Dropped watch

[Olivera]

So I accidentally dropped my 3 month old Sinn from a height of about 3 feet while putting it on, it hit the wooden bedside table and then fell another couple of feet and hit laminate flooring. The watch is visibly unmarked, but the movement is completely dead.

Should I let the retailer have a look at it or should I just send it back to the manufacturer?

[Crumpet]

Olivera said:

So I accidentally dropped my 3 month old Sinn from a height of about 3 feet while putting it on, it hit the wooden bedside table and then fell another couple of feet and hit laminate flooring. The watch is visibly unmarked, but the movement is completely dead.

Should I let the retailer have a look at it or should I just send it back to the manufacturer?

I know it’s dishonest but I’d just go with the “it just stopped working” approach. They may just fix it if they can’t prove it was dropped.

Anyway, I’ve always just gone back to the retailer / AD for these things as I just find it easier for someone else to sort it all out.

[the-norseman]

If you can go direct, go direct, dealing with Rolex for example is a lot easier now I know you can go direct rather than an AD.

[Olivera]

Thanks for the replies, I'll probably send it back to Sinn. Quite dissapointed that it's completely fked from dropping it just a few feet onto some wood/laminate.

[r1ch]

Particularly with Sinn's reputation for making solid watches. Unlucky though, hope you get it sorted free of charge.

[Dicky Knee]

My, non Sinn, watch hit a tiled floor a few years ago and stopped dead. It went back to the watch maker and it turned out the impact had slightly dislodged the watch face which prevented the hands from moving.

[Pflanzgarten]

Olivera said:

Thanks for the replies, I'll probably send it back to Sinn. Quite dissapointed that it's completely fked from dropping it just a few feet onto some wood/laminate.

Think of it another way, would you whack it with a baseball bat at the same speed?

Crumpet said:

I know it’s dishonest but I’d just go with the “it just stopped working” approach. They may just fix it if they can’t prove it was dropped.

Anyway, I’ve always just gone back to the retailer / AD for these things as I just find it easier for someone else to sort it all out.

That’s really poor form in my opinion.

[Crumpet]

Pflanzgarten said:

Crumpet said:

I know it’s dishonest but I’d just go with the “it just stopped working” approach. They may just fix it if they can’t prove it was dropped.

Anyway, I’ve always just gone back to the retailer / AD for these things as I just find it easier for someone else to sort it all out.

That’s really poor form in my opinion.

I dunno. Yes and no. I wouldn’t expect a watch that sells itself as a tool watch to stop working from a 3’ drop. I’ve dropped many of my watches from waist height (including onto bathroom tiles) and never had one stop working, although did chip the glass on a Submariner. Dropped my Breitling about ten feet the other day and it’s fine.

Clearly if they ask you ‘have you dropped it?’ then it’s a bit different but I certainly wouldn’t lead with ‘I dropped it’.

[Nigel_O]

Surely they'll know when they open it up that it has been dropped. If you've been dishonest and told them that "it just stopped working", they would be within their rights to refuse to repair it.

If you tell them the truth, they'll probably go straight to the issue and fix it quickly

[Olivera]

Nigel_O said:

Surely they'll know when they open it up that it has been dropped. If you've been dishonest and told them that "it just stopped working", they would be within their rights to refuse to repair it.

If you tell them the truth, they'll probably go straight to the issue and fix it quickly

Point taken, but is it unreasonable to expect that a brand new hardened/utilitarian chronograph Sinn should be able to survive a 2 or 3 feet fall onto wood without completely breaking?

[bigandclever]

Olivera said:

Point taken, but is it unreasonable to expect that a brand new hardened/utilitarian chronograph Sinn should be able to survive a 2 or 3 feet fall onto wood without completely breaking?

How do you know that? Sinn make plenty of non-hardened watches, with normal automatic movements that would be equally as knackered in any other manufacturer's case if dropped badly.

[raceboy]

If it was me, and from the information in the original post about it being 'unmarked' externally I'd go back to the original retailer, especially if it's a local bricks and mortar AD.
I'd plead ignorance, and say it's just stopped working.

Especially as the warranty might not be a lot of use.

Sinn website said:

Warranty claims are excluded in the event of damage caused by.

Improper use
Repairs or attempted repairs which were not carried out by us or our authorised partners. A list of authorised partners can be found in the Sales and Service Partners menu on our website www.sinn.de.
Signs of wear and tear, especially to straps
The use of force (blows, knocks, impact)

Which model it is might help your case if you go 'honest', if it's a roughty toughty diving watch you might try the 'fit for purpose' route, not as helpful if it's a dress watch.

[HocusPocus]

OP has admitted accidental damage and not manufacturing defect as the cause, so why put it dishonestly on the AD or manufacturer with some flase claim it lacked merchantable quality?

Pay for the repair and claim it on your household all risks AD cover.

[Crumpet]

HocusPocus said:

OP has admitted accidental damage and not manufacturing defect as the cause, so why put it dishonestly on the AD or manufacturer with some flase claim it lacked merchantable quality?

Pay for the repair and claim it on your household all risks AD cover.

Because it shouldn’t break and stop working from a 3 foot fall. It just shouldn’t. And no amount of arguing this with the manufacturer will likely convince them to fix it under warranty after you told them you dropped it, because 3’ could be 20’ for all they know.

If it was from an unreasonable height and obvious that I’d broken it then I’d have some integrity and pay for the repair. But I don’t think in this case being economical with the truth is unreasonable.

[benny.c]

Drop any mechanical watch from 3ft on to a hard surface and you risk it breaking, no matter who the manufacturer is. With a drop from that height you either get lucky or you don’t.

If the watch is unmarked then the case is obviously reasonably robust as it should be, but protecting the movement from shock is another matter and not easily done.

Edited by benny.c on Tuesday 12th July 23:24

[HocusPocus]

Crumpet said:

HocusPocus said:

OP has admitted accidental damage and not manufacturing defect as the cause, so why put it dishonestly on the AD or manufacturer with some flase claim it lacked merchantable quality?

Pay for the repair and claim it on your household all risks AD cover.

Because it shouldn’t break and stop working from a 3 foot fall. It just shouldn’t. And no amount of arguing this with the manufacturer will likely convince them to fix it under warranty after you told them you dropped it, because 3’ could be 20’ for all they know.

If it was from an unreasonable height and obvious that I’d broken it then I’d have some integrity and pay for the repair. But I don’t think in this case being economical with the truth is unreasonable.

I see it simply as an AD event or not.

You appear to use a sliding scale for integrity. When does design/manufacturing responsibility get overtaken by klutz handling? At 3 foot 6 inches, and do you give an extra inch if it is a dive watch? Why not have a matrix for each make and model factoring in age too?

Using your integrity matrix, we can also all claim crash damage against car dealers/OEMs whenever impact speed is less than 20mph, but 30mph for Porsche because everyone expects them to go and stop faster. Your approach makes the blame game a tad complicated.

[gotoPzero]

this is why the g shock was invented and it took a lot of development and luck in the end

[Olivera]

Update - I've been on holiday so put the watch aside. I've now given it a good wind and it seems to be keeping the time accurately, however the chronograph still seems busted - it won't start (in fact that stops the normal seconds hand) nor reset.

[Dynam0humm]

benny.c said:

Drop any mechanical watch from 3ft on to a hard surface and you risk it breaking, no matter who the manufacturer is. With a drop from that height you either get lucky or you don’t.

If the watch is unmarked then the case is obviously reasonably robust as it should be, but protecting the movement from shock is another matter and not easily done.

Edited by benny.c on Tuesday 12th July 23:24

This, and Sinn don't make the movement, they buy them from Selitta so attributing any sort of blame on Sinn is a bit like ranting about Lotus because the engine in your Elise shat itself.

[romeodelta]

I'm as straight as they come, but I would just take it back and see what they say.

If it was a one man band, I wouldn't, but Sinn

A complete new movement won't run them to much (or you, if they 'find out' and make you pay).

Edited by romeodelta on Monday 18th July 01:02