What Makes South Pasadena Tick?

A distressed middle aged woman walks into South Pasadena’s Vana Watch & Jewelry shop cupping a broken Longines watch—her only memory of her late grandmother. Make-up smudged and eyes moist with nostalgia, she is just about to give up on the 50 year-old timepiece.

That’s Watchmaker Jean Boujekian’s cue. The chief executive smiles warmly as he places the relic to his ear. His dark eyes tighten into tiny lasers and he begins to tinker with microscopic bits and bobs. In less than an hour he has diagnosed the problem: the watch is missing a balance staff. The part does not exist. Undeterred, Boujekian rebuilds the part from scratch soon breathing new life into the vintage ticker.

“At the right price I can fix anything,” Boujekian says confidently. “Most stores they don’t even have a watchmaker on premises so when you get to me you’re actually talking to one.”

These days there is a how-to for dummies manual on everything from building a home to changing a diaper. In an era of cost shortcuts and do-it-yourselfers, specialists like Jean Boujekian are rare.

Boujekian is a second generation watchmaker, starting a jewelry and watch apprenticeship with his uncle at only 12-years-old. While his peers were out flirting with girls or terrorizing the neighbors’ dog, he was vigilantly setting diamonds. By 15 he was building watches solo.

Vana Watch & Jewelry is family owned and operated. A ten-year-old staple of South Pasadena, Boujekian’s been the head cheese for the past three years in a place he is proud to call home. “South Pasedena reminds me of the Midwest, everybody knows everybody it’s a small town, everybody has a smile on.”

Boujekian’s workspace is like something out of a Salvador Dali painting–a patchwork of swinging pendulums and large circular clocks drip from the wall. Surrounded by ticks and tocks, Boujekian says he works to create a special experience for each customer.

“We give, we are very competitive, our service is excellent,” he avows.

Twenty percent of his business is jewelry—fitting diamonds, customizing rings and bracelets. But, it’s the world of watches that really makes Boujekian tick.

The variety at Vana Watch & Jewelry is practically endless. You can spend anywhere from $30 for a Timex to a more classy piece for around $6 thousand. He also is the king of sweet deals, once selling a stainless steal coronagraph for less than $12 thousand though the retail value was almost $30 thousand – that’s an 18 thousand dollar saving!

The watch-smith jumps at the opportunity to find a customer’s perfect fit amongst his 3 thousand different models in stock. It’s not a decision to be take lightly, says Boujekian. “For men, women will look at your shoes and then look at your wrist and be able to tell what caliber you are. So it’s definitely a statement.”

Boujekian speaks of chick magnets walking the sands of Santa Barbara. A man can be wearing swim-trucks and shirt, but still speak volumes about his love for outdoorsy adventure with “a water resistant watch that he can wear in the water,” he says.

If you are working man who likes to have a watch on all of the time, opt for the indestructible Swiss Army brand, Boujekian advises. A cocktail party favorite is the Luminox. “The trickium hands glow in the dark for 10 years without any light,” he adds. And for those who hope to wear their eco-friendly choies on their sleeves (literally) you can opt for the Bulovia, Seiko’s spring driven watches, and Citizen watches which operates off of solar power.

Despite the ever popular iPhone and Blackberry, Boujekian is convinced that watches are here to stay. He’s so confident, in fact, of the defining elegance of a watch-clad wrist, he’s already gearing up his toddler to go the way of the watchmaker. “We have a 2 year old that’s standing here as we speak holding my battery and making a mess.” This could take time. Fortunately, Vana Watch & Jewelry has the market on that!

Vana Watch & Jewelry is located on: 711 Fair Oaks Ave, Suite G in South Pasadena. For more information call (626) 799-9919.