I took my watch into the Bremont Wing in Henley in mid June 2023, for a service and also for them to change the dial and rehaut which had become discoloured.
On 1st July the service department acknowledged receipt, and on 24th August sent me through the estimate which I accepted immediately.
I then heard nothing and had forgotten about till I had an occasion where I wanted to wear the watch and remembered it was in for service, so called them to find out when it was due back. That was in October, in early November they called to say it was in the workshop, and I should have it back in 2-3 weeks, then again in December to say it was still in the workshop.
Still haven’t got it back, so that’s over 6months now.
Seems an unreasonably long time. Anyone else have experience of Bremont service times?
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Horrendously slow and they either should have given you a good reason for the delay, or have it back with you by now.
If you phone the Wing, ask to speak to Emma Robinson. I believe that she's still head of customer service and very easy to deal with (and very pro-active)
I hope this doesn’t seem too nosy, but had the watch undergone some kind of traumatic event which would explain the discolouration? A Bremont watch can’t be more than about 20 years old, and I wouldn’t have thought a watch manufactured to modern standards should experience noticeable discolouration over that kind of period.Originally Posted by berin
No, not at all. The watch is a Bremont Norton (2nd generation) from about 2016 or so, when the Stuart Garner V4SS and RR bikes were for sale, and is based on an ALT 1 C.
As above, I took the watch in in person and pointed the discolouration out - they had clearly seen it before and said it was something to do with leaching of an oil in the movement, I think. Rectification was to be covered within the service cost, which was £445.
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Thanks for that, I will call when they are back in January.
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Interesting, thanks. They handled it decently, anyway, which is a plus for them in my book.
Edited to add
Last edited by tz-uk73; 31st December 2023 at 16:35.
I started thinking about this thread some more and checked Bremonts website. They state that after acceptance of the cost of service/repair you should have been given a completion date. Were you?
No. On the estimate form it said 12-14 weeks, but no confirmation of date was given after the estimate was accepted. In fact, I heard nothing from them till I chased them up.
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When I worked at Bremont over 4 years ago, this was a known problem back then. Nothing to do with the movement, just oxidisation on the dial due to a faulty batch that was never picked up. All they need to do is replace the dial.
Their service times at the beginning of 2020 (when I left) were ~4 weeks, clearly it's gone south.
I hope they have, or can make, the Norton dials then!
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I would definitely chase it and ask for a specific reason for the time frame. 12-14 weeks does seem excessively long for a Bremont service but I guess that it depends on their work load and number of watch makers and of course, they're well over that now. My biggest concern would be the dial. With it being a limited edition watch and there being a known problem (which unusually I agree with MrBanks, I'd heard that there was), I don't know how many spares Bremont carry and their access to new limited edition parts but it would definitely be something in the back of my mind if it was my watch.
I will call them as as soon as they reopen
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How did you get on?
All’s well that ends well.
I picked the watch up today, and as compensation for the slow service they gave me a free strap and 10% off the service cost which suited me very well as I would likely have had a new strap anyway.
It’s also always nice to visit the Wing to see what interesting stuff they have on display in reception - this time it was Peter Hickman’s TT bike and an Austin Sebring Sprite raced by Sterling Moss
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Good result and lovely looking watch!
Great result. Did they not change the bezel? I’m sure I recall them telling me they were replaced as part of the service?
still think you need to add its older brother.
Last edited by tz-uk73; 5th January 2024 at 19:43.
I do like those!Great result. Did they not change the bezel? I’m sure I recall them telling me they were replaced as part of the service?
still think you need to add its older brother.
They changed the dial ring (where the tachometer numbers are) as that was discoloured, and maybe the dial.
Doesn’t look like they did anything with the case except clean it, but that’s fine, it’s a watch that’s worn often - it’s time keeping is excellent.
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The bezel is changed on hardened or DLC watch cases on customer approval as those bezels can't be polished. The Norton V4 bezel can be polished. (mentions it in Bremonts servicing blog)
Interesting. Thanks for clarifying.
Slightly off topic but does anyone know how long Belmont’s had Swiss made on the dials before reverting to London. Obviously the two nortons above are around 12 years apart. When did the London start?
MrBanks might be able to tell you as he used to work there but I don't think that there was a distinct change over, more a phased move from one to the other. I think (but don't know for sure) that the last Bremont watch type to say Swiss made on the dial was the older Supermarine S500 with the green and black bezel.
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