Reply With QuoteI never have done with a kickstarter and what happened to you would be one of main worries. Some of the established microbrands are just the same.
As some of you may know, I bought a Schaffen Watches S65 via Kickstarter in 2018.
It's an IWC Ingeniuer homage and generally received a fairly positive reception when announced.
It arrived in late 2018 and I was very happy with it initially, wearing it quite often until one day I noticed it had stopped while I was wearing it.
It wouldn't hand wind and, although the rotor span, the watch refused to run again.
I contacted Schaffen and, to be honest, thought they were a bit defensive - They asked me lots of rather stupid questions (had I been wearing it, perhaps it needed winding, etc), but OK, some people might buy a watch and not understand the difference between quartz and automatic and I videoed the rotor moving and the second hand stuck fast as they requested.
They asked me to send it back - no suggestion of a returns label, despite it the fact it was within the first year of what I recently discovered was a 2 year warranty.
In the end, I figured the cost of a repair would probably outweigh the cost of losing the watch and something about their attitude made me feel that it being delivered to them and me never seeing it again wasn't a totally impossible scenario - I have no real evidence to support that, but I was uneasy enough to decide to hold onto the watch.
Fast forward to today (2nd September 2020 - Still in the two year warranty period) and I clicked onto their website, nothing - It's gone from a website advertising watches to a 'domain parking' URL, so they've vanished, the two year warranty is worthless.
A quick hunt on eBay revealed a Seagull SW200 clone movement for around £40, so I figured I'd have a go at dropping one into my Schaffen - At least I could wear it, if the fix worked.
I got the watch out, removed the back, bracelet and movement from the case - I have to say, taking it apart, the case and bracelet are nicely made.
The dial is quite nice too (mine is the 'Matterhorn' themed watch that they featured in some early marketing shots - One of the features was a custom rotor design and dial marking) and I figured it was worth a punt, but as I fiddled around a little, a screw fell out of the movement and, OMG, the watch started running!
The offender!
The handwinding works, and the rotor spins and winds the mechanism.
I carefully started to reassemble it, but trying to refit the custom rotor, I used the wrong screw and it fell back into the movement, jamming the watch once again.
I knew what I was looking for and I managed to retrieve it from inside without too much trouble and an hour and a half later, the watch is back together and has been running consistently.
I can't tell if the screw is a vital (but not immediately obvious) part or was one dropped inside during assembly and worked its way into a moving part after some time and jammed the mechanism, so I've wound the watch and will leave it running on a stand and see how it goes.
So, the warning?
Well, a Kickstarter guarantee is pretty much worthless as the company making the watch can have it assembled and vanish in the blink of an eye - I'm sure some have experienced them doing so before anything is ever made or delivered!
Schaffen, to their credit, made quite a nice watch, but clearly the movement (is it really a Selitta SW200? I doubt it) was poorly assembled OR QC'd for the screw to be able to jam it.
You take a punt with Kickstarter - I don't think I'll ever be tempted again, which is a bit of a shame as it is an opportunity for some genuinely innovative and, no doubt, quality people to get started.
Anyway, something to think about next time you're asked to stump up £500 for a Kickstarter watch...
I'm sure many have had totally troublefree experiences with Kickstarter, but I'm just glad that (fingers crossed) my Schaffen S65 is running again!
M
Last edited by snowman; 2nd September 2020 at 16:00.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I never have done with a kickstarter and what happened to you would be one of main worries. Some of the established microbrands are just the same.
I have a Helgray which was a company that started on Kickstarter. But then I also bought this as a second hand item and wouldn't expect any sort of warranty to remain intact. But then, Helgray are still trading and have continued to do so as a stand alone seller since starting with Kickstarter.
Only other item I've bought linked to Kickstarter was the BigIDesign titanium pen. Substantial and simple so no worry for warranty.
Sad to hear your troublesome tale, but the ending was indeed a good one!
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I’ve purchased a few things on Kickstarter,including a couple of watches,and I’ve never had an issue. Yes,sometimes I’ve had to wait a little longer than initially promised but the goods have always arrived.
I wouldn’t say that this was necessarily a ‘beware Kickstarter’ issue, it just so happens you discovered the watch via that platform. You could’ve just have easily have come across them as a brand when surfing the internet and have had the same problems.
Personally i would say to anyone who is contemplating buying via Kickstarter to go ahead.
Of course, everyone should make their own decision and there are examples of companies starting out on Kickstarter and going on to become reasonably sized and respectable brands, but I think the number of watch 'manufacturers' who appear and vanish after one or two watches (or even none at all, and taking the money, if you believe some of the stories out there) is higher amongst the Kickstarters than other sources.Originally Posted by village
My story wasn't intended to warn people off all together, just a 'caveat emptor' experience as it's easy (I know) to be swept up in the excitement of a Kickstarter release.
If I see a Kickstarter watch I like, in future, I will hold off and see how it pans out.
4.5 hours after removing the offending screw, though, and it's still running
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I’ve just jumped in to Kickstarter for the first time to buy a Hamtun Kraken. I had a bit more confidence in that there had been positive reviews for a previous watch launch. However whilst I remain optimistic, the level of response by way of updates has been worryingly low. From early May to 3 days ago nothing at all. Then an update saying there will be an update when the owner has cared for his sick mum. I hope they are both ok, genuinely, but I guess a downside of using KS is investing in to a project when you can’t see the finished watch or have a firm delivery date.
Well done fixing your watch though!
I'm to impatient to bother with kick starter projects ... If I want a watch I want it now not in six months etc as I'd probably of gone off the idea by then.
I bought the Olivier, the famous watch that everyone paid for and nobody received!
I've also had some success on KS with Xeric and Zelos
The ZRC North Adventure I bought used recently is a KS project and is really well made.
To be sure, I’ve seen my share of KS turkeys and frauds. We will do well to remember that we are backing the promise of a product rather than buying a finished product when we’re back a KS campaign.
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I was going to mention Olivier from a good few years ago. I was more active on WUS at the time and remember a few long running threads there on the Olivier debacle.
No idea why anyone is tempted by kickstarter watches. There are so many reliable brands on the market, so many homages, so much heritage...i just don't believe you are every going to get anything unique or ever get really serious value.
I bought the Kraken H2, and also the Nanok from Hamtun's previous Kickstarters ... very happy with both watches, which are excellent quality for what I paid, albeit both delivered late, and with patchy communication.
I'd be pretty confident you'll get your H3 in due course, but try not to fret about the communication and the timeline ! Which one did you opt for ?
Well,you would be wrong.
There is a lot of rubbish but every now and then something comes along which is worth looking at.
A rather ill informed comment considering there have been a few brands that have started life with Kickstarter projects.
Well, 22.5 hours later and it's still running fine.
I'm very pleased to have it back running as I think it's a handsome piece.
Perfect for wearing with a suit, which is what attracted me to it in the first place, although I struggle to recall when I last had occasion to wear one!
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Had a mixed bag with Kickstarters, which is probably what you'd expect. Last year I ordered 4:
Vario Empire - cracking little watch, delivered quickly and I got a lot of use out of it before I sold it on at a small profit. I got in at the super early bird price and it was quite a limited edition so it sold pretty quickly.
Ventus Northstar brass - Everything went well, but I never really clicked with it so again sold it on for a very small profit.
Infantry Aviateur - Complete car crash, the watch that arrived was not the one I ordered, and all the models were significantly different from the spec. Also no warranty cards and a lot of people didn't get their order at all. Communication was terrible but after a couple of months I managed to return it for an 80% refund.
Hamtun Kraken H2 - Lost patience with it in the end, communication was terrible and it was way overdue when I finally managed to cancel my order. I believe the people who actually got their watches liked them in the end.
I probably wouldn't get into a Kickstarter again for a while, but you never know if the right thing came along. 2 positive and 2 negative experiences out of 4 so there is some good out there and you can sometimes make a small profit if you back the right horse.
The Newmark kickstarter went fine, but I’d do my due diligence before committing to any other brand.
I think the micro brand market is (no pun intended) oversaturated particular with divers watches.
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I never liked the idea of kickstarters myself. I figured out strainght away that it would attract every del boy and wannabe entrepreneur out of the woodwork.
Not shocked at all to see your warranty is now worth nothing and your on your own.
Sounds frustrating, though great job fixing it yourself. However their web page does still seem to exist: https://www.schaffenwatches.com
I think I'd have been happier to send it back to them. I had one (which I sold when the next thing caught my eye). They seemed eager to please, if a little overwhelmed by the initial demand.
I've had a couple of kickstarters (I also owned and sold on the Nezumi Voiture), and while I was pleasantly surprised by the quality vs price, in the end a cheap watch usually ends up feeling like a cheap watch even if it's a good cheap watch, with the exception of good vintage finds that used to be expensive watches (or certain 60s Seikos), and particular micro brands we know and love. In the case of cheap kickstarters, I've come to the conclusion that they may look tempting but I'm unlikely to wear them for long when I have other watches that are simply in another league. I've also been a bit put off by the sheer number of generic 'me too' watches that add nothing to the conversation, in design terms. I'm hoping to catch the next exception to the rule, but joining the Facebook microbrands group has turned out to be quite a depressing experience, given that I really just like looking at beautiful pictures of beautiful watches.
Interesting, seems I jumped the gun, but yesterday it was directing to a Domain parking service! Maybe they were in a website refresh phase
Oh well, doesn't matter and glad to see they haven't disappeared, although the website doesn't look terribly active.
In a way, thinking they'd gone was a good experience for me - I wouldn't have dreamt of opening the watch up if I hadn't and (as well as getting the watch running again) it gave me a greater insight into the finishing of the watch, which is quite impressive, I think.
M
Last edited by snowman; 3rd September 2020 at 14:00.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
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