Walter Dikarev, at Walter’s Antique Clock & Watch Repair, at 240 W. 10th St., at Hudson St., is the West Village’s fixer of vintage timepieces. Ironically, though, you never know exactly what time he is going to open up for business each day.
Seated at his workbench, he has been a neighborhood staple at the location for 17 years. If you stop by, you might find him speaking to a visitor in Russian. Originally from Moscow, Dikarev, 67, works six days a week.
“My business is good,” he said. “I’m not complaining. It’s a very tough business. I’m a survivor. My policy is very simple: high quality, less prices and not cheating the customer. Absolutely.”
He doesn’t take credit cards.
This week, his projects included fixing five pocket watches from around 1900 and a few clocks from the mid-1800s.
Westbeth photographer Toni Dalton is a big fan.
“If I don’t have the cash, he tells me come when I have it,” she said. “Isn’t he adorable? I love to watch him use all the tools of his trade. A man came in the other day to pick up four very, very old, expensive clocks, antique gold clocks, and wrapped them in bubble wrap to bring them somewhere to a foreign land.”
