Universal
Watch Repair
Is Growing
Nationally

KIMBERLY UFTON STAFF WRITER

III ever tell Efim
Khankin a watch
can't be repaired. He
knows better.
Mr. Khankin's
reputation as the fix-
it man of last resort
has helped a tiny re-
pair shop flourish
into one of the
largest individually owned
watch repair businesses in the
country.
The president of Southfield-
based Universal Watch Repair
has seen his business grow from
six accounts in 1978 to more
than 800 today, with clients in
every state but Hawaii.
Each day, the shop's 12 expert
technicians take in about 250
watches, an estimated 50,000
a year. And its management
team — Mr. Khankin, his wife,
Lyudmila, sons Lenny and Boris,
and marketing director Candy
Rosen — is certain the figure will
continue to grow this year.

Efim Khankin supervises repair staff.

"Some people can fix some-
body's grandfather's watch,"
Lenny Khankin said. "But we
can fix somebody's great-grand-
father's watch."
Mr. Khankin credits the
business success in part to a
specialty he learned in the for-
mer Soviet Union, where he
worked for a large company
that repaired watches no one
else could fix.
"There is no such thing that
a watch can't be fixed," Mr.
Khankin said. "We specialize in
high-grade and complicated re-
pair."
Last week, technicians were
working on a 1920s Rolex pock-
et watch sent from Mary
Healey's Fine Jewelry in Little
Rock, Ark. It is a family trea-
sure handed down from a
grandfather.
The back casing would not
stay closed and the minute
hand needed to be re-attached.

A technician repairs an old watch.

The comapany
now has
800 accounts.

"We sent it to Rolex, and they
said they couldn't fix it," the job
order said.
Universal is so sure of its fin-
ished product that when most
watches are returned to clients,
they come complete with a two-
year warranty — a year longer
than other repair houses offer.
More difficult jobs, like antique
watches, get a year warranty.
Among clients are several lo-
cals and Sterling Inc., an Akron,
Ohio-based chain that owns
jewelry stores throughout the
country. Watch firm clients in-
dude Seiko, Citizens, Longines
and Universal Geneve.
The firm also restores an-
tique wrist and pocket watches
and does work for collectors and
vintage dealers.
"I've almost reached my
dream," Mr. Khankin said. "As
a watchmaker in Russia, I al-
ways wanted to have a shop
downstairs and an apartment
upstairs."
Instead, he and his family
have a home in Southfield and
work together in a 3,000-
square-foot office that the firm
may soon outgrow.

Mr. Khankin's story is simi-
lar to those of many other im-
migrants. He came to the
United States with the help of
the Hebrew Immigrant Aid So-
ciety in 1977 with $20 in his
pocket, his family, and no job.
He visited Jewish resettle-
ment agencies. At Jewish Vo-
cational Service, employment
counselors advised Mr.
Khankin to learn English and
consider a new career. Jobs like
his were hard to come by, they
said.
Mr. Khankin was surprised.
He wasn't a doctor or an engi-
neer. How much English did he
need to repair watches? With-
in two weeks, he began work-
ing for the company he took .
over six months later.
He figures his first big break ,cf
from an account from J.C. Pen- -
ney. He got the account, lost it 7,
shortly thereafter, and he be- >-
came angry.
(=
..c
He translated his anger into
productivity and vigorously
sought other accounts with the
help of Ms. Rosen.
"We got Sterling, and then it
snowballed," he said. El

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