So, My 2018 Pelagos LHD, that has been lightly worn in rotation, ended up suffering the missing lume maker that others have reported. The watch is out of warranty but a quick scan of various watch forums revealed that there are plenty of stories of these being fixed by RCS when out of warranty. I took the watch to an AD who sent it off to the service centre and I've just heard back. The estimate is £350 for a full service and case / bracelet clean and as part of that they will replace the bezel FOC.
In my opinion the watch doesn't require a service as it's keeping very good time and I definitely don't want the watch polished. On the other hand I'm not sure how much a new bezel on it's own would cost. I'm tempted to push back, thanking them for agreeing to fix the bezel for free but say that I don't think the watch needs a serviced at this time (is this reasonable?). Any others have any experience of this ? I am grateful but don't think the watch needs servicing right now?
The are replacing the defective part free of charge but they want to make sure they sting you for some charges - so you are in fact paying for a repair to a product that is not fit for purpose. Could you not use the numerous threads as evidence that the bezel replacement should be treated differently to the service?
To be expected from them although not particularly palatable or ethical IMO
It’s something I hope never happens to my Pelagos,
I'm going to politely question why a full service is being tied to replacing a defective bezel, a repair that doesn't require the case back to be opened. I've heard of others questioning this and successfully having just the bezel replaced FOC and then others who weren't able to get RCS to budge. I was the owner of a Tudor GMT that suffered the data wheel issue and the watch was away for repair (under warranty) for 4 months - QC is still a little questionable and I guess it's how you are looked after that you remember. I know the Lume issue is not uncommon but Tudor/Rolex would never admit that, however, the fact that they have been replacing these out of warranty seems to suggest that they know it's an issue.
Last edited by dougieb; 10th June 2024 at 19:16.
Well, looks like I'm going to have to stump up £350 for an unnecessary service so that I can get the bezel replaced 'FOC". The AD says that Tudor won't budge despite me pointing out that this is far from an isolated case. I've owned a number of modern Tudors (Blue and LHD Pelagos, BB GMT, BB 58, BB Dark) and on the whole I've really enjoyed them. I was considering a Ranger but I think that will be me finished with Tudor instead. I do understand the watch is out of warranty but really for a £4K tool watch there shouldn't be so many reports of these defective bezels something is clearly wrong with the manufacturing process.
There is an argument to say the watch is not fit for purpose
It’s a tool watch, a diving watch, the adverts all show it doing rugged things yet the bezel lume is not up to the job
It would leave a horrible taste in my mouth, enough to not want to buy one of their products again. - to be fair the stories coming out around this issue and others leave me feeling that way regardless.
Last edited by Sinnlover; 11th June 2024 at 16:23.
Yep, why on earth is a service to the movement a prerequisite to having a defective bezel replaced. Between a rock and a hard place - having the bezel replaced on it's own (even if I pay for it) doesn't seem like an option
I previously had the ETA version and one benefit was the knowledge an independent could service it. Now if the lume falls out you wouldn’t have that option.
The lume started falling out of my blue Pelagos and I had to stump up for a needless service to have it replaced. Others have had theirs replaced without a service. No consistency in approach especially as it's a known issue. Prepare to bend over .....
Last edited by Manxdiver; 11th June 2024 at 22:02.
Can you cut out the middleman (the AD) and go straight to St James's to explain your position?Originally Posted by dougieb
"A man of little significance"
That was my thinking here, AD prob gets a cut too.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I'll reach out to RSC at St James directly and see where that gets me.
In agreement with others but RSC seem to make it up as they go along so I’m not surprised at their approach which is unfair imho. They should just replace a faulty part foc. I notice they mention a clean of the case and bracelet which seems a bit pointless. I notice they don’t mention refinishing, I’m sure I’ve read from other posts that they can’t /won’t refinish their Titanium watches?
When I sent mine in I sent it for a warranty repair even though I knew it was out of warranty.
Didn't entertain any talk of a service, came back 3 weeks later with a new bezel
Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk
Yeah, the AD wrote down 'estimate requested' and I pointed out that the issue was not uncommon and was being fixed out of warranty but I assumed (and communicated this to the sales rep) that Tudor would do the right thing and treat as a warranty claim. I probably should have been more persistent. It's clearly and issue with the manufacturing of this bezel.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote