How long when service 'sends to Switzerland' ??
Discussion
My 'smart deal' watch has taken a turn for the 'not such a good deal' - in terms of how long it'll be before I get my hands on the thing. Basically I love JLC Reverso complications and after taking Asterix's advice and buying my girlfriend a Duetto Duo (which is still hidden away for Christmas), I became determined to acquire a Reverso for myself.
Since I love complications and JLC are all about complications and incredible feats of movement design, the one watch that immediately grabbed my attention was the Gran'Sport Chronographe. Lovely 'slightly more sporting' Reverso design (but not as large or brash as the Squadra designs), in Grande Taille size, with hour, minute, second and date on one side (I've decided that date is an essential complication - the lack of date on the Speedy I'm wearing today has caught me out twice, and the lack of the date on the Daytona wound me up too), and a neat retrograde minutes chronograph on the other side. On the 'watch' face, a marker shows whether the chrono is running or not - you can start and stop it without the chrono side facing you.
Doing a bit of research, the movement in this is a bit of a legend. The designer said it was harder to design this retrograde chrono than it was to squeeze the tourbillon into the Reverso case. It's IMO incredibly cool and, even though I'm going to wear the thing rather than lock it away as an 'investment', historically important movements should at least hold some value. Also, this watch comes on a typically excellent quality JLC bracelet with micro-extensions and a really clever adjustment system. It's very comfortable and not showy, but incredibly special.
Whilst Blowers etc. had a couple up on sale (it's a discontinued model) for between £4450 and £6800 (on their archive, including sold watches, the low price is an outlier, the four are £4450, £5650, £5750 and £6800), I found one at a trader I'd done business with twice before, both times very satisfactorily, at a bargain price.
On having a chat with them, the price was due to a scratch on the crystal. My thought processes were simple - it's a complicated, very special movement, I have no real knowledge of how it's been treated before my ownership, and it needs a new crystal. Easy - buy it, send it to JLC for a full service (around £550) and it comes back in tip-top condition, all parts needing replacement replaced, case and bracelet fully polished and looking like new. Even with the cost of the service this watch would still be £2000 cheaper than the median watches from Blower's, which seemed like a bit of a bargain.
Then Asterix posts a thread saying that his service, where the watch had to return to Switzerland due to a damaged movement, took 15 weeks before the watch was returned to him
I've just received confirmation from my friendly jeweller (who I bought the GF's Reverso from) that it'd have to be sent to Switzerland for repair and couldn't be done in the UK because the movement is too tricky.
Damn. The lady said she'd courier it over and chase them every week but 15 weeks is an awfully long time to wait. I know I'm saving a LOT of cash on this watch.... but.... you know, I'd like it before Christmas. Becky gets her JLC at Christmas.
Anyone else here know whether Asterix's experience with the Swiss JLC service centre is typical, or should I get it back quicker than that? Also, is the £550 my jeweller quoted for the service a massive mark-up (I've since found out that it's better to send it off to the manufacture yourself than go via a middle-man... but I'd just bought a new JLC from them and it was a lot easier to just hand the watch and papers over than mess about trying to contact the right people)? Could it be *more* expensive than that, or does that price (I asked for a 'full service') cover the entire watch? My jeweller said that for that price, they'd replace any service part, repair / service the movement to full working order, and clean and polish the whole watch and bracelet to as-new condition. Is that realistic?
My experience of manufacture services is a bit sketchy. I had my first Rolex serviced by Rolex - however the watch was running perfectly beforehand, so they could have done nothing inside and I wouldn't have noticed
but it did come back re-brushed (Explorer 2) and looking nearly new. After that, I found an independent clockmaker / vintage watch guy in Tunbridge Wells who advertised that he would service Rolexes for half the price - he's not a shouty guy, it was a tiny advert in his shop door... I was just drooling over some of the vintage pieces on sale there 
So he got to do my Daytona for the years before I flogged it. I haven't serviced any of the others! I guess the Breguet is due one at some point, but as part of the Swatch Group, I may look for an indie again... I've not heard good things about watches returned to the Swatch Group service centres in the UK. Hopefully Breguet would be treated differently...
So have I got a 15 week wait? Could it even be worse - could I wait 15 weeks only for JLC to charge £2000 for the service because some obscure part was iffy and they decided to replace it? Could I wait 15 weeks only for JLC to say they haven't touched it because it arrived broken (at which point everyone denies responsibility...)? Or is the most likely situation that they will fix any issues, service, clean and lubricate the movement, swap the crystal for me and then polish the watch up?
To be honest I'd really rather not have to wait 15 weeks as that puts it past Christmas and the watch was a bit of a birthday (October) cum Christmas present for myself, in light of the troubles of the past few years. But given that financially it was a bit of a good deal (and still will be, assuming it's returned from JLC in full working order, nice and shiny with a new crystal - or at the very least, the two crystals swapped over so the scratched one is on the chrono dial), I can't make demands. If I want perfect now then I'd need to pay £2-3k more (and that's assuming those Blower's pieces are in perfect, just-serviced condition).
My jeweller also said she'd 'chase JLC weekly' - is this likely, feasible, realistic, or just 'be nice to your customer' BS? I can't see JLC shifting my watch to the front of the queue on some small local Kent jeweller's say-so. Certainly not for an older watch that wasn't one of JLC's 'haute horlogerie' range anyway... I'd have thought that they'd put stuff like the Gyrotourbillons first, must be much more fun to work on something as cool as that. And if getting the Chronographe into the Reverso was such a feat of engineering, it's likely to be a bugger to service (like cars that have unfeasible packaging - working on a Mini's engine is a pain, for example). I'm just hoping that nothing goes wrong with the movement in transit, and that if something does, that JLC just rebuild it anyway for that fee.
It just seems that £550 is very cheap if any movement parts need to be replaced, or the movement needs to be stripped and rebuilt. Then again, surely any *proper* service will require partial disassembly anyway, and whilst labour and design is expensive, a pressed steel or laser-cut brass movement part isn't going to cost the earth (ignoring silicon tourbillon cages, etc. - I'm not in that league!).
They must have either very skilled or very cheap guys if they can fully dismantle that GS Chronographe movement, check it, clean it and then re-assemble it with lubrication for £550. I can't see how you'd do that job in a day, and expert technician daily rates surely must be approaching that amount (certainly with the GBP/CHF rate). There are 317 parts in the movement (calibre 859) - it takes them a fair amount of time to build the things, or so they claim - so I can't see some service 'tech support' watchsmith pulling 317 parts apart and then rebuilding the thing to JLC's exact tolerances, and then having to regulate the timekeeping... all in one day?
Or are the Swiss really this good?
Interesting detail on the movement here - if anyone has any more technical info on this movement then post up here, as I'm fascinated with this watch in a big way. It's a movement as complicated, if not more complicated, to integrate than the Reverso Tourbillon... yet it's available in a steel case and has fallen into the financial reach of mere mortals such as I. This ain't no souped-up ETA, AFAIC this *is* haute horlogerie... Perhaps my standards are too low, but I'm thrilled to bits to be able to afford to acquire something as special as this (perhaps this is because it's not actually regarded as 'special' by enough people to drive up the price, even though JLC's designer obviously thought it was a bit of an achievement!)...
What I'm dreading is eventually dredging through the rubbish that Google returns when you enter watch-related search terms (most result pages are for fakes, and I'm afraid that no counterfeiter is going to try to make a fake Reverso Chronographe - unless they shrink the VJ7750 or Sea-Gull's ST-19, since those are the only mechanical chrono movements available to the fake makers... another reason to buy JLC!) to find that the reason the Gran'Sport Chrono wasn't hugely popular was because it was unreliable, or broke down regularly, or the movement simply was overambitious and needed constant, expensive repairs...
Can anyone console me here?
Since I love complications and JLC are all about complications and incredible feats of movement design, the one watch that immediately grabbed my attention was the Gran'Sport Chronographe. Lovely 'slightly more sporting' Reverso design (but not as large or brash as the Squadra designs), in Grande Taille size, with hour, minute, second and date on one side (I've decided that date is an essential complication - the lack of date on the Speedy I'm wearing today has caught me out twice, and the lack of the date on the Daytona wound me up too), and a neat retrograde minutes chronograph on the other side. On the 'watch' face, a marker shows whether the chrono is running or not - you can start and stop it without the chrono side facing you.
Doing a bit of research, the movement in this is a bit of a legend. The designer said it was harder to design this retrograde chrono than it was to squeeze the tourbillon into the Reverso case. It's IMO incredibly cool and, even though I'm going to wear the thing rather than lock it away as an 'investment', historically important movements should at least hold some value. Also, this watch comes on a typically excellent quality JLC bracelet with micro-extensions and a really clever adjustment system. It's very comfortable and not showy, but incredibly special.
Whilst Blowers etc. had a couple up on sale (it's a discontinued model) for between £4450 and £6800 (on their archive, including sold watches, the low price is an outlier, the four are £4450, £5650, £5750 and £6800), I found one at a trader I'd done business with twice before, both times very satisfactorily, at a bargain price.
On having a chat with them, the price was due to a scratch on the crystal. My thought processes were simple - it's a complicated, very special movement, I have no real knowledge of how it's been treated before my ownership, and it needs a new crystal. Easy - buy it, send it to JLC for a full service (around £550) and it comes back in tip-top condition, all parts needing replacement replaced, case and bracelet fully polished and looking like new. Even with the cost of the service this watch would still be £2000 cheaper than the median watches from Blower's, which seemed like a bit of a bargain.
Then Asterix posts a thread saying that his service, where the watch had to return to Switzerland due to a damaged movement, took 15 weeks before the watch was returned to him
I've just received confirmation from my friendly jeweller (who I bought the GF's Reverso from) that it'd have to be sent to Switzerland for repair and couldn't be done in the UK because the movement is too tricky.Damn. The lady said she'd courier it over and chase them every week but 15 weeks is an awfully long time to wait. I know I'm saving a LOT of cash on this watch.... but.... you know, I'd like it before Christmas. Becky gets her JLC at Christmas.
Anyone else here know whether Asterix's experience with the Swiss JLC service centre is typical, or should I get it back quicker than that? Also, is the £550 my jeweller quoted for the service a massive mark-up (I've since found out that it's better to send it off to the manufacture yourself than go via a middle-man... but I'd just bought a new JLC from them and it was a lot easier to just hand the watch and papers over than mess about trying to contact the right people)? Could it be *more* expensive than that, or does that price (I asked for a 'full service') cover the entire watch? My jeweller said that for that price, they'd replace any service part, repair / service the movement to full working order, and clean and polish the whole watch and bracelet to as-new condition. Is that realistic?
My experience of manufacture services is a bit sketchy. I had my first Rolex serviced by Rolex - however the watch was running perfectly beforehand, so they could have done nothing inside and I wouldn't have noticed
but it did come back re-brushed (Explorer 2) and looking nearly new. After that, I found an independent clockmaker / vintage watch guy in Tunbridge Wells who advertised that he would service Rolexes for half the price - he's not a shouty guy, it was a tiny advert in his shop door... I was just drooling over some of the vintage pieces on sale there So he got to do my Daytona for the years before I flogged it. I haven't serviced any of the others! I guess the Breguet is due one at some point, but as part of the Swatch Group, I may look for an indie again... I've not heard good things about watches returned to the Swatch Group service centres in the UK. Hopefully Breguet would be treated differently...So have I got a 15 week wait? Could it even be worse - could I wait 15 weeks only for JLC to charge £2000 for the service because some obscure part was iffy and they decided to replace it? Could I wait 15 weeks only for JLC to say they haven't touched it because it arrived broken (at which point everyone denies responsibility...)? Or is the most likely situation that they will fix any issues, service, clean and lubricate the movement, swap the crystal for me and then polish the watch up?
To be honest I'd really rather not have to wait 15 weeks as that puts it past Christmas and the watch was a bit of a birthday (October) cum Christmas present for myself, in light of the troubles of the past few years. But given that financially it was a bit of a good deal (and still will be, assuming it's returned from JLC in full working order, nice and shiny with a new crystal - or at the very least, the two crystals swapped over so the scratched one is on the chrono dial), I can't make demands. If I want perfect now then I'd need to pay £2-3k more (and that's assuming those Blower's pieces are in perfect, just-serviced condition).
My jeweller also said she'd 'chase JLC weekly' - is this likely, feasible, realistic, or just 'be nice to your customer' BS? I can't see JLC shifting my watch to the front of the queue on some small local Kent jeweller's say-so. Certainly not for an older watch that wasn't one of JLC's 'haute horlogerie' range anyway... I'd have thought that they'd put stuff like the Gyrotourbillons first, must be much more fun to work on something as cool as that. And if getting the Chronographe into the Reverso was such a feat of engineering, it's likely to be a bugger to service (like cars that have unfeasible packaging - working on a Mini's engine is a pain, for example). I'm just hoping that nothing goes wrong with the movement in transit, and that if something does, that JLC just rebuild it anyway for that fee.
It just seems that £550 is very cheap if any movement parts need to be replaced, or the movement needs to be stripped and rebuilt. Then again, surely any *proper* service will require partial disassembly anyway, and whilst labour and design is expensive, a pressed steel or laser-cut brass movement part isn't going to cost the earth (ignoring silicon tourbillon cages, etc. - I'm not in that league!).
They must have either very skilled or very cheap guys if they can fully dismantle that GS Chronographe movement, check it, clean it and then re-assemble it with lubrication for £550. I can't see how you'd do that job in a day, and expert technician daily rates surely must be approaching that amount (certainly with the GBP/CHF rate). There are 317 parts in the movement (calibre 859) - it takes them a fair amount of time to build the things, or so they claim - so I can't see some service 'tech support' watchsmith pulling 317 parts apart and then rebuilding the thing to JLC's exact tolerances, and then having to regulate the timekeeping... all in one day?
Or are the Swiss really this good?
Interesting detail on the movement here - if anyone has any more technical info on this movement then post up here, as I'm fascinated with this watch in a big way. It's a movement as complicated, if not more complicated, to integrate than the Reverso Tourbillon... yet it's available in a steel case and has fallen into the financial reach of mere mortals such as I. This ain't no souped-up ETA, AFAIC this *is* haute horlogerie... Perhaps my standards are too low, but I'm thrilled to bits to be able to afford to acquire something as special as this (perhaps this is because it's not actually regarded as 'special' by enough people to drive up the price, even though JLC's designer obviously thought it was a bit of an achievement!)...
What I'm dreading is eventually dredging through the rubbish that Google returns when you enter watch-related search terms (most result pages are for fakes, and I'm afraid that no counterfeiter is going to try to make a fake Reverso Chronographe - unless they shrink the VJ7750 or Sea-Gull's ST-19, since those are the only mechanical chrono movements available to the fake makers... another reason to buy JLC!) to find that the reason the Gran'Sport Chrono wasn't hugely popular was because it was unreliable, or broke down regularly, or the movement simply was overambitious and needed constant, expensive repairs...
Can anyone console me here?
damn when you write a post you REALY write a post don't you!!!
to summarise - sent JLC back to Manufacturer for a full service and tidy up and want to know how long it will take.
Answer - a long time, 15 weeks possibly more. Most of the Swiss watchmakers usually quote 3+ months from my experiance!
As other poster said, forget about it and have a nice surprise when it arrives back looking like new!
to summarise - sent JLC back to Manufacturer for a full service and tidy up and want to know how long it will take.
Answer - a long time, 15 weeks possibly more. Most of the Swiss watchmakers usually quote 3+ months from my experiance!
As other poster said, forget about it and have a nice surprise when it arrives back looking like new!
A good post, phew, just read it all. Hope it works out for you. My Omega went back to Switzerland for full service this year and it took 10 weeks. Apparently it failed their own quality control twice, they replaced loads of parts. 10 weeks later it was back and working brilliantly. Hang in there buddy !
Fascinating stuff, worth the wait to pick one/have it repaired I'd say. You'll have to summon your zen-like calm and all should be well in the fullness of time. For what it's worth I wouldn't count on any special 'hurry-up' by the dealer badgering the watchmaker - if it works then you've a bonus, if it doesn't then you won;t be disappointed.
I've looked at JLC a few times but have never been into dress watches with a view to getting one, although my wife was vaguely interested in getting a new watch recently - a Cartier Tank style although I managed to get her to look at the JLC reversos without boring the thre'penny bits off her - still decision pending though. Now having read up a bit on here and other places I have to say that JLC do some corkers. I've not read any reports of the Gran'Sport Chronographe being a dud or having problems, quite the reverse, I think it could be one of those small production number, discontinued watches that people suddenly decide they need and pay a premium for - as if selling has anything to do with it.
I can see why you've fallen in love though:
Which model are you going for exactly? (It's probably hidden away in the rainforest worth of post above but my eyes aren't what they used to be sonny...!)
(also for what it's worth, £550 sounds a bit steep but I paid £340 I think for a full service of my Exp2, new sapphire & crown included, so it's at least in the right ball park)
I've looked at JLC a few times but have never been into dress watches with a view to getting one, although my wife was vaguely interested in getting a new watch recently - a Cartier Tank style although I managed to get her to look at the JLC reversos without boring the thre'penny bits off her - still decision pending though. Now having read up a bit on here and other places I have to say that JLC do some corkers. I've not read any reports of the Gran'Sport Chronographe being a dud or having problems, quite the reverse, I think it could be one of those small production number, discontinued watches that people suddenly decide they need and pay a premium for - as if selling has anything to do with it.
I can see why you've fallen in love though:
Which model are you going for exactly? (It's probably hidden away in the rainforest worth of post above but my eyes aren't what they used to be sonny...!)
(also for what it's worth, £550 sounds a bit steep but I paid £340 I think for a full service of my Exp2, new sapphire & crown included, so it's at least in the right ball park)
Edited by andy_s on Friday 6th November 10:27
550 sounds about right and so does the time frame. I have no experience of JLC, but my UN has to go bck to Switzerland and they quote a similar price and expected time of turn around. They are lovely watches and I would definitely recommend sending it to JLC and waiting as I am sure that the watch will return like new.
toohuge said:
LukeBird said:
Lordy, lord that is lovely looking!! ^^
I agree, start savingIt's not a factor in why I love it so much though
I don't get to see as much of the movement in the Gran'Sport as compared to the limited Reverso Chrono, but at least the watch and the chrono are easily readable and therefore *useful* complications OK, looks like I'll just have to stop thinking about it and hopefully by the time I've forgotten I have one, it won't take JLC too much more time to get it sorted and sent back to me. The downside is that it may arrive mid to late January, which will be a big problem for the following reason....
My girlfriend has *never* bought me nice watches (regardless of the jewellery and watches I've bought her) until recently but the size of my collection has made it rather clear to her that I'm somewhat enthusiastic about mechanical watches... she bought me that skeleton Swatch for a birthday present, and seeing how much I liked it, she's really pushed the boat out for my Christmas present this year by ordering me one of those BHI tourbillons (hopefully it'll be the one with the power reserve and the smaller BHI logo). Yes it's effectively a Breguet homage (the dial design and guilloche, the coin-edge case, even the lugs are very Breguet indeed - they stopped short of using Breguet hands, I think it'd have been a bit too 'replica' if they had), but she knows I love Breguet, neither of us will ever be able to afford a real Breguet tourbillon (the Type XX I own was a stretch!) and Abraham-Louis invented the tourbillon so I don't think the BHI watch is treading on dodgy 'replica' ground. Besides, it's made for the British Horological Institute so even though it's got a cheapo Chinese (Liaoning, I think) movement, it'll almost certainly have additional QC paid for.
Now the BHI order these watches in batches when there are enough orders to get the watches custom-built. My 'Christmas' watch is in the just-ordered batch, which will probably arrive mid-January. I'm actually really excited to be getting this tourbillon - I know that the reaction on this forum is fairly mixed as to the BHI watch, but I couldn't stretch to a Sea-Gull and given that it's not a watch that will be regularly worn, it's brilliant to have one as a gift. I couldn't justify any of the tourbillons as a purchase myself, since I'd want to wear the watch regularly to get my money's worth (so to speak) - and I'd keep any tourbillon for special occasions as they're delicate things. It's the perfect present from my GF and I'm really looking forward to seeing what it's like in the flesh.
But I don't want it turning up at the same time as the JLC, since almost like an embarrassment of riches, it'd make both watches less special - putting them in competition with each other. I certainly don't want the JLC arriving just after the BHI watch and my girlfriend thinking that I'd immediately forget her gift (it's a hell of a present, she never spends that much) and be wearing the JLC every day (I sure as hell wouldn't forget the tourbillon - no chance - but I *will* be regularly wearing the JLC as soon as it turns up).
It's a wonderful dilemma to have though, so please don't think I'm complaining!!! It's going to be the best Christmas ever for me watch-wise, that's for sure
The JLC (when it turns up) will look something like this - it has the white face and the steel bracelet:
It's more daily-usable than the rose-gold on leather 'limited edition' Reverso Chronographe, and personally I think it looks absolutely ace. The Gran'Sport Reverso casing has an interesting curved back (not the watch part, which is slightly barrelled) so it sits really comfortably on my skinny wrists. The Gran'Sport is basically Grande Taille size (big size size, yeah I know
) but with the curved back and the steel bracelet it doesn't wear particularly large. I've not got big arms so this is a *good* thing. The styling also has no chance of dicing with the effeminate - which the regular-sized Reverso on leather can, especially on my arms.I don't think many people will realise what it is unless they see me messing about and flipping the watch over and over on the train into London
That, also, is a good thing. It's not big, showy or fashionable, it is *all* about the movement and the craftsmanship, and it was a bit of a bargain. I can't wait!!! 15 weeks for my Reverso earlier this year as mentioned - although this did include the period where the factory shuts for two weeks.
Do remember that 15 weeks is a blink of the eye when you will have a watch that will be with you for all of your life and possibly longer with your family.
Good choices mate
Do remember that 15 weeks is a blink of the eye when you will have a watch that will be with you for all of your life and possibly longer with your family.
Good choices mate
Edited by Asterix on Saturday 7th November 17:46
Asterix said:
Do remember that 15 weeks is a blink of the eye when you will have a watch that will be with you for all of your life and possibly longer with your family.
Very, very good point. Just need the 'family' thing to work out now, but that's a whole (long) different story Fingers crossed!
Asterix said:
15 weeks for my Reverso earlier this year as mentioned - although this did include the period where the factory shuts for two weeks.
Do remember that 15 weeks is a blink of the eye when you will have a watch that will be with you for all of your life and possibly longer with your family.
Good choices mate
Well an update at last.Do remember that 15 weeks is a blink of the eye when you will have a watch that will be with you for all of your life and possibly longer with your family.
Good choices mate
Edited by Asterix on Saturday 7th November 17:46
Sadly, family of my own appears to be now out of the question, so now desperately trying to hold on to the woman I love (the Duetto Duo hidden in one of my filing cabinets will be of little use if she's not living with me any more
). Maybe she'll hang around till Christmas to collect the watch and then scarper (unfair, but if I can't take the piss then I'll just cry)...This sort-of put my Reverso Chrono into perspective i.e. I forgot about it. However I have only *just* received a quote for service from the manufacture (so that's sent to Switzerland on 5th November, got quote on 10th December). Fortunately it's not a 'forget it' quote - it's around £750 to refurbish to as-new standard, and that includes replacing one of the crystals, which had a scratch in it. Presumably this also entails returning the chrono reset pusher to fully-functional status - the quote includes 'parts' which exclude the crystal, so the movement will be getting an overhaul.
However they're quoting at least 10 weeks now from my go-ahead for the watch to be completed - and god knows how long after that for it to be returned to me. There's Christmas and New Year in the way - is this when the manufacture shuts for two weeks? (Asterix - if you're reading?)
So no hope of the watch in time for Christmas or New Year. Nothing to celebrate this Christmas for me anyway, but the New Year is always an opportunity to say 'good riddance' to the woes of the past year and look forwards with hope to a better 2010
Bit of a bugger that I won't get it until Easter - the '10 week' quote was definitely said to me with the 'at least' emphasised, so 3 months is entirely feasible, if not 4.
Really, this is the only downside to JLC - their watches are superb, their complications are exquisite, and they open up haute horlogerie to the average watch-nut like me by nearly always offering a steel case / bracelet version, where you're paying for the movement and not a lump of heavy, conspicuously glistening Gold. I'm still shocked that the new retail price of my watch was less than £10k (it was around £8400 IIRC), especially when the movement designer said it was harder than the Reverso Tourbillon to design and build. And, of course, I paid a LOT less than that. Yes, this means I lose in time what I gain in money, I could sell the watch when I finally receive it for a good profit.
But I'm not going to. I'm not going to throw my toys out of the pram - I'm going to authorise the service and all the 'suggested' extras (optional and 'very strongly suggested') so it comes back perfect. If I have to wait till April, then so be it (and I beat Asterix for lengthy and frustrating waits, though that's not a challenge I wanted to win really
).I'm assuming here that the full monty service with all extras will return me a movement in as-new condition, and that future services won't be required until the usual intervals, and that the watch will be no less reliable or accurate than a 'perfect' example? As in JLC not letting the watch back out of the manufacture with their stamp of 'service' on it unless it's perfect. I can live with that
The only thing that I will have to live with is that *all* future regular services will end up with this up-to-6-month wait, since the movement is *special* and can only be serviced by certain watchmasters at the manufacture, apparently. A nice thing to know, but annoying when it takes so damn long. I guess it should fill me with confidence that at least it will be looked after by a true master with top-percentile expertise, and not some newbie in a local outsourced watch servicer fresh out of the TimeZone Watch School
that could have been *me* if I couldn't do what I do for a living 
Asterix - if you read this little update... has your Reverso movement been simply perfect since it came back from what sounded like an internal repair? My movement definitely needs *some* replacement part rather than just adjustment and lubrication, and that's what your fault sounded like. It'd be good to hear that when JLC say they 'service' a movement, they make it as good as new
Funny, this watch lark - I've only had the watch on my wrist once, it wasn't a monstrously expensive outlay and a step into the financial unknown for me, and for many it's not *that* attractive a watch. But I'm already ridiculously attached to it, and I haven't had the chance to wear it even for a full day yet! This one sounds like it will be a keeper, even if I don't get the chance to 'hand it down' to a kid of my own, maybe one of my sister's little boys will cherish it when I'm beyond servicing
Hopefully getting the watch fixed up *fully* now will give it that expected lifetime exceeding mine. I certainly won't be treating it as casually as the previous owner appears to have done...Gassing Station | Watches | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff