Burbank Clock Repair Shop Since 1947: The Clock Specialist

The Clock Specialist at 4304 W. Victory Blvd. in Burbank will open the back of your clock, test it and quote the job for free, and that offer alone makes it the first clock repair shop most Valley households should try. The family-owned shop says it was established in 1947, keeps weekday hours of 10 am to 6 pm plus a short Saturday, and fixes everything from Herschede tall-case clocks to battery-era kitchen pieces.

The shop's own About page puts the founding year at 1947 and describes a business that has stayed in the same family for several decades, with a stated plan to keep bringing customers' clocks back to life. The services page adds that the team has repaired thousands of clocks over the years and that more come through the door every day. That steady intake is visible the moment you walk in: the room is small, and one recent reviewer described it as chock-a-block full.

The motto on the services page is blunt: if it ticks and tells time, they can restore it. In practice that covers antique wall and mantel clocks, grandfather clocks, pocket watches and music boxes. The brands the shop names outright are Herschede, Seth Thomas, Howard Miller, Bulova, Hermle and Gazo, which tells you the bench sees both American factory movements and the German mechanisms found inside most modern floor clocks.

The cheapest way in is to carry the clock through the front door. The services page says to bring your item in and the staff will inspect it, test it and give you a free estimate. For a mantel or wall clock that means you leave knowing the scope of the job before you commit a dollar, which is not how every repairer in Los Angeles County handles intake.

Bring the key, the pendulum and any weights wrapped separately, and mention when the clock last ran. Reviews give a sense of what the bench is like: one customer in September 2026 wrote that the shop repaired a vintage George Nelson wall clock, then fixed it again under warranty when it stopped a few months later, and kept all of the original parts. Another reviewer in July praised the owner for choosing repair instead of replacement.

A grandfather clock should not ride in the back seat, and the shop prices its in-home visits plainly. The services page lists $325 for a technician to come to your house, inspect the clock, lubricate it and adjust it within the Burbank and North Hollywood area, covering up to one hour of work. Any time after that first hour is billed at $125 per hour, so a clock that needs only oil and a beat adjustment usually stays inside the base fee.

Scheduling is more flexible than the storefront hours suggest. The site says early morning and evening appointments are available at no extra charge, and Saturday visits carry no surcharge either. The team also says it has driven service calls as far as Sacramento, San Diego, Ventura and Palm Springs, so distance is negotiable; ask about travel when you book.

The strongest reason to choose this shop is a tall-case clock that has stopped striking or has drifted out of beat after a move. The services page pairs repair with professional packing and transporting of grandfather clocks, so the same people who service the movement can also crate the weights, pendulum and chime rods when you relocate. That saves a second contractor and a second round of handling.

Smaller jobs are welcome too. Reviews mention a mid-century George Nelson wall clock on the bench and a good selection of vintage cat clocks in the showcase. Skip bringing a cheap quartz desk clock here for anything beyond a new movement, because the $325 house call and hourly bench rates are aimed at heirlooms; a fresh quartz insert from a hardware store is the sensible route for a $20 piece.

The shop states that work performed is guaranteed and that a total guarantee applies to full and complete repair jobs. If you decline the complete job and ask only for a partial fix, the site says you receive partial credit toward a full service later instead of the full guarantee. Ask which category your quote falls into before you sign off, and keep the paper ticket.

The site does not publish turnaround times, so ask for an expected pickup date when the estimate is written. If you need a mantel clock running for a holiday or a family event, say so at drop-off rather than calling every few days, and leave a phone number that takes texts.

Half the room is retail. The shop sells new Hermle floor and mantel clocks, Citizen watches and a rotating stock of antique and vintage pieces, and the online catalog lists Hermle floor clocks running well into five figures. Browsing the cases is a decent way to see how a properly serviced chiming movement should sound before you collect your own.

Burbank's studio economy shows up here as well. A dedicated page says the shop works with prop masters and set designers, rents clocks, luxury watches including Rolex, and jewelry for productions, and can serve as an on-site filming location. That explains the occasional production assistant at the counter with a call sheet and a list of period clocks.

Posted hours are Monday through Friday 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday 10 am to 2 pm. Saturday is only four hours long, so a weekday late morning gives you more time for a drop-off that needs a conversation.

If the counter is busy, there is little room to wait inside. Leave the clock wrapped in a blanket in the car, step in to ask how long the queue is, and come back with it once the bench is free. A grandfather clock owner should phone ahead instead of driving the whole case over; the house call exists for exactly that reason.

The shop sits on West Victory Boulevard on Burbank's west side, a quick drive from the Magnolia Park stretch of Magnolia Boulevard, where vintage clothing stores, record shops and small cafes line the blocks. After dropping off a clock it is an easy place to browse mid-century furniture and housewares, and you may spot the same era of wall clock you just left on the bench.

Plan the clock errand first while the shop is open, then drive the short hop over to Magnolia for lunch. If you came for a film prop rental, the studio lots of central Burbank are close enough to combine the errand with a pickup at a production office the same afternoon.

Address: 4304 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505. Hours: Monday to Friday 10 am to 6 pm, Saturday 10 am to 2 pm. In-shop estimates are free. House calls in the Burbank and North Hollywood area are $325 for up to one hour of inspection, lubrication and adjustment, then $125 per hour; early, evening and Saturday appointments add no surcharge.

Bring keys, crank, pendulum and weights labeled left, center and right for a weight-driven clock. Ask whether your quote is a complete repair so the full guarantee applies. For moving a tall-case clock, ask about the shop's packing and transport service at the same time you book the repair.