Meet DR. TIME

Dr. Time is David Dettmann, son of Richard & Marjorie Dettmann who were the original owners of the shop.  Dave was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1961. His parents were far from rich, living in a small apartment on the east side.  His father worked in a furniture store during the day and at the local brewery at night.  This afforded them just enough money to get by, as the minimum wage at that time was 85 cents an hour.  They moved several times over the next 5 years living in places from Waupaca, Wisconsin to Fargo, North Dakota, and finally ended up in Wausau, Wisconsin in the fall of 1966.  In 1977 they opened the "Fine Clock Shop" which stayed open for 29 years. In 1979 Dave graduated from Wausau East high school, and 30 days later enrolled in the “Horology” course which was taught at M.A.T.C. of Milwaukee. 

     The unabridged dictionary describes horology as: “ho-ro-o-gy:  The art or science of making timepieces or of measuring time.” The term originated in 1810 from the Latin word “Horo” which means time, and although it doesn’t sound like a word you’ve heard before, you are familiar with it in words like “Horoscope”.

     Under his instructor, world-renowned horologist and watchmaker Gerald C. Jaeger, Dave learned more about clock repair than 99% of other self-proclaimed clock repairmen in the United States.  He also was schooled in watch repair and jewelry making. Wishing to excel at clock repair, his instructor modified the course for him alone and focused on advanced clock repair techniques instead of furthering his watch & jewelry making skills.  His clock customers would later become the beneficiary of this.  After he graduated from the school in 1980 he returned to Wausau where he took over repairs at his parent’s retail store, the “Fine Clock Shop”, and then went on to buy the repair department re-naming it “Dettmann’s Clock Service” in 1982.

     In 1985 he opened “Buried Treasure Jewelers”, a fine jewelry store located next to the Fine Clock Shop.  He sold every type of jewelry and offered a full jewelry repair service at discount prices.  He ran the jewelry store for 3 years, but his love was clock repair, so he closed in 1988 and concentrated on his true expertise.  You see, by 1986 his customer base had grown state-wide, with repairs coming in from as far as 200 miles away.  His customers started calling him “Dr. Time”, so in 1989 he changed the name and opened his own store at 1015 Wausau Ave. called “Dr. Time’s Clock & Gift Shoppe”, where he specializing in repairs of all kinds, sales of used clocks, and Black Hills Gold. 

     In 1994 his parents decided to retire and move to Florida, so Dave took over the family business and he and ran it from 1994 thru December of 2005, after which he closed the shop in Wausau, WI. and moved to Cape Coral in SW Florida in 2006.

     Calling Cape Coral his home, Dave instantly became a hit with several jewelry stores who regularly refer him business, and has branched out his service call radius to include Punta Gorda, Bonita Springs and Naples, although he still kept close ties with Wisconsin and made several trips there every year to perform service for the customers that were willing to wait.  In June of 2021, Dave moved a portion of his repair shop back to Wausau, Wisconsin and continues to travel back and forth between Wisconsin & Florida, taking in repairs from all over the world.  Having a secondary location back in Wisconsin has helped customers new and old connect with him for every kind of repair necessary. Dave is “The Expert”, and probably the only true 'Snow-bird' in clock repair.