Reply With QuoteI can't advise on the hands and face, but I was quoted £350 for a moment service and case refinish about 12 months ago for a 3717.
Just had a quotation for servicing my IWC Mk XII. I knew it needed a new dial - the lume triangle popped off. They say it will need new hands as well, because removing them will cause the old ones to go out of spec (they look absolutely fine so I wasn't expecting replacement hands). They want to clean and relubricate the movement as well, which I also expected (and wanted). But that's it, no new strap or case refinishing (it's not mint but doesn't need it).
£756 .. I was expecting somewhere between £400 and £500. I guess I'm going to have to do it, but can anyone confirm this is typical? I'm particularly intrigued by the suggestion of replacing the hands as what seems to be a matter of course.
I can't advise on the hands and face, but I was quoted £350 for a moment service and case refinish about 12 months ago for a 3717.
Paid just over a monkey for a movement service and refinish of case and bracelet on my 353601 that was about four years ago.
Paid 1075 Euro for a Aquatimer that got some water inside about a year ago, needed a full cleaning and indeed new dial+hands as well.
Thanks guys. I'll just have to suck it up I think.
My experience of Richemont servicing has been bad and I wouldn't ... I wouldn't ... I'm ... I'm almost speechless as I begin to remember the twists and turns of it all.
Let it be enough for me to say that, if I were you, I wouldn't send a watch to them unless, because of parts supply, you have no choice.
My experience is not too good either, but you have no choice. You may as well paid up and hope that others' experiences are not typical!
IWC offer a maintenance service and a full service. Is that price for a full service? If so it should include refinishing to the case. For full service, new dial and new hands, this price sounds good to me.
FWIW, I've never had any problems with IWC servicing.
Think I'd be talking to a good independent. That's a LOT of money and I'm not sure rapport qualite prix is what Richemont are all about.
Very much so. And surely Mark XIIs are getting to the age where genuine aged hands and dials are an asset rather than a liability?Originally Posted by MMC
Dropped my spitfire a couple of years ago and the hands came loose. 650 euros later my watch returned.
IWC ownership can prove expensive owing to their policy of not selling parts. They won`t even sell parts for their vintage stuff, which basically stops me buying one.
I`m really impressed with their 50s/60s watches, but I wouldn`t touch their later offerings. They've got you over a barrel with the service/repair situation.
Paul
£350-odd for just a movement service on my mk XII about 10 months ago as I recall. Fair enough on that, and it's been extremely accurate since.
The issues were the uselessly slow responses to emails to arrange booking the watch in, the breathy airhead bird on the phone who takes your calls, and the much longer than estimated time to return. I did get a grovelling telephone and email apology from one of Richemont's managers, but the whole customer care process inspires no confidence whatsoever in my experience.
I suspect that once you get through the Front of House 'Team' their watchmakers are absolutely fine.
Good luck.
I've not had an IWC service before, but I'm currently having my 40s IWC restored and will see little change out of £1200, with an estimate of 20 weeks to do the work. They will be replacing the hands on mine too (together with a long list of other stuff - full dismantling, refinishing / replacement of parts, rebuild, new hands and crown, full dial restoration, new plexi, new seals, case polish, etc, etc). It is a hell of a lot of money, but I want the work done and as others have said, there's not really an alternative to sending it to them for such an old watch. I guess ultimately how I feel about spending so much money is going to be determined by how good a job they do. We will see.
That is what I paid fairly recently for a service and case refinish* from a well-regarded independent, so £750-ish for a service by the manufacturer including a new dial and hands does not sound outlandish.
I’m sure I could have got it done more cheaply, but I took various factors into account when deciding to go ahead, such as the reputation of the firm, the fact that I could bring the watch in, collect it in person, and discuss the watch with the particular watchmaker doing the work, being able to see current case refinishing work, etc. Those things mean a lot to me and servicing is now a fairly rare expense due to no longer having many watches. I really don’t like the idea of sending a treasured watch off via some impersonal third party.
If I had a Mk XII I’d seek the advice of an independent or two if ?Richemont are intending to replace the dial. If the dial is fine apart from the lume triangle it will be quite possible to have that re-lumed or otherwise fixed for much less than IWC will charge for a dial that will be out of keeping with the age of the watch.
*The watch was made in the 60s, cal 854.
Last edited by Si; 19th August 2014 at 23:34. Reason: Watch info
This wouldn't be such an issue with their ETA 2892 based models though?
Yes it would! Movement parts could be sourced, that's no problem, but how about seals and hands? If the hapless watchie damages a hand during removal (seconds hands can be v. tight) he hasn`t got a 'get out of jail' option because IWC won`t supply a replacement. Caseback seals are usually a standard O-ring but the crown seal can be a pain to source and that's why a new crown usually gets fitted to maintain water resistance.
Same argument applies to Breitling.
Paul
Simple story:
How the Swiss try to kill the independent watchmaker and take over his business in their quest for world domination on their market.
- don't sell movements (Swatch)
- don't sell parts (Richemont, Omega, Rolex .....)
- increase the prices for service
Cartels... But hey, they're Swiss, they can get away with it.
A lot of reasons to stop buying from them and start buying from the small independent factories, that are not only trying to gain, but also try to keep a good VFM. Same goes for Seiko btw...
Fair point, Bernard. It's crazy.
Paul
If they still make the parts, that is. Tried to order a crystal gasket for a 90's ladies quartz. No dice. Glue the crystal on or buy a new watch.
I just read somewhere on this forum that Seiko repaircenters stock parts for 20 yrs.
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...GMT-Diver-info
Glueing in a crystal will work if done properly. You might try to find someone who can make a gasket for you/alter another gasket...
Last edited by Bernard; 21st August 2014 at 06:33.
Lots of stuff will work if done properly, but that wasnt the point. I'd love to see the customers face when you bill him for the custom manufacture of a single gasket :D Altering a gasket? Not a feasible solution.
Repairing old watches often requires tinkering.
Look at the old Omega quartzes.
Several ones have had their coils rewound by hand and the motors on several ones have been rewound as well.
That kind of work will cost you a lot of money.
For a Seiko this sort of work often is economically unfeasible.
Only top end brands like Patek, Vacheron etc. have such a service for their vintage watches.
Remember, they will hit you with their bill....
The standard 20+ yrs old ladies Seiko watch will be written off. If you want to salvage it, buy a second hand one on ebay and strip it for parts.
That is the easiest way to get them.
By the way, I am currently having two of my 7A48-7000's serviced and upgraded with sapphire crystals...
I have a spare one for parts and several 7A38's for parts as well.
I don't have any doubt I will be able to enjoy them for many years to come.
Sadly there's no money in "tinkering", I know. Theres a spray to repair coils, never heard of anyone handwinding them.. sounds like a wind-up :)
Using second hand gaskets is a big no-no, if you want to offer any sort of guarantee.
Again, the point was Seiko are not known for their parts supply. Certina and Tissot are much superior in that regard, one is often surprised at how old stuff they stock, even for cheaper models.
At a certain point of course, one cant expect them to supply old parts forever.
That spray only works so far ;-)
I recently enquired about a coil and was told it could be fixed on a "send in your old one, get a rewound one back"-basis.
Don't have the details here at the moment, but I could ask for details if necessary.
However, I have been pointed towards another option to get a NOS coil, so I am currently trying out that route.
Certina, Tissot and Seiko used to be much more expensive / higher end than Seiko, I think their stock / parts supply is therefore much better.
Seiko obviously has kept the cost low by not stocking a lot. A choice that is economically understandable, but isn't in the best interest of the owners of vintage Seiko's.
I'd actually love to know who does and and what the charge is to wind a coil... It seems like absolute fools work to me, but I guess if someone does it?
Seiko is supposedly all in-house, so making a simple plastic gasket should cost them sweet f-a. I think theyd rather people buy new watches, and scrap the old ones. Different philosophies I suppose.
Could have been Boley, I had to dig in my memory but will check it.
It was said to me on the phone a few weeks ago...
In the end, most brands exist because of their (new) production being sold.
Not because of the endless servicing/repairing of old watches...
True, it's only for the prestige brands where after sales service becomes really important in the long run, where watches are more of an investment, rather than just throwaway items. It also helps their marketing a bit, to be able to point to good servicing possibilities.
For brands that have made the journey from midrange to high-end, it becomes a struggle to keep everyone happy.... Omega is a good case in point.
Indeed!
Very hard for NOmega to explain why servicing a very straightforward calibre 1310 "The Ant" Megaquartz should set the owner back one GRAND (Euro's)...
Working examples can be had for a quarter of that price. Much cheaper to buy one and have your watch repaired with parts from it than get stung by Omega in Biel, who will take ages to service that pretty straightforward, easy to service, quartz movement and will ask you to pay the kind of money that gets you a nice SMP...
Bad deal, very bad deal.
I don't rank Omega at the "high-end". They seem overpriced. Their newest models are - just my personal view - lacking in style and are still at the level of Breitling, TAG Heuer etc. Nice watches, but nothing spectacular.
I wouldn't compare them to Jaeger LeCoultre, Vacheron et Constantin, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet or even the better Rolexes (and I'm not a Rolex fanboy).
The have a business plan that seems to be paying of quite well, but I am drawn to other brands more and more.
That is a development that might be considered special as my father and grandfather wore Omega's, my first "real" watch was a SMP and I currently have 7 Omega's (none newer than 1999). I briefly owned an SMP chrono (approx 2003) and a Speedmaster auto (approx 2006), but didn't bond with them and sold them quite fast.
Omega have a studio that make their Co-axial tourbillons and jewellry pieces, which are high end, but the rest of the range is as you say, definitely not high-end, but more mid-range.
They are victims of their own history when it comes to servicing, and being all over the place for such a long time, everything from cheap quartz to HEQ to various mechanicals...
There's not a single Omega I currently would like, the design is too bland, same with Seiko imho.
Looks like we agree on about 99%...
100% the same view on the current Omega line-up.
When it comes to Seiko, I would like the GS 36.000, rest of the current Seiko range is too big, too much of the same, too much bling etc.
I recently acquired a 7A48-7000 (three, actually, one is taken by my wife, who likes it a lot, one is a gift for my old man who is turning 70 in 2 months and one is for me). I really, really love the slim watch with its gorgeous dial, great case-profile and the lovely in house 15 jewels cal. 7A48 quartz chrono. Quite dressy, yet WR to 10 bar. I will have them upgraded to sapphire (necessary on my wife's watch as she accidentaly banged it against a steel door and managed to crack the original 20+ yrs old crystal (dial wasn't damaged, luckily, the crystal remained in place!).
Funny how the old things are much more able to get me enthusiastic than the new posh stuff.
What Warranty does an IWC Service provide?
Rolex is 2 Years, how long is IWC's?
thanks
12 months.
Same as Patek Philippe.
Well, I've just handed over the £756 and got my Mk XII back this afternoon.
Although I had agreed when I took it to their dealer (Berry's in Nottingham) that the case wouldn't be refinished, and they confirmed this with me again when I received the quote - in fact they have done this. I'm actually quite pleased because they've done a beautiful job and it now looks like a brand new watch. They've refinished the buckle too; I don't remember it having brushed sides, but may be wrong about that. Anyway it looks lovely.
The service does come with a two year guarantee, by the way. And I got a rather nice service case. I'm thrilled to have it back and repaired in such beautiful condition. I guess the new dial won't have tritium markers, but in fact the old one hadn't aged that much and I can't tell the difference. Maybe it'll glow in the dark again like it used to in the '90s.
Even so. £756. Sheesh.
Last edited by monogroover; 7th September 2014 at 10:51.
Mark XII Service Cost 2018
I passed a Mark XII to IWC for service quotation in early 2018.
I received an quotation for EURO1,100, including service of the movement, new dial and crown with option to polish. Ignoring my request, the quotation specifically stated service would not be made without change of dial and crown.
Last edited by shinn8; 5th November 2018 at 10:10.
Just to add to this elderly thread, a faulty seal let water into my Aquatimer and IWC have quoted me £2250, which is more than it’s worth and not too far off what I paid for it new 10 or 15 years ago. Of course it includes new dial, bezel, crowns..etc...etc..
Last edited by Corporalsparrow; 14th January 2019 at 13:59.
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