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Getting a high end watch serviced when there isn't any serious problem with the watch?

5K views 26 replies 8 participants last post by  mlcor 
#1 ·
Straightforward question.

Watch is quite okay (there is a pretty big scratch running right through the brand logo on the case that bothers me a lot, and the timekeeping accuracy is not perfect but at the same time not that bad either, etc). However, my stamped warranty soon runs out. I've seen or heard many people around me sending in their watch to get it fully serviced at no cost, in order to get their money's worth out of the stamped warranties, right before their date expires. This will eventually extend the watch's maintenance cycle until the next service period. Apparently according to some people's experiences this is okay because the brand accepts the warranty and service the watch for you without asking any questions - or am I mistaken and this is a wrongdoing? Considering the fact that the service costs about $1,000, it seems like a good idea to prolong the cycle by 2-3 years.

Any thoughts? Should I send in my watch, if I could get my case perfectly polished (which, unfortunately is a gold case so I will have to give up some gold percentage) and perhaps readjust the timekeeping to something like within +2 seconds per day, since it is "free"? Any experience regarding this matter?

In normal circumstances I would of course never send in my watch when there isn't any noticeable problems, but you know, if it's a stuff offered to me for free, why not grab onto that opportunity? (Reminds me of an Eminem song: This opportunity comes once in a lifetime!)

Thanks in advance, gentlemen!
 
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#3 ·
Theoretically I guess, but have you had personal experiences where problems other than manufacturing defects were covered in the warranty? A close friend of mine dropped his JLC Master Calendar and got it damaged, but he sent the watch to the service center, saying "it wasn't me!", it was covered by the warranty and the service center did not ask him any questions, he got back a fully serviced watch free of charge. Seen it happen myself.

I meant it as "claiming that my watch's accuracy is weird" -> they check, and they get it serviced regardless of finding an actual big problem -> something like case polishing is an optional sugar frosting while they do their service (or maybe not, doesn't matter - important thing is they overhaul the movement)-> voila.

Well, a brand representative I spoke to said the warranty covers "everything except if the watch is dropped". Those were his words, and looking at my friend's experience I'm starting to think I should send in the watch for servicing! Ho ho ho!
 
#5 ·
Maybe you're right. I'm still in the middle of a dilemma, not sure what I will do yet. Just wanted to know how other people did/think about it.
 
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#6 ·
A ship is always safe at the shore - but that is NOT what it is built for.
― Albert Einstein

Question: Do you wait to take your car in for an oil change, brake/brake fluid replacements, or have new tires put on only when you smell or see oil burning, hear the screech of metal, or experience a blow out? Just like the machine you daily to travel about, the innards of your watch cannot be seen and may not show any apparent signs of wear, yet if you were to wait for obvious signs of attention being needed, you expose yourself to the risk that more than a comparatively inexpensive maintenance event is what in fact you need when you do take it in. As the owner, it's entirely your decision to take that risk, but know that is what you are doing, making a wager regarding what will or will not be needed. Depending on how much you know about the watch's movement, you may or may not be making the bet with more knowledge than, say gambler pulling a slot machine's arm.

Do you absolutely have to adhere with the manufacturer's guidelines re: servicing frequency? Yes and no. Some watch movements are like fancy car motors in that no issues will manifest themselves as long as you adhere closely to the maker's maintenance recommendations. Others are far more forgiving of one's not doing so. I've several times of late reminded folks of the barrel bridge issue associated with the JLC movement known as the AP 2120/2121 and VC 1120 movements. (That movement has never appeared in any JLC branded watch.) A watch having that JLC motor inside needs to be serviced as recommended by the maker lest one make the barrel bridge issue come to the fore. Replacing that part will be very expensive and it'll be an expense that's necessary to keep the watch working as expected.

On the other hand, lots of folks routinely ignore the service schedule advice of the makers of ETA and/or Rolex movements, for example, and suffer no great harm. Even my father who, for example, didn't service his Rolex DJ for some 40 years and had to pay ~$4K to have it repaired didn't come out the loser in the end. Why? Because if one sums what Mother paid for the watch in the 1970s with what Daddy paid to have it fixed last year, one sees he's spent about the same as it'd have cost to service the thing every two to four years over the span of 40 years.

(One caveat: strictly speaking he did "lose" overall because he chose to buy a new watch to wear while his DJ was being repaired. Had he just gone to my house and grabbed one of my watches instead -- LOL; I suggested that; he declined -- he wouldn't have been the loser at all. Even just buying a cheap watch to "make do" would have left him a "winner." He bought a JLC, which at the end of the day is fine because it's his money, and spending it wasn't going to alter a thing in his life.)

Can one make certain concessions for a low use watch? Yes, to a point. The primary thing that makes a watch need servicing is friction, the friction of moving parts rubbing against each other. So long as the lube inside the watch is viscous enough to keep the abrasion at the maker's expected level, there's little reason to send many movements (that is, ones that don't like the 2120 have known potential issues suggesting otherwise) off for service every 2 - 4 years when the watch is rarely used. To get away with that, however, one has to at least run the watch briefly but routinely to keep the lube inside from clumping or settling in one part of the movement. Certainly if one keeps the watch on an auto-winder all the time, one is going to have to stick with the maker's maintenance schedule because an auto-winder simulates daily wear.

So what does all that mean? It means nobody can tell you what to do with your watches. You have to identify your own degree of risk taking or risk aversion, pay attention to the watches yourself, and use your judgment. Perhaps the first step in that is, upon buying a new watch making sure to have it regulated/adjusted so you know what the baseline performance (accuracy/precision) will be when everything is in the ideal situation. If when the maker's recommended service point arrives you observe the watch performing worse (even by a tiny amount), it's pretty safe to say that taking it to have it serviced is a good move. If the drop in performance doesn't bother you, you can wait, but know that the watch is telling you that you are on "borrowed time." If, on the other hand, the service point arrives and you aren't regularly observing a variance, you can likely get away with delaying service, provided, again, that the watch's movement isn't one that has known traits that indicate just having it serviced because the time window has arrived.

Final word: watch maintenance, and when to have it done, isn't a precise science. There are rules of thumb, largely driven by common sense, and that's what I've shared above. If you lack confidence in your judgment and/or lean toward risk aversion, it's easy: follow the maker's instructions.

All the best.


The greatest value of great wealth is not that it buys one things, but that it buys one options.
- Tony20009
 
#7 ·
Tony,

thanks for your insight. I was well aware that the watch is pretty much going to be okay for another 5-7 years (IMO the maintenance cycle should be at least from 7 years to maybe 10~15 years depending on the performance of the watch), but as I said, this is only tempting because it is FREE!

... if I choose to send in the watch by this year, that is.

It's like, it's 2 pm, you already had your lunch, you wouldn't pay your money to get another sandwich, but then you stumble upon a restaurant that says "FREE SANDWICH FOR EVERYONE UNTIL 2:10 PM!", and you realize you aren't that hungry but you aren't that full either. Heck, free food always tastes good, to certain extent! This is exactly what my current dilemma is about. I don't "need" it, but getting one wouldn't necessarily do me any harm (of course, there are tons of variables, like say an accident occurring during the transportation, but in general it is a logical assumption). Plus, when you have a warranty for an expensive watch, you kind of want to get your money's worth and invoke your right to get a warranty before it expires!

It will be up to me eventually to make a final decision, and I know there are ups and downs - but thank you. I just wanted to see if any other high end watch owners tried this method, since the maintenance cost isn't that cheap. Perhaps because of different culture, in terms of service - for example the boutique workers are insanely nice to customers here (there is a saying customers are kings), could be a reason why they got my friend's "watch that has been damaged due to owner's fault" serviced for free - so I will have to be careful before making any rash decisions.

Thanks again, and to other high end watch owners, I'm still waiting for any of your experiences! ;-)
 
#8 · (Edited)
Tony,

thanks for your insight. I was well aware that the watch is pretty much going to be okay for another 5-7 years (IMO the maintenance cycle should be at least from 7 years to maybe 10~15 years depending on the performance of the watch), but as I said, this is only tempting because it is FREE!

... if I choose to send in the watch by this year, that is. ...
I must admit that in quickly perusing your OP, I missed the bit about "free if done by EOY." Sorry. FWIW, does your watch warranty cover service? Few do. Most warranties cover repairs, which are not the same thing as service, even though a repair may yield the same final results as a servicing.

Free is never a bad thing and, no, there's absolutely no harm in having the watch serviced early. Just be sure that you know whether they are committing to servicing the watch. If they are only "on the hook" to check it out and service it if it needs it, that's fine, but you'll want to know whether they did service it or just checked it out. The former will push out the time before the next servicing; the latter will not.

All the best.

P.S.
When did you last have the watch serviced? Or when did you buy it new? If within the past year, I'd say this is a deal you may as well let slip by unless your piece is an "every two years for service" one.
- T
 
#13 ·
Tony,

I myself bought a new-condition watch year ago from a dealer, but it came with a stamped AD warranty that had the purchase date of 2014 August. My brand's warranty covers 2 years, hence the August of this year.


mlcor,

thanks for the info! Now that I know brands like AP offered such warranty, it is a bit reassuring. I decided to just ask the brand directly to clear up any confusions, whether or not they cover a "free service" in their warranty, just in case. Going to use my undercover email to get the answer out of them secretively!

I'm not sure what you guys mean by "if that's going on with the OP", but since I heard from a brand representative that the warranty "covers everything except if the watch is dropped", and other people having experience of sending in their watch within the warranty period for a free service (didn't know AP would be an example though), I just assumed all brands could do that too. By this I didn't mean that all brands "formally offer" this, but rather that it is possible to "exploit this opportunity" with all brands. So no, I wasn't thinking of a warranty that is "officially offering a free maintenance" when I was starting the OP.

Still, knowing that a top brand like AP offering that is really, really reassuring. It seems that there might be a chance that my brand officially offered such opportunities after all - I will get back to you when I hear back from the brand.


Meanwhile, other people's experiences and their stories would be still helpful, so whoever is reading this, fire away if you got one!
 
#14 ·
Tony,

I myself bought a new-condition watch year ago from a dealer, but it came with a stamped AD warranty that had the purchase date of 2014 August. My brand's warranty covers 2 years, hence the August of this year.


mlcor,

thanks for the info! Now that I know brands like AP offered such warranty, it is a bit reassuring. I decided to just ask the brand directly to clear up any confusions, whether or not they cover a "free service" in their warranty, just in case. Going to use my undercover email to get the answer out of them secretively!

I'm not sure what you guys mean by "if that's going on with the OP", but since I heard from a brand representative that the warranty "covers everything except if the watch is dropped", and other people having experience of sending in their watch within the warranty period for a free service (didn't know AP would be an example though), I just assumed all brands could do that too. By this I didn't mean that all brands "formally offer" this, but rather that it is possible to "exploit this opportunity" with all brands. So no, I wasn't thinking of a warranty that is "officially offering a free maintenance" when I was starting the OP.

Still, knowing that a top brand like AP offering that is really, really reassuring. It seems that there might be a chance that my brand officially offered such opportunities after all - I will get back to you when I hear back from the brand.

Meanwhile, other people's experiences and their stories would be still helpful, so whoever is reading this, fire away if you got one!
The line between true self and feigned self is blurred on all sides.
― Gayle Forman, Just One Day


First, as this has gone on for a while now, what make and model of watch are you specifically discussing with regard to your inquiries?

That would be among the most helpful pieces of information for you to have shared in your OP so that we can give you good feedback on what may or may not be necessary or worth doing. You seem to want good and actionable input, but you've made it hard for us to give it to you by forcing us to make assumptions about what's in play and forcing a broad based discussion of the matter. That you didn't share that info, that is the simultaneous ambiguity and vagueness and specificity found in the OP, made me uncertain as to whether you wanted specific input or wanted to have a general discussion. If the latter, I can only say that the specific example you cited, and that which mlcor cited, are exceptions to what I've observed as the "standard line" watch companies have published over the past ~40 years re: warranties and what they include and/or don't; it's just not historically what one can or should expect (barring special circumstances like a long standing relationship/rapport with a maker/seller/service person). Your brand may be an exception and were you to tell us what it is, someone here almost certainly will know what specific input to give you. (Alternatively, nobody will and you'll discover that as well and determine that you need to speak with your local seller, the manufacturer, or your "watch guy.")

As an aside, what be the relevance of pointing to such exceptions in a general discussion, while at the same time asking about and referring to one's specific watch that one has yet to identify is beyond me. That is but one of the things about which I lack certainty as goes this thread. (See the "blue" section below.)

I think for casual watch consumers and collectors, there's a thrill of sorts that comes with buying a long sought after watch or just getting a new one on impulse. More committed collectors experience the same thrill as well, but they, IMO, also consider factors that likely would diminish some of the emotional high a casual buyer feels were s/he to focus in part on them. The matter of warranty coverage and servicing is one such factor. It's surely more fun to just pop into a store, see a cool new watch and buy it than it is to only do so after thinking about how much repairs and service cost and how often or whether either will be needed.

If you haven't read this -- Forbes Welcome -- you may find it helpful, particularly the following paragraph:
Rolex isn't just increasing their watch warranty to five years, but is also extending a new "service interval recommendation" from three years to 10 years. This is an interesting development because it means that Rolex is saying their timepieces can be worn for 10 years before they should go in for a cleaning and servicing. Getting a watch serviced is not covered under warranty but is something that if done less often can save watch buyers money. Rolex, unfortunately, isn't paying for their watches to be serviced, but at least buyers can feel more confident that Rolex's mechanical movements have a lot of durability. The reality, through the experience of many Rolex owners that I've known, is that Rolex watches can often go much longer than 10 years between service needs.​

With ever increasing watch prices, and thus ever growing profits (not that the jewelry industry wants for high profit amounts and margins), combined with watch companies using very low cost tactics to force consumers to them and away from independent watchmakers for service, the watch industry (the whole of the jewelry industry really, but let's stick with watches going forward) has figured out that they need to offer something beyond the intangible cachet of status and "ooh, la, la" attributes like Geneva stripes and perlage, viewed through presentation casebacks, for example.

The astute reader and avid collector will have noticed from the Forbes article that Rolex bumped up its warranty to five years from the prior two years on all its watches; however, only a few of the watches have "new and improved" movements and the overall fabrication methods haven't really changed for any but their Rolex Day-Date models. Closely following and learning about watches or not, one doesn't need to be all that savvy to realize that the watch's "goodness" was no different when they had but a two year warranty than it is now that the warranty period has been lengthened, particularly for the 3000 series movements Rolex have been using for decades. Therefrom comes the reason I've so often written about using one's judgment and common sense when it comes to recurring maintenance of most watches. It's no different with Rolex than it is for most any other HEW, yet there are a few well known exceptions.

I've elsewhere on WUS written about service and its cost implications re: HEWs. At ~$1K/watch as a rough minimum, it can be no sum to "sneeze at" for folks who have a lot of pricey watches. Do "high volume" customers get breaks on the cost of service? Sure they do. Many are the times I've dropped in to see what's new at my favorite sellers and mentioned something about service and been told something to the effect of "Oh, just stop by with it and drop it off. We'll take a look at it and give it a "touch up" if it needs something, no charge. You've bought so many watches from us, that's the least we can do." Mind you, there's a limit, and I understand that. I sent my father to my local guy with his "dead" Rolex, but it was too far gone for them to fix it gratis.

Now can I tell someone else that will be their experience with that shop? Not at all, nor would I for it sets the wrong expectations. At the end of the day, things like that, along with price concessions on purchases, come down to the relationship one has with the seller. Whereas I've bought four Rolexes from one retailer, I suspect that Rolex yet hasn't any idea I exist (beyond what is in their databases), but I'm certain my local retailer does. The same is so with at least one of my watchie friends. We met for tennis and then watch browsing a few years back, and the store manager was quite surprised to find us there together. "You two know each other? You're two of my best customers." In our chatting over the years, we'd figured that out, even though neither of us ever mentioned it to any store personnel. LOL.

The preceding provides some additional insight into the difficulty that arises in trying to answer the "where should I buy it" questions that appear on WUS. One can't very well attest to how negotiation and perqs process will pan out for folks about whom one knows nothing and who further share little to nothing about their watch buying/collecting goals. The relationship has a lot to do with getting concessions on price, both selling price and service price. Plus, there's just no way to here on WUS, or to casual acquaintances, say, "I usually get 25% to 40% off MSRP at 'such and such' a retailer" and legitimately expect they can accomplish the same thing going there for the first, and perhaps only, time over the following decade or more. Nobody -- not me, not the seller, and not the potentially disappointed other buyer whom neither I nor the seller know better than Adam's housecat -- has anything to gain from that sort of thing.

Another thing to be aware of is that for nearly all authorized dealers and many brand boutiques, the dealer/boutique is owned by someone other than the manufacturer. Even when the retail outlet is owned by the maker, it's often part of a different division than is the manufacturing and servicing unit(s) of the maker's company. In either case, if/when the retailer sends a watch to the maker, or maker's service center, the business event is handled like an external transaction. That is to say, the maker sells the service to the retailer, who in turn pays the maker. You and I as the retailer's customers then pay the retailer for the service. How much does the maker charge the retailer? You and I will never know. It could be a negligible sum; it could be a "one off" price agreed upon between the retailer and the service center/maker; it could be something else. About the only thing one can be sure of is that if the retailer is willing to "eat" the cost of the service to you and me, it's customers, it's not so much that it'll have a material negative impact on profits.

Blue and off topic:
At the start of this section, let me say that if I recall correctly, you are the member who mentioned that English isn't your first language. Assuming I'm correct, I respect and appreciate your having shared that info for it allows me to offer the following thoughts only as information, not as criticism. Even if you are a native speaker of English, the remarks are offered nonetheless just to point out the basis for the difficulty some readers may have in accurately understanding the nature and extent of the situation and events you've shared. We can all make reasoned inferences, but that's not the same as being certain.

"If that's going on with the OP" means the writer of that statement read what was written and feels insufficient and/or insufficient precise information has been presented for them to feel as though they fully understand the situation being discussed; therefore, they have had to make assumptions with regard to how they understand the matter, and they realize the assumptions they made may or may not "pan out" to be true. That's all that phrase ever means.

Take, for example, the remark you shared with me at the start of your post quoted herein (post #13). I take it to mean that you bought a pre-owned watch a year ago, and it is a watch that was originally sold by one of the brand's authorized dealers, and it has one year remaining on the manufacturer's warranty. Even as that's how I've interpreted your sentence, I'm not entirely sure that's what you meant. Why? Because:
  • I have no definite idea what a "new condition" watch is, but I inferred it means "used watch in excellent condition." Had you written "used watch in excellent condition," I'd know exactly what that means.
  • Given that we are talking about service, not warranty repairs, I don't know what import the "new condition" state of the watch has to do with anything for warranty work and service are, for the overwhelming majority of watchmakers not dealt with together under the auspice of a warranty; thus I'm uncertain why you mentioned it.
Also in post #13, you wrote about your "undercover email" and getting info "secretively." I have no idea what to make of that. Are you so famous that your "non undercover email" would make the seller or maker know who you are? If you are, use that fame to your advantage; odds are good that doing so you won't have to pay for service now or in the future. ;-)

All the best.

Haydon was more than his model, he was his inspiration, the torch-bearer of a certain kind of English calling which - for the very reason that it was vague and understated and elusive - had made sense of Guillam's life till now.
― John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
 
#15 ·
haha Tony, I was just being playful about undercover thing, since my plan of "sending in the watch saying it has problems(when it does not), and eventually get a free service when they check it" is not really an honest action to take. And voila, just got back a reply. The brand replied with "no we don't cover free services".

And I was just having a general discussion (since the point was to hear about other people's experiences, if there were any). If there were other sly people who thought the similar things as I did, I thought it could help me make my decision. It could also be interesting to see if someone sent in their watch thinking it has a defect, but turned out it didn't, and brand sent back the watch either... serviced, or nothing they just checked. Because personally, I don't think it is logical for them to "send it back with nothing done at all" .... it makes sense for them to at least clean the movement, or polish the case, or etc. But I could be wrong, and that is why I was looking for other people's experiences.

By the way, my watch is Endeavour Small Seconds from H. Moser & Cie. :)
 
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#22 · (Edited)
haha Tony, I was just being playful about undercover thing, since my plan of "sending in the watch saying it has problems(when it does not), and eventually get a free service when they check it" is not really an honest action to take. And voila, just got back a reply. The brand replied with "no we don't cover free services".

And I was just having a general discussion (since the point was to hear about other people's experiences, if there were any). If there were other sly people who thought the similar things as I did, I thought it could help me make my decision. It could also be interesting to see if someone sent in their watch thinking it has a defect, but turned out it didn't, and brand sent back the watch either... serviced, or nothing they just checked. Because personally, I don't think it is logical for them to "send it back with nothing done at all" .... it makes sense for them to at least clean the movement, or polish the case, or etc. But I could be wrong, and that is why I was looking for other people's experiences.

By the way, my watch is Endeavour Small Seconds from H. Moser & Cie. :)
Red:
Okay. I understand now.

Blue:
No surprise there.

Green:
Well, I respect your thinking that, but trust me, HEW watch companies don't. Cleaning a watch (inside) requires removing the lube in there too because the dust and other particulate matter in there (if any) isn't going anywhere until the lube is gone too. The only way to thoroughly "disappear" the lube is to disassemble the watch (a manual activity) and then cleaning the parts, usually in a cleaning machine. I think if they could just drop the whole watch into a cleaning solution as jewelers can with rings, bracelets and necklaces, they might once in a while give customers (who don't abuse it) a free clean and lube, but even that is unlikely. To understand why, watch the videos referenced below. (You probably need not watch them all in their entirety to get the idea in the context of this discussion.)

Watch movement cleaning machine in action:



Lubing just one part of watch movement that has been cleaned:



Servicing a watch:



You see, once the movement has been cleaned, the lube is gone. Now all the contact points have to be re-oiled and it's not as simple as just squirting some oil here and there and calling it a day. That's not to say watch companies need to charge $1K+ to do the stuff they do, but rather that it's involved enough for a maker like HMC and other HEW companies who stick to the most demanding/discerning (and frankly labor intensive) approaches to watchmaking and/or watch maintenance. To companies like that, doing nothing and telling you so is better than doing "whatever" in a "half-assed" way.

Frankly, I agree with them in that regard. My watch motors aren't like the ones for my cars or even blender or household HVAC units. Whereas I might, or at least could, "lift the hood" and see if I can identify anything that looks odd or that clearly needs addressing, I cannot and will never do so for any of my watches. That's likely so for most folks, and the watch companies know it. Thus watch service prices and practices come down to "what the market will bear," not what's morally justified. And quite honestly, when talking about $10K+ watches, the market, at least customers in the HEW maker's target market, is quite able to bear quite a lot. :-d

All the best.
 
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#16 ·
Most service providers will not service a watch unless it shows signs it needs service. They will look at the movement under magnification and see whether lubrication is present and in good shape and they will put the watch on a timing machine and check to see whether the movement has good amplitude and low beat error in different positions. If the movement shows problems they will service it, otherwise they will just regulate it. I'm unaware of any maker who will service a movement under warranty because an owner says they want it serviced. Out of warranty they will be happy to service it, if you ask for it to be serviced since they will be getting paid for servicing it.

The net. If your watch is running properly and is not in need of a service, there is probably little if anything to be gained by sending it into the manufacturer for warranty service.
 
#17 ·
Most service providers will not service a watch unless it shows signs it needs service. They will look at the movement under magnification and see whether lubrication is present and in good shape and they will put the watch on a timing machine and check to see whether the movement has good amplitude and low beat error in different positions. If the movement shows problems they will service it, otherwise they will just regulate it. I'm unaware of any maker who will service a movement under warranty because an owner says they want it serviced. Out of warranty they will be happy to service it, if you ask for it to be serviced since they will be getting paid for servicing it.

The net. If your watch is running properly and is not in need of a service, there is probably little if anything to be gained by sending it into the manufacturer for warranty service.
I see. I'm slowly leaning towards not sending in my watch, about 60%. FYI, mlcor has pointed out one example of brands who do offer free services within their warranties, and that was Audemars Piguet.

OH, and wait, I have a more crucial question. If one's watch indeed had a "manufacturing defect", and they send it in for the free warranty service, do they also polish the case while they're at it? Or they service the movement alright, but send the watch back with dirty cases? I know that outside of warranty, they ask you if you want to get it polished or not + ask for money, but what about during the warranty period?
 
#19 ·
I'm honestly surprised at how casually this is being discussed. Warranty = customer protection against manufacturing defects. Ongoing service = maintenance, paid for by customer. It is really that simple.
If someone is claiming a nonexistent defect in order to get a free overhaul service and a scratch removal - that is essentially fraud. Unless I'm missing something...
If this was a question posed after buying a used watch from an individual and trying to squeeze in freebies - everyone would be in an uproar, but since it's a corporation it's ok? Don't think so.

OP. Sorry, but buck up and pay for scratch removal and overhaul service next time the watch needs it. Ongoing service costs are part of the ownership experience.
 
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#21 · (Edited)
Yes, although I don't like the expression it could be viewed as a fraud. I'm well aware the ongoing service costs are part of my ownership experience, and I don't have any problems paying for it in the future, but my friend getting a free service on his JLC when he dropped the watch himself kinda made me jealous. It seemed like everyone was exploiting such opportunities behind the curtains and I was the only one abiding by the rules like a fool. Hence the reason for the OP! Glad that people in this world are still honest ;)

On the second thought...

I'm still confused. If the watch is clearly dropped and the damage is from exterior sources, how the heck did the JLC service center just service my friend's watch without asking anything? They aren't a fool, they could have seen that watch did not break because of manufacturing defects. People here say "that's fraud, no, that shouldn't happen" but I don't understand why JLC actually did it for him. Hmm. Quoting from Sheldon Cooper, curioser and curioser!
 
#23 ·
Wow, it is true I was't thinking that deep into how much effort it would take for them to service the watch completely (i.e. haven't occurred to me that cleaning the components resulted in oil-less parts) Looking at the third video (servicing manually wound watch) right now and it surely is breathtaking in certain perspective.

Thanks for the insightful videos Tony! Now I'm leaning towards not sending in my watch about 95%. Hmm!
 
#26 ·
Actually my watch is not the perp cal one, but rather the entry level model of the brand; it only has small seconds (previous name was Mayu). And because of their patented escapement module that can be easily replaced, they say that their service period is typically less than 8 weeks, and that is if you don't count the fact that watches under warranty goes to the front of the line. This is what I like about H. Moser & Cie - their inventions are customer friendly and ingenious at the same time! :)

On a side note, I really want their perp cal..... IMO one of the best perp cal out there.
 
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