# Cartier Watch Service - beware!



## Murberry (Jul 17, 2018)

I recently bought a vintage 18k yellow gold Cartier Panthère watch completely set with diamonds (bracelet, case and dial) at an auction. Some of the diamonds were loose and the watch did not run. A local Cartier dealer (I am in the Netherlands) sent the watch to Cartier for me, together with my Must the Cartier watch that needed a battery replacement (always ran perfectly on time). It would take about 2-3 weeks to get a quote and 8 weeks for the repair, they guessed. After 2,5 weeks the dealer phoned me and told me Cartier would not touch the diamond setting, because they claimed it was not factory, but they were willing to service the watch. Because they found moisture in the (quartz) movement, it needed a full service, and with that they would replace the blue hands, that they claimed to be oxidized, for free. Also they would replace the (gold) lunet screws, because they were not factory as well. Total cost: €750,-. If I choose to have the -according to them - damaged backscrews replaced, it would be an additional €80,- 
But, to have the work done, I had to agree to them replacing my diamond encrusted sunburst dial with a plain white (with black numbers) one, because 'they do not want these watches to exist', so I was told. Only after special request from the dealer and some consideration they would let me get my diamond dial back, but they would disable it to prevent I would have it replaced in the watch. I then decided to have the watch returned to me unrepaired, together with my Must de Cartier that according to Cartier needed a new crown and therefore a complete service à €470. Because you can buy these watches vintage between €500-€800, I didn't think it was worth it. 


Once I got my watches back (paid €60 'research costs' for the Must, the dealer was so kind to not charge me for the Panthère because she felt they did not offer me a real solution), I was checking the back of the Panthère for the damaged screws Cartier had mentioned. I did not see what they meant, but once I compared the watch to the pictures I took before sending in the watches, I noticed the screws seemed untouched. Untouched as exactly the same screw with the same tiny screwdriver marks in exactly the same spot in the same position. Then I checked my Must watch and it was the same: the screws appeared untouched. I did some research and every source told me the same story: if the watches were indeed opened up this is impossible. So my watches were both never opened yet Cartier made claims about the watches needing full service and charged me €750 and €470, or €60 research costs per watch. I called the manager at my local dealer and she told me a long long story that high end watchmakers take photo's of the watch and put every screw back in exactly the same position because some customers won't accept a change of one hundreth of a millimeter (she really said that!) and that she was very sure the watches had been opened or she would tell me and that she could ask for the photo's but she wasn't sure they would still have them because of privacy reasons. Uhuh. 'If you can't convince them, confuse them.' (if still in doubt, read the article about screws in watches and why they are never aligned in the first place, and that their position will change every time they are opened because of slight changes in torque from every watchmaker, you'll have to google it, because as a newbie on this forum I'm not allowed to post a link).


Three days later I took the watches to a watchmaker. He put the Panthère watch under a camera with a microscope so I could see it on a big televisionscreen. There was no oxidation on the hands. He then opened the watch and told me it hadn't been opened for a while, because dead skin cells fell of when he opened it (which is completely normal but not when it has been opened and not worn again). There was no moisture in the movement, but some very light tarnish was visible on the battery only (it might have been empty for years?). He replaced the battery and we waited 20 breathtaking seconds for the 'pulse' that showed the movement was working. It worked, and it worked fine. The watchmaker did some lubrication where needed, and made the bracelet to size for me, all while I was waiting. After about one hour of work and talking he charged me €48 and I left his shop with my lovely watch working. 


My Must de Cartier watch (and the Tag Heuer I also brought with me) both were ready one week later, and I was charged €28 for a battery-exchange for the Must. It was checked (no further service needed) and tested to be waterproof as well. It runs perfectly. The watchmaker told me this watch also had not been opened for quite some time...


Now everyone reading this story can draw their own conclusion of what happened here and decide whether they want to bring their watches to Cartier for 'service' or take them to a real watchmaker (maybe I should add that 'full service' for a quartz movement means Cartier throws out the old movement and replaces it with a new one. Why? Because you don't need very well trained people (aka real watchmakers) to do this, so it's cheaper than actually servicing these watches).
If you enjoy being lied to and ripped off excessively and you don't know what to do with all your money, then go ahead and take them to Cartier, you won't be dissapointed. If not, opt for a good watchmaker.


The worst part for me was realizing I would have done it. Had they charged me €1200-1300 for 'servicing' this watch and repair and check the diamond setting, I would have happily paid for it. Because it is Cartier. Because you don't expect this kind of practice from a reputable company. You just don't think they need it. I took the Panthère to a goldsmith who send it to a first class diamond setter, 2,5 weeks later the work was done and I paid €120. Got that? We fool ourselves justifying these ridiculous prices they charge, we let them get away with it, BECAUSE IT'S CARTIER. They know best, right?


Dear Cartier, I LOVE your designs, your watches, your jewellery, please focus on what you do best and make your profit there, instead of ripping people off with made-up 'research' and overexpensive repairs that are just unneccesary. It would make us all feel so much better about your brand. Now wouldn't that help with your sales? (I switched to buying Tiffany & Co).


I will share this experience all over the internet, on every watch forum etc. because I DON'T enjoy being lied to, I can think of nicer ways to spend my money , and I guess there are many people like me out there. But most of all, people should know who they are dealing with. Truth needs to be told.


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## Watchbreath (Feb 12, 2006)

I'm drawing the conclusion that the Panther was an 'altered' watch, am I correct?


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## Murberry (Jul 17, 2018)

Watchbreath said:


> I'm drawing the conclusion that the Panther was an 'altered' watch, am I correct?


Yes, correct. Another Cartier-dealer I talked to told me it would probably have been done in Antwerp, Belgium, as there are a couple of small companies near the diamond centre that do this type of work. No 'normal' goldsmith would take on such a job, as there are 450-500 (didn't count them) tiny tiny diamonds all over this watch. Now, although I find it odd that if you buy a €20.000 plain gold watch at Cartier, you're not 'allowed' by them to do with it whatever you want (or they refuse to service it), I can respect that desicion. I almost chose to have the service done anyway, if I could have had the diamond dial back unaltered, so I could have had it replaced. What really left me flabbergasted is the fact they lied about the 'research' they never did and the 'service' they would charge me with while all my watch needed (both watches, actually) was a new battery.


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## offrdmania (Jun 1, 2008)

They will not just replace a battery if the watch also needs a service. A manufacturers job is to keep their watches in pristine, original condition. You sent in an altered watch and wanted then to go against their service protocols. Essentially, if they touch your watch and dont follow their protocals, then they are now liable for your altered watch because they were the last to touch it. 
I dont see anything negative here on their part. 
I just sent in a Santos for a complete overhaul and it was back to me within a month looking brand new with very little issue.
I thought their service from start to finish was very professional and outstanding.


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## dantan (Dec 16, 2014)

Interesting.

I am glad that you got your two Cartier Watches sorted, anyway.

Any photos you would like to share with us of your Cartier's?


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## Murberry (Jul 17, 2018)

offrdmania said:


> They will not just replace a battery if the watch also needs a service. A manufacturers job is to keep their watches in pristine, original condition. You sent in an altered watch and wanted then to go against their service protocols. Essentially, if they touch your watch and dont follow their protocals, then they are now liable for your altered watch because they were the last to touch it.
> I dont see anything negative here on their part.
> I just sent in a Santos for a complete overhaul and it was back to me within a month looking brand new with very little issue.
> I thought their service from start to finish was very professional and outstanding.


I'm glad to hear Cartier did a good job on your Santos and that you are happy with their service. But I guess your Santos is an automatic? I did not say a full service is just the replacement of a battery, I said that a full service for a QUARTZ movement means they replace the movement for a new one and throw away the old one, which is to their choice, of course.

I sent them an altered watch, but I didn't know it was altered. With an aftermarket custom watch you tend to think it's pretty unique but I found several of these watches online, in different versions. Some were exactly like mine, some were like mine but with a date, some had just the case set with diamonds (the sunrise dial is then MOP) or just the dial, or the case and the dial, or the case, the dial and part of the bracelet. Some had paperwork, I don't know how this is possible, but you usually don't see the inside of the paperwork in photo's, if you see it at all. I assumed Cartier made these special editions 'to order' at some point, as they would probably not have them stocked by thousands. Even the dealer who took the watch in thought it was factory. 
If Cartier would have refused to touch the watch because it was altered and they didn't want to be responsable for it, I would have totally understood that. That they could not guarantee it being waterproof after the service, that would have been fine too. After all, holes were drilled in the case to put those diamonds in. But the fact they tried to charge me for a full service, claiming they found moisture in the movement, while in fact they NEVER EVEN OPENED IT is what makes me angry. There were no 'oxidized' hands, and there was nothing wrong with the lunet screws (on the contrary to Cartier, I HAVE seen them, as the only access to these screws is from the inside of the watch) and there is no damage to the back screws. The same storie goes for my Must watch, claims were made about things being wrong with it (they gave me a name I can not even translate, because it doesn't exist. The watchmaker, with 20 years of experience didn'nt know what it was. And this is just a quartz-movement, in watchmaking that's not really rocket science so to speak. All both watches needed was a battery change. So I was lied to and I paid for research that was never conducted. Feels like a scam to me.


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## Murberry (Jul 17, 2018)

dantan said:


> Interesting.
> 
> I am glad that you got your two Cartier Watches sorted, anyway.
> 
> Any photos you would like to share with us of your Cartier's?


Thank you, I will do that as soon as I have the Panthère back from the goldsmith (should be by the end of this week), where I left it after the diamond setter finished his work. 2 tiny pieces of gold are missing from the front of the case (little covers that hide the ends of the lunet screws that come from inside) he's going to fix it so the watch will be 100% restored. Would be a shame to post photo's with these 'gaps' visible.


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## rileynp (Mar 16, 2009)

Murberry said:


> 2 tiny pieces of gold are missing from the front of the case (little covers that hide the ends of the lunet screws that come from inside) he's going to fix it so the watch will be 100% restored. Would be a shame to post photo's with these 'gaps' visible.


That might be a piece of the puzzle that explains Cartier's desire to replace the bezel screws- they could tell from the outside of the watch that they were not correct due to the "gaps" that you take to be missing covers. Panthère bezel screws don't have covers on the ends- what you should see is the polished tip of the screw itself, nearly flush with the bezel surface.


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## Murberry (Jul 17, 2018)

rileynp said:


> That might be a piece of the puzzle that explains Cartier's desire to replace the bezel screws- they could tell from the outside of the watch that they were not correct due to the "gaps" that you take to be missing covers. Panthère bezel screws don't have covers on the ends- what you should see is the polished tip of the screw itself, nearly flush with the bezel surface.


Thank you, you are probably right about that. But I have seen the lunet screws at the watchmaker, they were all there, yet there really is a tiny 'gap' on the bezel side, and one piece of gold that appears a bit to deep. Maybe these screws are indeed not original.


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## Pimmsley (Jun 19, 2017)

Tough crowd... sounds like pretty abysmal service to me, charging for mearly speculating on what's going on inside the case :-(


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## T1meout (Sep 27, 2013)

Cartier charge a standard fee for service, be it quartz or mechanical. When they informed me of the charges I kindly requested that my watch be returned to me opted instead to have the work done by a local independent, whom may I add, did a splendid job. Follow the link to read all about it: https://www.watchuseek.com/f481/cartier-quartz-servicing-just-tad-over-top-4545597.html


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## NNeves (Feb 27, 2018)

Hi,

I think you should contact Cartier costumer service in Switzerland to clarify (or to make them aware of what is happening).

First, the "research fee" is quite strange. Never heard of that kind of fee before.

Second, when they send a non-original or modified part back to the client they don't usually touch it. They send it to the client as it was when they received it.

For the Tank quartz, when they do an estimate for a complete service they don't need to open it. If the last complete service was made more than 5 years ago they automatically propose a complete service.

In this same situation I would be as disappointed as you are and that's why I would contact their costumer service (in Switzerland).

Thanks for sharing your (unfortunately) bad experience.

Best regards,
Nuno


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## unfinishedusernam (Jul 25, 2018)

This is an unfortunate story, I'm very sorry.


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## Massrog (Nov 13, 2017)

out of curiosity did it look anything like this one?


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## anujkapur108 (May 18, 2015)

i agree with you about Cartier service, but it makes sense because they are more a jewelry store than a watch store. They are extremely hard to deal with and their wait times are insane. I would like to contrast that experience with my Omega experience. Never once have I left with a complaint. And they even offer to replace things on my PO for free. I offer that experience not to boast about Omega, but to say that not all service is similar to Cartier.


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## erikesp (May 27, 2014)

Very sorry that happened to you. I sent my wife's Tank Francaise to Cartier here is Houston, TX for service as the watch stopped running. (automatic movement). They were very pleasant and diagnosed the watch with in 2-3 days it needed a service (had been 5 years since the last one cost was $550.00 USD). They promptly performed the service with in 2 weeks and I got it back. One week later it stopped running again so I took it back and they "demagnetized" it and got it back to me the next day. I tell this story to say that you should to reach out to Cartier corporate. A company the caliber of Cartier would not want to damage their reputation because of something like this. Although your watch was not original, your situation should have been handled better. I have never had a bad experience with Cartier and I believe that if you contact them they will make it right. This of course is my humble opinion only based on my experience. Best Regards.


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