# Alpina service on a new watch, a frustrating experience...advice?



## Anatoly

So I bought my Alpina Aviation Startimer Chronograph Automatic at a local AD new in Dec.2013-was a Christmas gift to myself.
After one week I noticed a lose bolt (see through caseback) had jammed the rotor. Off to AD and they ship the watch to a Canadian Alpina Service Center. 5-6 weeks later I get the watch and within a couple of days start noticing that the chronograph does not always reset back to zero, depending on where the hands stop before I reset. So at first I thought it was just a fluke and maybe it will go away; I did not want to part with this awesome watch so soon for another month or two.I kept it for about a month but then other things started to bother me, such as the counter hand not lining up exactly at 12 but slightly off, and the minute hand not aligning perfectly when the seconds hand would hit 12, in fact the minute hand would be roughly in the middle between minute markers while the seconds hand at 12.
All these factors together pushed me to send the watch back. I even was able to get a video on my phone of how the second and minute hand did not reset to zero when I stopped and reset the chronograph. A very apologetic AD sent the watch back for service. Another 5-6 weeks later I get the watch and wear it to work.A couple of hours in, I notice that the chronograph issue is not fixed!WTF, right?Next morning I am getting ready to take the watch back, I pick it up and give a couple of manual winds of the crown (because that's what I do with my all automatics, I give it about 5-10 turns to get it going even if I wore it the day before) only to notice that now the rotor is spinning as I am turning the crown, again WTF! I stop, push the crown back in and start to screw it back down, but&#8230;the rotor keeps spinning as I am doing this.I turn the watch around to look at the movement and what I see is&#8230;another loose part just hanging in there, turn the watch back around and see my chronograph seconds hand (the one that normally rests at 12) is now at 5 and not moving.WOW.Needless to say the watch is now in Switzerland for about a month and counting.I still have no word of when it is coming back; I will contact the AD for an updated tomorrow.
This is very frustrating; I love the watch, but having owned it for 7 months and only actually being in possession of the watch for 3, and still not having the watch really put a sour taste in my mouth with the brand.
I am only posting this because I saw a very similar post about the FC and want to share my experience and get some advice on how to cope.
I am not bashing the brand, I have not owned their other products but at this point I am simply disappointed.I will have to wait and see how the watch is when it finally comes back.Is it possible I simply got a lemon?

Thanks for listening,

Anatoly


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## Nokie

I had a similar experience with them a while back, and now take all of my Alpinas and FC watches to a local watchmaker as opposed to having to wait forever to determine, what, if anything, they are doing about it back at the factory.


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## hchj

CEO of this company is a member here right? Hope he reads your post.

I can understand that sometimes movement fails for one reason or another but the company should fix it the first time. Your story and experience are truly disappointing

Sent from my GT-I8160 using Tapatalk 2


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## Anatoly

My AD informed me that he talked with Alpina rep in Switzerland and they say another 2-3 weeks before the watch is ready. I will write an update when I know more.


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## raisedbyrats

If it was me, I'd send the watch back to the AD for a refund. Then I'd never buy Alpina again. Ridiculous service.


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## Anatoly

The AD is a good friend, bought many things from them over the years including all the wedding rings, etc...I want to give him a chance...but next step will be just that if the watch is still a lemon


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## tthurling

Anatoly said:


> So I bought my Alpina Aviation Startimer Chronograph Automatic at a local AD new in Dec.2013-was a Christmas gift to myself.
> After one week I noticed a lose bolt (see through caseback) had jammed the rotor. Off to AD and they ship the watch to a Canadian Alpina Service Center. 5-6 weeks later I get the watch and within a couple of days start noticing that the chronograph does not always reset back to zero, depending on where the hands stop before I reset. So at first I thought it was just a fluke and maybe it will go away; I did not want to part with this awesome watch so soon for another month or two.I kept it for about a month but then other things started to bother me, such as the counter hand not lining up exactly at 12 but slightly off, and the minute hand not aligning perfectly when the seconds hand would hit 12, in fact the minute hand would be roughly in the middle between minute markers while the seconds hand at 12.
> All these factors together pushed me to send the watch back. I even was able to get a video on my phone of how the second and minute hand did not reset to zero when I stopped and reset the chronograph. A very apologetic AD sent the watch back for service. Another 5-6 weeks later I get the watch and wear it to work.A couple of hours in, I notice that the chronograph issue is not fixed!WTF, right?Next morning I am getting ready to take the watch back, I pick it up and give a couple of manual winds of the crown (because that's what I do with my all automatics, I give it about 5-10 turns to get it going even if I wore it the day before) only to notice that now the rotor is spinning as I am turning the crown, again WTF! I stop, push the crown back in and start to screw it back down, but&#8230;the rotor keeps spinning as I am doing this.I turn the watch around to look at the movement and what I see is&#8230;another loose part just hanging in there, turn the watch back around and see my chronograph seconds hand (the one that normally rests at 12) is now at 5 and not moving.WOW.Needless to say the watch is now in Switzerland for about a month and counting.I still have no word of when it is coming back; I will contact the AD for an updated tomorrow.
> This is very frustrating; I love the watch, but having owned it for 7 months and only actually being in possession of the watch for 3, and still not having the watch really put a sour taste in my mouth with the brand.
> I am only posting this because I saw a very similar post about the FC and want to share my experience and get some advice on how to cope.
> I am not bashing the brand, I have not owned their other products but at this point I am simply disappointed.I will have to wait and see how the watch is when it finally comes back.Is it possible I simply got a lemon?
> 
> Thanks for listening,
> 
> Anatoly


Hi Anatoly,
I posted about the FC a while back, and the situation has since been resolved in no small part due to my AD doing a phenomenal job of escalating the issue to FC's US operations director. I took the watch in for service in March, and did not hear anything from FC until this showed up at my AD's request:


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## Anatoly

Nice gift, and a beautiful watch by the way! I hope mine gets resolved similarly.


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## Anatoly

Well, got the Alpina back from Switzerland and have it on my wrist for the second day straight, monitoring it's performance and watching for issues. So far so good, but I am now paranoid and keep checking the display case back for loose components (happened twice before).
The AD is working on getting a full report from Alpina on issues and repairs from all 3 times the watch went in for service. The AD is has also informed me that Alpina will extend their warranty for the watch by 6 months.
I purchased the watch at the end of December 2013, it has been in service on 3 different occasions totaling 5 months. I feel 6 months warranty extension is fair, however, I am still dissatisfied that it took them 3 separate services to fix the watch. The AD has been fantastic in helping resolve the issue. I am happy to have the watch back, but still feel uneasy about this whole ordeal. I will update if anything changes with the watch performance or when I get a full report.

Anatoly


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## chris slack

sorry to hear about the problems but,man,that is a thing of beauty !!


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## Loco

Very nice watch. I have two Alpinas myself and they do make very nice watches. 

The fact that they are trying to make things right and as you have read about another owner with issues they try really hard to keep you as a customer, I would give them the chance to make things right.


Dean


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## Anatoly

Thank you!
I like the design and aesthetics very much, I hope this time it is fixed for good.



chris slack said:


> sorry to hear about the problems but,man,that is a thing of beauty !!


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## Anatoly

the warranty extension is nice, but I would rather have the watch on my wrist and enjoy it, then have it warranty repaired and not have it in my possession.



Loco said:


> Very nice watch. I have two Alpinas myself and they do make very nice watches.
> 
> The fact that they are trying to make things right and as you have read about another owner with issues they try really hard to keep you as a customer, I would give them the chance to make things right.
> 
> Dean


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## achilles

I know the feeling. Glad it turned up well for you. This is a nice looking chrono.


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## manofrolex

Anatoly said:


> Well, got the Alpina back from Switzerland and have it on my wrist for the second day straight, monitoring it's performance and watching for issues. So far so good, but I am now paranoid and keep checking the display case back for loose components (happened twice before).
> The AD is working on getting a full report from Alpina on issues and repairs from all 3 times the watch went in for service. The AD is has also informed me that Alpina will extend their warranty for the watch by 6 months.
> I purchased the watch at the end of December 2013, it has been in service on 3 different occasions totaling 5 months. I feel 6 months warranty extension is fair, however, I am still dissatisfied that it took them 3 separate services to fix the watch. The AD has been fantastic in helping resolve the issue. I am happy to have the watch back, but still feel uneasy about this whole ordeal. I will update if anything changes with the watch performance or when I get a full report.
> 
> Anatoly


I would not sweat it, crap happens once in a while. These things can be a bit finicky I have one Alpina Startimer Manufacture and I love it but never had any issues with it. I spent a lot on a Christopher Ward Jump Hour made by a famous Swiss dude and used it once and got the same deal you did. Loose movement securing screw stuck in the rotor so needless to say I was not pleased. But sent it back and CW fixed it. Seems the same happened to you and you should be set now. 
And remember there is always the Bay


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## ShortOnTime3

Anatoly said:


> Well, got the Alpina back from Switzerland and have it on my wrist for the second day straight, monitoring it's performance and watching for issues. So far so good, but I am now paranoid and keep checking the display case back for loose components (happened twice before).


Glad to hear you finally got things resolved. I got a GM-purchased Startimer Classic ~3 weeks ago and I've worn it about 6 times. Recently, I've been unable to wind it--the crown just clicks when I turn it (the crown is pulled out to the correct position). I'm working with the GM folks to get it fixed or replaced, so hopefully I will have a more positive experience. This is the first watch I've owned where there is something wrong with the internals of the watch. Hopefully it's something simple.


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## Anatoly

Well, so far so good, haven't seen any issues yet. I am still waiting for the service report and warranty extension (in writing) from them.
This was also the first for me where I had to send a watch in for warranty service. Good luck with yours.


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## ShortOnTime3

Anatoly said:


> Well, so far so good, haven't seen any issues yet. I am still waiting for the service report and warranty extension (in writing) from them.
> This was also the first for me where I had to send a watch in for warranty service. Good luck with yours.


Just to update: I don't have the watch back, but after wearing the watch for a total of 6 times (that's right, times, not months or years), the folks servicing the watch said that the movement needs to be overhauled. If I was paying for it myself, it would have cost me $~300 to get fixed. Hmmmm... We'll see how long it takes to get the piece back on my wrist.


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## Anatoly

Update: the watch is is performing as it should with no issues. I also got a written statement for service for each time the watch went in, as well as an extension of warranty by 6 months


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## BicyclingFool

I've had a crush on the Alpina Startimer Pilot for nearly a year now. Perhaps I shouldn't have read this thread because it definitely took some of the wind out of my sails. It's unfortunate, because I can't really name a better looking pilot's watch, at any price.


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## ShortOnTime3

Update: After some back and forth, with a touch of frustration, I finally have the watch back in my possession. I hope my experience is more indicative of the gray market purchase as opposed to buying from an AD. I've been wearing it for the last few days and it appears to keep decent time and work as advertised. And just in time for a black tie wedding tomorrow!


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## Anatoly

Hey guys, another update: the watch is still running perfect with no issues! Alpina fixied it right!


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## Nordicbeast

Anatoly said:


> Update: the watch is is performing as it should with no issues. I also got a written statement for service for each time the watch went in, as well as an extension of warranty by 6 months


Anatoly.....I'm curious as to which service centre they first shipped your watch to...was it in Markham? Reason that I ask is that my Extreme Diver 1000 is running extremely fast (+60-70sec/day) and is probably in need of a general service anyways. Alpina only has this one service centre in Markham listed on their site...I'm wondering if I should give them a try or not....any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!


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