch and car key batteries while you shop.
The door, Grant Road Plaza.

Bring the watch in.

The kettle is on, the loupes are ready, the workbench is clear. Whether it’s a battery in ten minutes or a movement in three weeks — you’re welcome at the counter.

Call (650) 969-5601 Hours & Address