# TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500m Automatic SS- Screw in crown problem??- HELP PLEASE?



## Andy1981 (Aug 26, 2011)

Hello to everyone


I am a new member of this watch forum and would appreciate a little advice on my TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500m automatic, and the problem I am finding with the screw in crown. 

I bought the watch from the AD around 4 months, after looking at the watch through the window for a couple of months. I absolutely love the look and feel of this watch, and for the price it felt like I was getting a good watch, with a good build quality. 

After the first month the crown wouldnt properly screw in and i didnt want to use excessive force, so i took it to the AD, who then sent it back to TAG. After 4 weeks TAG sent it back 'repaired'. 2 weeks later when i had to wind the watch, due to me not being able to wear it for a couple of days, i found that it wouldnt screw down properly, and only turned once to fully seal. Again, i took it back to the AD, and they sent it to TAG with a complaint message, TAG fixed this and said they replaced the full crown unit, and tested etc. 

I read online that there may be an issue with the crown threads, and took great care when screwing in.

Now, 4 weeks on, i have just wound the watch and tried to screw the crown in, following all the advice about giving 1 turn counterclockwise to set the threads and not using excessive force, i have found that it would not thread or screw in properly.
I really dont know what to do from here, i need to take it back to the AD again today, and try and get my money back or a new watch, i took out insurance on the watch also.


Can anyone offer me some advice and/or any similar problems they have experienced with this watch please?

Also, does anyone know where i will stand with the AD, in terms of a new watch or exchange, or money back?- and same with the insurance company?


any help would be appreciated greatly.

thanks


Andy


----------



## gts_2001 (Dec 27, 2008)

You're not the first or the last with this issue.

Check this out: https://www.watchuseek.com/f25/stripped-crown-thread-567599.html

TAG OBVIOUSLY has a problem with the AR 500M Crown Tube. It has been, and still is an issue since 2009.

See here: https://www.watchuseek.com/f25/anyo...s-aquaracer-500m-screw-down-crown-336358.html

I wonder how many complaints have been made (that we don't know about) relative to this issue?

More importantly, how long is it going to be before TAG admits that they have a BAD DESIGN and fix this issue?

I'm still waiting to hear from the New Jersey TAG repair facility (by way of my AD) to find out if they will fix (at TAG's expense) my *THIRD DEFECTIVE AR 500M*?

:-!:-!


----------



## chris c (Jul 30, 2011)

Sorry to hear that you're having such a bad experience with your Aquaracer. But you have been doing the correct thing in terms of taking the watch back to your AD and letting them deal with Tag. I'd speak frankly with the AD regarding any options you have because you'd like to remain a happy client that could refer business to them (i.e. even though my Aquaracer had problems, they really worked with me to address and resolve the problem.) Perhaps you can swap the watch for a different Aquaracer or get full store credit for something else in the store. Good luck.


----------



## Andy1981 (Aug 26, 2011)

Hi there

thanks for the reply. 

I assume that you know your watches, as i note your watch history, especially TAG, have you found major issues with any other TAG models?

My AD has said that they will send the watch back to TAG, I complained that i had lost faith in the watch and brand, and i await them to contact me this week
too see what my options are, i think i'll get another watch as i am now fearfull to adjust this particular watch, and know that it is a problem. 

can you suggest similar watches for the money, doesnt have to be TAG, I also like omega, although they can be more expensive. I was thinkin of getting a Omega seamaster black face, but probably will be quartz as to get an auto from an AD is around £2400.

This is a great website, i have a real interest in watches and am reading all the different issues and debates going on.


----------



## Andy1981 (Aug 26, 2011)

chris c said:


> Sorry to hear that you're having such a bad experience with your Aquaracer. But you have been doing the correct thing in terms of taking the watch back to your AD and letting them deal with Tag. I'd speak frankly with the AD regarding any options you have because you'd like to remain a happy client that could refer business to them (i.e. even though my Aquaracer had problems, they really worked with me to address and resolve the problem.) Perhaps you can swap the watch for a different Aquaracer or get full store credit for something else in the store. Good luck.


thanks also for your reply chris

I can get a full refund and/ or store credit- i think.

any ideas of similar watches for the money, can be any brand?

regards

Andy


----------



## gts_2001 (Dec 27, 2008)

If you go with any Quartz model without a screw down crown or any automatic without a screw down crown (e.g. Carrera, Monaco) you should be ok. I have had no issues with any of my Grand Carreras that have screw down crowns.

:-!:-!


----------



## chris c (Jul 30, 2011)

As you mentioned an Omega Seamaster Automatic is going to cost a bit more than the Aquaracer 500m Automatic. You may want to look at a Breitling Colt Automatic (A17380.) They are fine watches. You may be able to work a deal because the new Colt's are coming out and my understanding is that the new Colt lineup will not include an automatic model. I have a previous version of the Colt, an A17350, which I really like. You may want to consider a Tissot Seastar 1000. You get good bang for your buck with a Tissot. The Seastar 1000 was just redesigned this year. It's a little avant-garde for me right now. But it's growing on me. I have the previous version of the Seastar and I like it. Good luck.


----------



## dmoffat (Apr 18, 2010)

I bought my Aquaracer calibre 5 automatic and had the same problem exactly. First the crown would only need 1/4 turn to secure so i sent it back for repair which took six weeks . After three months of wearing on return the crown felt coarse when turning then it wouldnt screw in at all so again another repair and another five weeks without a watch. Thinking this problem was cured on return and after being reassured that this was a one off problem with TAG the crown would not screw in again. As i was on my way to egypt to do a spot of diving i was well and truly sick so on return i returned the watch and a full refund . I have lost confidence now with TAG for the simple reason is that they know about this problem and are chancing selling this model with a known defect for £17000 . Totally unsatisfied and now awaiting a Steinheart Ocean 44 GMT .


----------



## scarabei (Dec 25, 2010)

This morning I decided to wear my 500M to work and started hand winding the watch. After setting the time I tried to screw down the crown but noticed it would only go 1/4 turn. I tried unscrewing and screwing it back with the same result: first the crown would have hard time catching onto the threading and then quarter turn to lock in. Since I was running late for work, I gave it no mind. However, earlier today, when I got back home, I decided to investigate further. I unscrewed the crown and then tried screwing it back in.... Lo and behold, the crown would spin without catching onto the threading.

I took the watch to a local jeweler, Lenkersdorfer in Tysons Corner, VA. They told me that since I didn't buy the watch from them, it would cost $70 for them to ship the 500M to Tag Heuer and that Tag would likely NOT cover the screw-in crown under warranty, since it's an external defect. According to this dealer, Tag only covers the insides of the watch. However, inside the warranty booklet it clearly states that the warranty covers "any workmanship defect." What a crock of BS!!

So, tomorrow I will be in Baltimore where I bought the watch at Smyth jewelers. Hopefully I will get less attitude at the place of purchase and, hopefully, they will be conducive to trade-in if this back and forth with Tag ultimately fails.

I have a thought on the defect itself. If you examine closely the column where to which the crown screws in, it looks like this crown is pushed into the watch body. I wonder if it's not the stripping of the thread but rather the user pushing in the threaded tube to which the crown attaches every time he pushes in the crown to screw it down. If that makes sense. In other words, every time you push in the crown and try to screw it in, you actually push down the column with all the threading. So, to fix the problem, you would need to take off the crown and pull out the threaded tube out of the 500M's body. It's late and I am rambling, but let me know if it makes sense....


----------



## selfwind (Oct 29, 2010)

I suppose it is possible for the tube to collapse into the case but most of the tubes have a swedge on the end to keep it from pushing in further. See pic.


----------



## scarabei (Dec 25, 2010)

After reading more about the problem, I believe you are correct.

However, this whole problem with a $2.5k+ watch bring me to another problem. This one is the philosophical one.... Why do we continue buying products that are crap despite the negative experiences? I have a vintage Orient and a 10 year old Seiko divers that have never had an issue with the screw-in thread being stripped after all these years.... Why do we keep buying into marketing after repeated problems with the products. How many of your friends own luxury cars and insist on keeping them despite all the problems. I know quite a few (mainly Benzes, Audis and BMWs).

Even though I consciously know to resist the urge to have the boy scout badges in the form of watches, cars, designer shoes, suits, etc, a part of me wants to go out and trade in the silly Tag for a Planet Ocean. Your thoughts?


----------



## Wisconsin Proud (Jun 22, 2007)

scarabei said:


> After reading more about the problem, I believe you are correct.
> 
> However, this whole problem with a $2.5k+ watch bring me to another problem. This one is the philosophical one.... Why do we continue buying products that are crap despite the negative experiences? I have a vintage Orient and a 10 year old Seiko divers that have never had an issue with the screw-in thread being stripped after all these years.... Why do we keep buying into marketing after repeated problems with the products. How many of your friends own luxury cars and insist on keeping them despite all the problems. I know quite a few (mainly Benzes, Audis and BMWs).
> 
> Even though I consciously know to resist the urge to have the boy scout badges in the form of watches, cars, designer shoes, suits, etc, a part of me wants to go out and trade in the silly Tag for a Planet Ocean. Your thoughts?


Apparently, you haven't researched the Planet Oceans. If you did, you would see they have had many problems as well. I guess that answers your questions about why we buy products with problems......


----------



## underpar (Jan 26, 2009)

I have read about this problem for 2 years and have been disgusted that Tag has done little to correct the problem and refuse to cover the repair under warranty. I own a 500m but rarely wear it and had not noticed any issue...until last month. 

I took my 500m off the winder after not wearing it for weeks and adjusted the date. That's when I knowticed the crown was not right. Long story short, I'm not one for sending watches off and debating with manufacturers so I gave it to my watchmaker to fix and keep. He'll sell it at his shop.

For the first time in 10 years I do not own one Tag in my small collection and I'm not sure I will be buying another.


----------



## scarabei (Dec 25, 2010)

I took my 500M to Smyth Jewelers in Baltimore and they seemed quite understanding about the issue and wrote up a lengthy ticket explaining that stripped crown is a recurring problem with Tag and should be covered under warranty. Unlike the stuck-up folks at Lenkersdorfer, the Smyth people quoted me 3 week turn around. We'll see what happens. I will report back my experience.

After reading all the horror stories about the Tags I am really considering trading up. Any suggestions? My top two choices would be Seamaster Pro or Planet Ocean. I would like to keep the watch price under the $5k mark.

This will be my last foray into being a sucker for watch brands. If this doesn't work out, I will be back to wearing my Seiko and Steinhart divers.


----------



## Nicholas Moore (Oct 11, 2011)

What is strange is that I have seen reports about this numerous times online, but have not once had any of my guests complain about this. 
What I have had a comment about on the 500m for, is how easy it is on the WAJ2180 to scratch the black on the case.


----------



## scarabei (Dec 25, 2010)

I would argue that the 500M is pretty durable overall. I have accidentally hit the watch on corners of walls, bookshelves, etc. with zero issues. Any scratches on the watch case are always easy to remove with fine grain nail file block. That's a big reason I only buy brushed steel watches. Refurbishing is so easy to do yourself.

The crown stem is very fragile, however, and is absolutely inadequate in supporting the massive crown of the watch.

Bottom line, one of the more original dive watches out there. Poor engineering.


----------



## supa7 (Dec 12, 2010)

Hi, I just wanted to add my 2 cents. I've owned Tag Heuer watches since 1989. During that time I've had to send them off for servicing and on very rare occasions for repair after some pretty extreme treatment. Usually after sailing races where I've caught the watch and damaged the bezel or strap. I've always loved them and still have them.

Anyway, cut to the release of the Aquaracer full black 500m Calibre 5. I waited a fair while, even quizzed one of the members on here about his and finally decided to purchase one. Loved the watch from the get go, better in the flesh than in pictures and super comfortable to wear. Within less than one month I'd had a crown failure, I checked here and read the threads commenting on others experiences. I contacted Tag Heuer in the UK direct, explained my problem along with my serious concern that a watch at this price point should be so delicate and need repairing so quickly. I'd been to an AD and was quoted a few months turn around, not what I wanted to hear after owning the watch for less than one month. Tag Heuer repair in Manchester sent out a shipping kit to me, which I returned along with a copy of the warranty. 

About a month later the watch was returned to me and appeared absolutely fine. Then within six weeks the same thing happened. I'd followed all the guidance about winding, this was only the second time in that period I'd actually decided to wind it up. Another shipping kit and a quote of another month wait. I questioned this, pointing out that the watch would then have been away from me for longer than I'd had it in my possession. I received a swift response and the repair was turned around in only a week. Fantastic I thought, although by this stage I was doubting my blind loyalty, but I still loved the watch and they say love is blind. Anyway, this happened another two times, the last time only a few weeks ago, so four failures in less than one year.

I voiced my concern more fully this time, which was raised as a complaint, I even sent them a link of the discussions to show that other owners had experienced the same issue. I was offered the choice to pick another model or to have a replacement of my Aquaracer. Even after all this, I still love the damn thing and damn it all, I have opted, to take a replacement, but if it goes wrong again that's the end of the relationship! To Tag's credit, really good customer service, fast turnaround, no charge and complete understanding. The only thing is, I put it to them point blank, along with all the evidence on show, would they admit there was a design problem? No comment was received.


----------



## Nine (Mar 17, 2009)

To the poster in Tysons, lenkendorfer charges because shipping and insurance. They really aren't that bad, their sister store lenquist & beckstead also charged me when I sent my omega back. This time around I sent my tag straight to Tag, you can follow the progress and pay online, it was a decent process...rather than checking in with an AD...but then again that is what they are there for.

This is a great thread, after 6 weeks I got my PVD 500M back from Tag, if you think they are going to fix it for free, think twice. I have yet to heard one person who has had Tag fix it for free. I love my aquaracer, I also have a Planet Ocean, they are different but I find the PVD aquaracer more comfortable and dynamic. 

Btw, I had to send my Planet Ocean back to Omega since it stopped, and never started. I am going to just pretend that I can wind and play with my Aquaracer until it breaks again, at which point I will send a formal complaint to Tag. If it weren't for the crown issue, this would be my daily watch..right now my planet ocean is, the PO is a great watch too don't get me wrong just a little on the heavy bulky side. Ironically I own a Super Avenger, I find that a little more comfortable than my PO.

Tag, makes some handsome watches, I hope my PVD aquaracer stays in one peice.


----------



## CitizenM (Dec 9, 2009)

This problem is so prevalent that Heuer should start an exchange program. You mail your broken aquaracer in and when they receive it, they immediately mail you back someone else's overhauled aquaracer. 

My girlfriend in college bought an xbox 360. Well, that kept breaking. Her solution was to buy a second 360 and just swap the harddrives back and forth and so she had a 360 almost the entire year (there were occasions when the failures overlapped). 

So maybe we should do the same thing with the aquaracer. We buy two, keep one in the drawer, and when the first fails, we can just swap to the clone and keep rotating them out until the warranties expire, at which time we presumably pass the problem along via ebay. 

It's a shame. I almost bought one when they came out because they look so awesome.


----------



## Eeeb (Jul 12, 2007)

CitizenM said:


> This problem is so prevalent that Heuer should start an exchange program. You mail your broken aquaracer in and when they receive it, they immediately mail you back someone else's overhauled aquaracer. ...


OK, this makes no sense to me. Take a working Aquaracer 500 and send it for an overhauled Aquaracer... Other than the benefits of an overhaul (polishing, et.al.) this does not solve your implied design problems.

Is there a design problem? ​
Well, there is always some problem(s). Nothing is perfect. There are always some failures if you have a large enough population.



Can we infer from the posting frequency this is a high probability failure and thus a critical design problem? ​
Here you have to factor in the nature of online forums. WUS has several million visitors per year. Most don't post, they lurk (all of us did at first!). (About 100,000 have registered as members so they can post as well as read. And about 10,000 of them account for the majority of the posts.)

Online forums often draw a non-random selection from this pool of several million. Sometimes the anonymity of forms causes the attraction of people who post in styles that are a behavior they would (hopefully) not engage in in personal interactions... but that's what moderators are for. Sometimes people who have a complaint flock to them to share the complaint. People who are reasonably happy are less inclined to post.

When your customer base is measured in millions per year, you are going to find all sorts of stories. Some wonderful. Some awful.

Is there a design problem? Due to the above, I am not sure we can tell from posting frequency. Or any inferences we make must be recognized as unsure to some extent.

Is there a design problems? It is a big crown. It is not one of the strongest screw-in systems on the market. I am sure the failure rate is higher than TAG would like. I suspect future designs will take this in account.

How should TAG handle this? ​
It looks to me like customer service in the most recent case can not be faulted. Customer service bears the brunt of product failures. Unfortunately TAG has multiple semi-independent service structures. Some are evidently treating this as a by-the-book exercise and denying case warranty claims. Others are not.

TAG should rationalize its world-wide response. They have the internal data on claims. If they see much higher crown claims, they should world-wide allow those claims. And if the claim rate is a significant percentage they should decide to do more.

My own gut feeling is it is a problem for folks who get a lot of crown stress in their lifestyles. But I suspect this is not the normal case. I see the product failure as being this Aquaracer 500 is the defacto replacement for the Aquagraph and it isn't near as durable. I suspect my Aquagraph will survive a nuclear bomb if it isn't at ground zero.


----------



## CitizenM (Dec 9, 2009)

I was being facetious.


----------



## scarabei (Dec 25, 2010)

This whole statistical sample size issue is valid but not entirely accurate. It is a fact of life for any business or product that most of the reviews, forum posts and other publicity comes form users with negative experiences. That being sad, Googling "tag heuer 500m crown issue" reveals a litany of horrors that spans all of the first page of Google search results. Try this experiment with other brand/model/issue combinations and you will quickly discover that results aren't as numerous.

So, to throw out some ballpark number, if for every 100 problems with a particular brand/model there is 1 forum post, there are significantly more problem posts for 500M than a lot of other watches in the same class. Point being that this is a systemic problem and not just a bunch of obsessive WIS characters fiddling with their screw-in crowns for lack of better ways to occupy their time.

To the folks defending the $70 charge for an AD to send the watch to Tag, I don't agree with you. When you are buying a luxury watch you expect a certain level of service. All these platitudes and commitments to making you happy are all over the warranty booklet and sales material. I would expect the ADs to act on these "service values", especially since they pocket 40% of the retail watch price. But alas, this the real world!

There is another unhealthy attituted that can be seen in a lot of luxury watch posts I wanted to comment on. It seems that many of the owners are so caught up in the perceived brand image that they defend the products at the expense of all reason. I fell into this trap myself. Of course, after spending $2-3k on a watch, wouldn't you? You were the sucker that bought into the marketing only to waste your money on the watch that becomes defective within months of purchase and then you waste time going to ADs, bickering with Tag, etc. to get the damn thing fixed.

A tool watch is supposed to be robust and when you spend $2k+ on a watch you expect it to last for years. My experience so far has been that the luxury watches are of horrible quality and often perform worse then their Hong Kong replicas. Moreover, my abused automatic Seikos and Orients just keep working. I don't need to perform any special "backward threading" techniques to avoid the crown from stripping, I don't have to keep the watch on the winder all the time for fear of the crown simply breaking off (a la Omega Planet Ocean), I don't need to fear for drops or water leakage. The Japanese watches JUST WORK. 

Essentially I am going on a rant here the point of which is a philosophical one. The more things you own the more they own you. And with luxury watches, most of us buy them to enhance our lifestyles, because we want something pretty to look at and feel cool. However, essentially the opposite takes place. You feel like a sucker that bought into marketing and now wasting your precious time and more money to fix the watch. I know that when my 500M comes back from service, it is going straight to eBay and I am buying myself a replica of 500M. Yes, I love the design of the watch that much. At least then I can simply throw it out when things go wrong.


----------



## Wisconsin Proud (Jun 22, 2007)

Replicas....hahahaha


----------



## Eeeb (Jul 12, 2007)

Wisconsin Proud said:


> Replicas....hahahaha


What a. "The more things you own, the more they own you."

Well, I've never been owned by a fake!! Sheesh... this has gone down hill. CLOSED! Sorry crew.


----------

