Henry Bowers founded Bowers Watch and Clock Repair in 1943 in the back room of a shoe store in the Rock Springs Shopping Plaza. By June of 1946 he was able to move into a larger store at 1590 Piedmont Avenue near Ansley Mall. Over the years all of his sons, Douglas, James and Thomas, worked and learned the trade at this location. Even the wives worked there with Henry’s wife, Gwine, answering the phones and helping to administrate the business, and Thomas’ wife, Monica, running the shipping department, handling 75 to 150 parcels daily.

Training was very natural in the large building with many benches and work stations. Henry Bowers’ trained many apprentices, several of which were handicapped, and in October of 1964 he received an award as the Best Employer for the Handicapped. One trainee was Dean Beck, a well-known watchmaker in the Brookhaven area who specialized in Bulova Accutron repairs, and more recently another trainee who has since moved on to a position with Cartier in Atlanta.

In 1976, Douglas along with his wife, Maria, who was an expert watchmaker trained by Bulova, started his own business in Decatur which was successful for many years until health reasons forced him off the bench. This was also the year that James and Thomas purchased the company.

Thomas’ sons were involved with the business by the time the business moved to the Broadview Shopping Center in 1979. By 1980, Thomas was able to purchase the company as the sole owner.

Today, Thomas continues to run the shop’s house-call service, repairing Grandfather clocks, something most people are surprised to find today. Using the electronic training he received in the army, he’s also able to repair electric clocks and many "art" clocks.

His son Michael, with over 25 years on the bench, handles the Watch Department, Web site, and the in-house printing while his other son Tim, on the Clock bench since 1988, has repaired most types of clocks.

Tim's son, Ben, has recently begun working in the shop part-time and will be the fourth generation to do so.

While others seek to profit by cutting corners or recommending unnecessary services, the Bowers Family believes that a good reputation and consistent service serves the customer better in the long run.

A full service shop, Bowers’ watch department has a vast parts supply including replacement crystals and gaskets. Other services include case polishing, dial refinishing, and quartz conversions for some irreparable movements. Its clock department provides in-home service or house calls in addition to servicing most type of clocks and retrofitting un-repairable movements with battery quartz movements.