IWC Warranty issues
Discussion
Looking for some help, a friend of mine has an 11 month old IWC chrono which has stopped working (button seems to have jammed) it has been kept in pristine condition and having sent it off to IWC via the purchasing jeweller they have sent a report through claiming that the defect is NOT covered under warranty and is down to damage causing the failure? The bill for repair is £1400 and clearly hard to swallow so ive been whether this can be argued but ultimately unless they accept this is a failure with their watch and not outside influence I guess he's stuck with the bill? Anyone had any similar experience?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
Without seeing the watch itself it's hard to say, but a few points might be relevant. I'm assuming tht by "button" you mean the winding / handset crown rather than a chrono pusher?
(1) Is the watch classed as water resistant and, if it is, to what depth?
(2)If it is water resistant does it have a screw-down crown or plain
(3) had he noticed any sign of condensation inside the watch before it failed and, if so, how long before the problem happened?
The reason for those points is that a "stuck" crown is, in probably 90% of cases, due to water ingress rusting the stem and / or winding gear. If the watch is rated as water resistant then it's entirely possible that he'd have a vaild claim but they'll resist on the basis that he "must have exceeded its rating" or "must have left the crown unscrewed".
Sadly, regardless of the guarantee situation, if they don't play ball he's likely to be stuck with their repair price thanks to restrictions on parts supply (see my last post on the rolex oyster servicing thread below).
Obviously, such restrictions are all for the benefit of the owner and nothing to do with being able to charge a captive audience over a grand for 4 or 5 hours (tops) work!
Personally I'd be approaching people like watchdog if I owned one
(1) Is the watch classed as water resistant and, if it is, to what depth?
(2)If it is water resistant does it have a screw-down crown or plain
(3) had he noticed any sign of condensation inside the watch before it failed and, if so, how long before the problem happened?
The reason for those points is that a "stuck" crown is, in probably 90% of cases, due to water ingress rusting the stem and / or winding gear. If the watch is rated as water resistant then it's entirely possible that he'd have a vaild claim but they'll resist on the basis that he "must have exceeded its rating" or "must have left the crown unscrewed".
Sadly, regardless of the guarantee situation, if they don't play ball he's likely to be stuck with their repair price thanks to restrictions on parts supply (see my last post on the rolex oyster servicing thread below).
Obviously, such restrictions are all for the benefit of the owner and nothing to do with being able to charge a captive audience over a grand for 4 or 5 hours (tops) work!
Personally I'd be approaching people like watchdog if I owned one
I believe IWC's are water proof/resistant even with the crown wheel unwound but I could be wrong. The crown wheel itself can be a bit temperamental and I have had a few problems on my wife's Da Vinci but with a bit of gentle persuasion have managed to rectify the issue. The other problem to avoid is trying to change the date when the hands are in or near the 12 o'clock position.
Iam pretty sure its the Chrono pusher that wasn't working properly (button click done and didn't return to original position) ive been told the bill includes £400 odd for a service (why its 11 months old!) and a new crystal glass as it apparently had a scratch on it which my friend said he had never noticed!
If it's chrono pusher then about the only thing an owner could do in a year to make it stick is smack it against something hard enough to bend it, soak it repeatedly in something that attacks the seal rubber (and probably his skin), or maybe wear it daily down a coal mine (without cleaning it) so it clogged with dust. You might think he'd have noticed if he'd done any of those with it!
I'd be asking for a detailed report of exactly what the pusher problem is, what they claim caused it, and how they'll be repairing it before agreeing to proceed.
I'd be asking for a detailed report of exactly what the pusher problem is, what they claim caused it, and how they'll be repairing it before agreeing to proceed.
AlanThomas said:
Iam pretty sure its the Chrono pusher that wasn't working properly (button click done and didn't return to original position) ive been told the bill includes £400 odd for a service (why its 11 months old!) and a new crystal glass as it apparently had a scratch on it which my friend said he had never noticed!
At 11 months old it most certainly does not need a service, and sapphire crystal (which I trust IWC use) has a mohrs hardness of 9, so unless you've been rubbing it with a diamond ring it will not be scratched. This whole thing sounds to me like your local IWC service and repair center thinks its customers are muppets. Take your complaint to the head office and see if you get any better service. If not then go to an independent as a stuck push button is most likely only a rubber seal that has become dislodged and is preventing it springing back.You are correct about the hardness of synthetic sapphire Lorne but to state nothing can touch it except a diamond isn't entirely correct. I have lots of watches with sapphlex crystals and a few of them are scratched, not by diamonds but by things which are hard. Wallop a crystal on a metal doorframe hard and if it doesn't shatter it'll still scratch.
To make it more oilfield; milled or insert teeth will still cut/crack/erode crystalline quartz/granite, but it will knacker them very very quickly. But they will still do it, they will just wear out very fast! (Then it's time for a diamond impreg and a turbine...)
Scratch a knife on a quartz crystal and it leaves a metal streak. But keep doing it and a groove will appear in the quartz. The knife will be wrecked sure, but it still happens.
I'd insist they left the crystal alone and ask why a warranted watch needs a service after 11 months. Then I'd insist they didn't do it, just repaired it. Whether they will or not is a another matter...
To make it more oilfield; milled or insert teeth will still cut/crack/erode crystalline quartz/granite, but it will knacker them very very quickly. But they will still do it, they will just wear out very fast! (Then it's time for a diamond impreg and a turbine...)
Scratch a knife on a quartz crystal and it leaves a metal streak. But keep doing it and a groove will appear in the quartz. The knife will be wrecked sure, but it still happens.
I'd insist they left the crystal alone and ask why a warranted watch needs a service after 11 months. Then I'd insist they didn't do it, just repaired it. Whether they will or not is a another matter...
Quite a few years ago I was show a brand new IWC watch by my local dealer to see if I was interested. Luckily I was sat under one of their spot lights and after moving the watch around a bit noticed that the whole glass was scratched with various swirl marks to round it off! Of course the dealer sent it off th be fixed before I decided whether to buy it or not but goes to show a brand new watch doesn't mean it's perfect(unless that particular watch was loaned out, which I was assured was not the case)
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