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      03-16-2014, 05:14 PM   #29
tony20009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David70 View Post
Thanks Tony, lots of good information.

Maybe I missed it but do you know if the manufacturer will fix it for a price (possibly not the same policy for all)? To me any warranty has a value but there are also limits to what it is worth. If I know worst case scenario is I can send it back to the manufacturer at least I have another way to get it fixed (at a price) and am assured it can be fixed.
The easiest way to know is to just ask. Email or a phone call are my preferred methods.

Generally speaking, so long as the watch isn't on their list of stolen serial numbers, a watch company will fix any of their products that need fixing. If a customer is paying for the repair, there's little doubt that they'll be willing to fix it and they'll charge whatever they think they can get away with, especially if they know they are the only ones who can perform the repair. (say if special tools or parts or part fabrication methods are needed)

Consider the "expensive ETA-based watch" example I mentioned above. I'm sure it crossed your mind that in the big picture sense, there are two side to that coin.
  • Side 1: If you buy say Jacob & Co's Caligula watch, you're spending upwards of $60K for a watch that has an ETA 7750 in it. Essentially instead of spinning a needle around, it uses the chrono movement to gyrate the hips and other body parts of little figurines that are fornicating. (NSFW: http://www.watchonista.com/2914/watc...%80%99s-behind) At that price, one'll likely want to keep the thing for a very long time, perhaps pass it on to one's kids or something. Well, it's quite possible that 40 or 50 years from now the 7750 is no longer a common movement and has been superseded by something else. Are there still parts around to replace any worn/broken ones if needed? Could the whole 7750 movement instead just be replaced with the newer chrono movement? Maybe. Maybe not.

    That's the risk with mass produced movements. Sure, that they are mass produced means it'll take a very long time -- probably far more than 40 years -- before part scarcity becomes a real concern, but at $20K+ price levels, that watch is going to hang around for a long time too (barring major catastrophe) and someday it will be a factor.
  • Side 2: If you buy a manufacture watch, especially a handmade (handmade, not hand finished) watch, it won't matter how long the watch or its movement have been out of production; the maker will still be able to deal with it. Yes, you'll pay through the nose to have the do so, but the fact remains that they can do so. All you'll need is (1) money, and (2) for them to still be in business when it happens.
So those are the two vantage points against which one must balance one's own set of pros and cons as goes choosing a watch. The two sides are more endpoints, factors, on a continuum than they are "this or that" alternatives. Much as it's be great if things were black and white, they aren't. Each person's situation is different.


The other thing to keep in mind is 3rd party watch repairmen (watchmakers). Quite often they too can fabricate relatively standard parts. Sometimes they can cannibalize parts from one watch and use them in another, even when the watches are totally different brands and types. No, they may not be able to reproduce or obtain the same identical part that was originally used in the watch, but they can often enough find one that will suffice without imposing any meaningful, negative impact on the watch or to the owner's user experience.


As for the value of a warranty, well, it's only good for as long as it's in force. Overwhelmingly, watches, even the cheapest of them, will last and work just fine well beyond the two year period that most watch warranties last. That fact is part of why GMSs are such popular places to buy watches. It's not impossible for there to be a "lemon" watch, but the chances of one being so are quite slim. GMSs sell authentic goods, the same goods that would have been sold either at the manufacturer's own boutique or at an AD's store.



The watches at GMSs aren't like, say the store branded clothing one finds at Nordstrom Rack. Nordstrom Rack (NR) branded goods are made expressly to suit the price point and marketing strategy associated with the NR customer and were never offered in the main-line Nordstrom's stores. It's not the same level of merchandise; the construction quality may be comparable, but perhaps the fabrics are less plush or the styling is plainer. Maybe the NR shirts use "basic" cotton rather than the long staple cotton found in John Nordstrom shirts that are offered in the main Nordstrom's stores. The watches at GMSs aren't that sort of merchandise.


Did I answer the questions you had? Let me know if I missed something as I'm not totally sure just which angle you were interested in.


All the best.
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Cheers,
Tony

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