# IWC Service, WTH?



## salayc

Rather than have my IWC serviced at an independent, or AD, I decided to send my Doppelchronograph in for factory service through the boutique. What I got back, is a bit horrifying. I assumed through the boutique, the watch would come back to me looking like it did from the factory, but I can only conclude IWC either is incompetent, or farms out their service through the boutique. I shudder to think what the movement might look like after this watch's first service, but I did take one picture of the case while in the boutique. 
IWC has offered to try and fix the problems, but it was apparent the service person in Beverly Hills had no idea what I was talking about, and the fact that I got the watch back in this condition doesn't make me hopeful. In addition to the obvious problems with brushing, the nice polished line on the side of the lugs is gone, as well as the bezel being over polished and with an obvious fit spot between 5-7 (can't be seen in the picture because of the glare, but it's visible in person to the naked eye.) 
Super disappointing, and be warned, if IWC services your watch it might be worked on by a child. 
We'll see how IWC resolves this.


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## damascato

This is shocking mate. Feel sorry for you. Hope they solve the matter timely and efficiently soon!


salayc said:


> Rather than have my IWC serviced at an independent, or AD, I decided to send my Doppelchronograph in for factory service through the boutique. What I got back, is a bit horrifying. I assumed through the boutique, the watch would come back to me looking like it did from the factory, but I can only conclude IWC either is incompetent, or farms out their service through the boutique. I shudder to think what the movement might look like after this watch's first service, but I did take one picture of the case while in the boutique.
> IWC has offered to try and fix the problems, but it was apparent the service person in Beverly Hills had no idea what I was talking about, and the fact that I got the watch back in this condition doesn't make me hopeful. In addition to the obvious problems with brushing, the nice polished line on the side of the lugs is gone, as well as the bezel being over polished and with an obvious fit spot between 5-7 (can't be seen in the picture because of the glare, but it's visible in person to the naked eye.)
> Super disappointing, and be warned, if IWC services your watch it might be worked on by a child.
> We'll see how IWC resolves this.


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## CTSteve

salayc said:


> Rather than have my IWC serviced at an independent, or AD, I decided to send my Doppelchronograph in for factory service through the boutique. What I got back, is a bit horrifying. I assumed through the boutique, the watch would come back to me looking like it did from the factory, but I can only conclude IWC either is incompetent, or farms out their service through the boutique. I shudder to think what the movement might look like after this watch's first service, but I did take one picture of the case while in the boutique.
> IWC has offered to try and fix the problems, but it was apparent the service person in Beverly Hills had no idea what I was talking about, and the fact that I got the watch back in this condition doesn't make me hopeful. In addition to the obvious problems with brushing, the nice polished line on the side of the lugs is gone, as well as the bezel being over polished and with an obvious fit spot between 5-7 (can't be seen in the picture because of the glare, but it's visible in person to the naked eye.)
> Super disappointing, and be warned, if IWC services your watch it might be worked on by a child.
> We'll see how IWC resolves this.


Wow! Speechless! Very interested to see how they make this right.

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## Horrendous

This doesn’t give me the warm fuzzies. Will be interested to hear about how they take care of this for you.


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## salayc

I should have taken more pictures while in the boutique, but got so focused on the obvious flaws that I didn't think about it. It occurred to me later that I really need to check the dial and hands as well as the condition of the movement. For now, IWC said they will send it back to service, but sending it to the same people who did that, QCed it, and then QCed it in the boutique before wanting to hand it over doesn't sound like it will improve anything. My fear is they will over polish other areas as well as the bezel. And just so I know I'm not going crazy, I found a picture of the watch before.


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## psbero

That case re-finishing is terrible. It looks like it was done by some average guy in his garden shed with a dremel


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## lo_scrivano

Frightening story. I am very sorry to hear this. I hope they restore your watch to the condition it is meant to be in.


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## parsig9

I used Swiss Service Center in Chicago twice for my SMP and was thrilled but it is expensive. Good luck.
Not sure I would send it back to them. So many good options.


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## salayc

We made progress...?
Well, got the watch back from IWC. The case polishing now looks like it should, but... they polished the bezel without removing the crystal and polished off a good section of AR (mostly 4-8.) It's somewhat visible in pictures, but in sunlight it really stands out. At least it seems like the watch was handled by someone higher up the food chain. I guess that's progress.


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## andrewza

salayc said:


> We made progress...?
> Well, got the watch back from IWC. The case polishing now looks like it should, but... they polished the bezel without removing the crystal and polished off a good section of AR (mostly 4-8.) It's somewhat visible in pictures, but in sunlight it really stands out. At least it seems like the watch was handled by someone higher up the food chain. I guess that's progress.


I'm about to get my first IWC tomorrow, and this is making me really nervous about the quality of IWC's after sales service. Hopefully this is not indicative of their normal service levels, and hopefully they make it right with you.


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## andrewza

salayc said:


> We made progress...?
> Well, got the watch back from IWC. The case polishing now looks like it should, but... they polished the bezel without removing the crystal and polished off a good section of AR (mostly 4-8.) It's somewhat visible in pictures, but in sunlight it really stands out. At least it seems like the watch was handled by someone higher up the food chain. I guess that's progress.


I'm about to get my first IWC tomorrow, and this is making me really nervous about the quality of IWC's after sales service. Hopefully this is not indicative of their normal service levels, and hopefully they make it right with you.


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## salayc

andrewza said:


> I'm about to get my first IWC tomorrow, and this is making me really nervous about the quality of IWC's after sales service. Hopefully this is not indicative of their normal service levels, and hopefully they make it right with you.


I'm really a bit baffled by it. These are basic things. When a watch goes for service, if the case is to be polished, it is disassembled first: crystal comes out, pushers removed, case tube, etc. Otherwise, it can't be properly polished. It's obvious that the case wasn't disassembled and they tried to touch up the brushing and bezel. That's mall jewelry repair level of service. I didn't receive any report on running condition, so I have asked them for that as well. At this point who knows if they even serviced the movement?


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## mharris660

I can't get over the fact that you can hold a watch with your toe


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## salayc

mharris660 said:


> I can't get over the fact that you can hold a watch with your toe


You make me question my thumbs... I chalk it up to a bad angle.


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## andrewza

salayc said:


> I'm really a bit baffled by it. These are basic things. When a watch goes for service, if the case is to be polished, it is disassembled first: crystal comes out, pushers removed, case tube, etc. Otherwise, it can't be properly polished. It's obvious that the case wasn't disassembled and they tried to touch up the brushing and bezel. That's mall jewelry repair level of service. I didn't receive any report on running condition, so I have asked them for that as well. At this point who knows if they even serviced the movement?


Agreed, these are basics and inexcusable. At the very least they should make it right but it still wouldn't shake off the feeling that this sort of thing shouldn't happen in the first place. Keep us posted on the resolution!


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## andrewza

salayc said:


> I'm really a bit baffled by it. These are basic things. When a watch goes for service, if the case is to be polished, it is disassembled first: crystal comes out, pushers removed, case tube, etc. Otherwise, it can't be properly polished. It's obvious that the case wasn't disassembled and they tried to touch up the brushing and bezel. That's mall jewelry repair level of service. I didn't receive any report on running condition, so I have asked them for that as well. At this point who knows if they even serviced the movement?


Agreed, these are basics and inexcusable. At the very least they should make it right but it still wouldn't shake off the feeling that this sort of thing shouldn't happen in the first place. Keep us posted on the resolution!


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## damascato

They should just replace case and crystal with new one after the damage. It's inexcusable .


andrewza said:


> Agreed, these are basics and inexcusable. At the very least they should make it right but it still wouldn't shake off the feeling that this sort of thing shouldn't happen in the first place. Keep us posted on the resolution!


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## slashd0t

I would send it back and demand a new case/crystal. All of this polishing is significantly diminishing the value of the watch.


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## damascato

At this point bypass you AD, call straight the service centre, complain and ask to talk to the manager. Explain your issue and be firm. This will guarantee the highest chances to get the matter resolved

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## Lo0o0o0n

yeah for the money we pay for our watches, i wouldn't accept anything sub-par. even if it take some time... get everything replaces and have your watch looking the way it should! please keep us updated. I am currently contemplating an IWC service as well


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## salayc

damascato said:


> At this point bypass you AD, call straight the service centre, complain and ask to talk to the manager. Explain your issue and be firm. This will guarantee the highest chances to get the matter resolved
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


I would escalate, but IWC (like many companies) doesn't give too many options. The Beverly Hills boutique manager is aware, but of course, he was aware before they gave me the watch back this time. The only other number IWC gives to call is a general "concierge" phone number. If anyone has another way to contact IWC, I would give it a shot.


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## WTSP

I hate to say it, but half the time servicing results in some sort of dumb issue like automatic winding not being functional, crooked hands, time keeping being off, grease or particles under the crystal, etc. It’s a sad situation, but virtually all brands are prone to frequent failures during servicing. That’s been my experience at least.


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## Cabaiguan

Chris Grainger is on Instagram. Send him a message direct. Social media is the great equalizer. They would hate to have this pic thrown up on Instagram w your complaints. 


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## salayc

Cabaiguan said:


> Chris Grainger is on Instagram. Send him a message direct. Social media is the great equalizer. They would hate to have this pic thrown up on Instagram w your complaints.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I may do that. I got the watch back earlier this week, and while IWC did replace the crystal, and improved the polishing and brushing, there's still evidence of an amateur effort. Around the pushers you can see where the case was brushed with pushers installed, and some areas where brushing doesn't match the original finish. I'm a little tired of dealing with IWC at this point and it's clear that they just don't understand high end watch finishing either in their service center or boutique. For this watch to go through both service and the boutique three times and still come back with some basic mistakes is inexcusable.


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## salayc

Hah! To add insult to injury, the hour counter hand is set off as well...


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## Tony A.H

sorry to hear about your negative experience. don't know how the hell they manage to abuse these watch. totally unacceptable.
did you send it to the repair center in Texas ??. (i guess there's only one location in the U.S ?).

i in fact registered online today and requested a *service kit* to mail my BP for repair, but quite nervous to send it after reading your story. don't know what to do now.


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## salayc

Tony A.H said:


> sorry to hear about your negative experience. don't know how the hell they manage to abuse these watch. totally unacceptable.
> did you send it to the repair center in Texas ??. (i guess there's only one location in the U.S ?).
> 
> i in fact registered online today and requested a *service kit* to mail my BP for repair, but quite nervous to send it after reading your story. don't know what to do now.


Yeah, it's a tough decision. One of the reasons I chose IWC is, I thought the would have the correct tools and jigs to factory finish, as well as care and expertise (obviously.) It looks like they had none of those things, but dealing with an independent can be a crapshoot as well. You may want to walk in to an independent shop and ask questions, i.e. interview them. 
I have never had a problem like this with Henri Stern, Rolex or even high end ADs. It's hard to believe, actually.


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## Mchu004

Sorry to hear, OP. That's quite absurd really that it's been back and forth with these corner cuttings, going through IWC direct nonetheless. Finishing, IMO, is one of the big "features" of IWC watches. 

Despite these issues, have they at least been cooperative with you or have you had to pull teeth to get these issues resolved? 

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## salayc

Mchu004 said:


> Despite these issues, have they at least been cooperative with you or have you had to pull teeth to get these issues resolved?


The IWC Beverly Hills boutique is saccharine sweet, but a little hard to take seriously at this point. I expect not only good service but professionalism that also includes basic watch knowledge. There has been no argument, but I am the one pointing out problems. My feeling is, I should never have been returned this watch with obvious problems, let alone three times.


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## Mchu004

salayc said:


> The IWC Beverly Hills boutique is saccharine sweet, but a little hard to take seriously at this point. I expect not only good service but professionalism that also includes basic watch knowledge. There has been no argument, but I am the one pointing out problems. My feeling is, I should never have been returned this watch with obvious problems, let alone three times.


Agreed. You'd think they would know how to properly service their own products.

Keep us updated. Hope it'll get resolved soon without more issues

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## WillC310

When I had one of my IWC's serviced through them (taken to the Beverly Hills boutique also) it came back with scratch marks on the back of the casing where they use the tool to remove the back. They claimed I took it to a third party to get serviced and that's what caused them.. uhh, no. Also, another time, the bracelet didn't have the pins fully locked so it literally fell off my wrist. Stuff like that is just inexcusable to me.


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## salayc

WillC310 said:


> When I had one of my IWC's serviced through them (taken to the Beverly Hills boutique also) it came back with scratch marks on the back of the casing where they use the tool to remove the back. They claimed I took it to a third party to get serviced and that's what caused them.. uhh, no. Also, another time, the bracelet didn't have the pins fully locked so it literally fell off my wrist. Stuff like that is just inexcusable to me.


Henri Stern, and others photograph watches when they take them in. I can't believe IWC doesn't. Issues like that could be resolved easily.


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## Don Draper

Sounds like a student watch maker attempted to service your IWC .
I once had to send a Chrono for repairs to the SWATCH service center in California, it came back without refinishing so it had to go back again and IIRC I got an entirely new case instead of them going back to manually brushing and polishing the case.
I wonder if Richemont also has one main hub for services.
On a different yet similar note I personally have not bought more chronographs after realizing how expensive and difficult they are to maintain, I also have a better appreciation for quartz watches in general.

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## Mchu004

WillC310 said:


> When I had one of my IWC's serviced through them (taken to the Beverly Hills boutique also) it came back with scratch marks on the back of the casing where they use the tool to remove the back. They claimed I took it to a third party to get serviced and that's what caused them.. uhh, no. Also, another time, the bracelet didn't have the pins fully locked so it literally fell off my wrist. Stuff like that is just inexcusable to me.


I wonder if it's an issue with this specific boutique or has anyone else encountered a similar problem sending their watch through IWC for service? The closest one to me would be the Costa Mesa boutique, but I'm curious if they're being sent out to a central IWC service center like Rolex and RSC.


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## salayc

Mchu004 said:


> I wonder if it's an issue with this specific boutique or has anyone else encountered a similar problem sending their watch through IWC for service? The closest one to me would be the Costa Mesa boutique, but I'm curious if they're being sent out to a central IWC service center like Rolex and RSC.


As far as I know, it's one service center, they keep telling me they're sending it out. I would suspect that it's a multi brand service center.


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## damascato

salayc said:


> As far as I know, it's one service center, they keep telling me they're sending it out. I would suspect that it's a multi brand service center.


It's scary. I have 3 IWCs and my Portuguese seven days is 7 years old, so due soon even if working well. I would go straight to fair trade if something like that happened to me.

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## WillC310

Mchu004 said:


> I wonder if it's an issue with this specific boutique or has anyone else encountered a similar problem sending their watch through IWC for service? The closest one to me would be the Costa Mesa boutique, but I'm curious if they're being sent out to a central IWC service center like Rolex and RSC.


I believe there's a central service center in TX and also somewhere on the East Coast. I should say, that it does not always end up this way.. I've had good service experiences also, but bad experiences do happen.


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## michael8238

Mchu004 said:


> I wonder if it's an issue with this specific boutique or has anyone else encountered a similar problem sending their watch through IWC for service? The closest one to me would be the Costa Mesa boutique, but I'm curious if they're being sent out to a central IWC service center like Rolex and RSC.


I don't think it has much to do with the boutique. Their service center is simply incompetent. I had similar experience in the past---the watch came back very poorly polished and ran way off. I honestly have a very bad impression towards Richemont's service quality in general. I've had much better experience with my Swatch group pieces, and of course, the truly top notch RSC.


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## wavecave

parsig9 said:


> I used Swiss Service Center in Chicago twice for my SMP and was thrilled but it is expensive. Good luck.
> Not sure I would send it back to them. So many good options.


Prices? Interested in Sea and Speed MP repair prices. I know it's not IWC, but I hear factor is 500ish. Hoping independents are less.


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## salayc

michael8238 said:


> I don't think it has much to do with the boutique. Their service center is simply incompetent. I had similar experience in the past---the watch came back very poorly polished and ran way off. I honestly have a very bad impression towards Richemont's service quality in general. I've had much better experience with my Swatch group pieces, and of course, the truly top notch RSC.


I agree that the quality of service has nothing to do with the individual boutique but I do wonder why the boutique has a service manager who inspected, wound, set and presented the watch to me in the condition I received it. Of course, the IWC service center should never have QCd and sent a watch back to the boutique like it was, but the boutique has some responsibility to check the work of the service center. Considering the service manager QCd the watch in front of me and still presented me with such substandard work, means they have no idea what they're doing in the boutique.
RSC has been good for me too BTW.


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## salayc

michael8238 said:


> I don't think it has much to do with the boutique. Their service center is simply incompetent. I had similar experience in the past---the watch came back very poorly polished and ran way off. I honestly have a very bad impression towards Richemont's service quality in general. I've had much better experience with my Swatch group pieces, and of course, the truly top notch RSC.


I agree that the quality of service has nothing to do with the individual boutique but I do wonder why the boutique has a service manager who inspected, wound, set and presented the watch to me in the condition I received it. Of course, the IWC service center should never have QCd and sent a watch back to the boutique like it was, but the boutique has some responsibility to check the work of the service center. Considering the service manager QCd the watch in front of me and still presented me with such substandard work, means they have no idea what they're doing in the boutique.
RSC has been good for me too BTW.


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## gyang333

Don Draper said:


> Sounds like a student watch maker attempted to service your IWC .
> I once had to send a Chrono for repairs to the SWATCH service center in California, it came back without refinishing so it had to go back again and IIRC I got an entirely new case instead of them going back to manually brushing and polishing the case.
> I wonder if Richemont also has one main hub for services.
> On a different yet similar note I personally have not bought more chronographs after realizing how expensive and difficult they are to maintain, I also have a better appreciation for quartz watches in general.
> 
> Sent from my Z978 using Tapatalk





Mchu004 said:


> I wonder if it's an issue with this specific boutique or has anyone else encountered a similar problem sending their watch through IWC for service? The closest one to me would be the Costa Mesa boutique, but I'm curious if they're being sent out to a central IWC service center like Rolex and RSC.





salayc said:


> As far as I know, it's one service center, they keep telling me they're sending it out. I would suspect that it's a multi brand service center.


If I am not mistaken, this is all stemming from the Richemont Service Centre in Texas.

I am not sure if it's a shared pool of technicians or if each Richemont brand has their own. From other things I've read, it used to be a shared pool (except for Cartier who had their own employees).

As an owner of Montblanc watches, I've seen other owners complain about the Texas service centre. So this is not isolated to IWC in the US.


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## Mchu004

gyang333 said:


> If I am not mistaken, this is all stemming from the Richemont Service Centre in Texas.
> 
> I am not sure if it's a shared pool of technicians or if each Richemont brand has their own. From other things I've read, it used to be a shared pool (except for Cartier who had their own employees).
> 
> As an owner of Montblanc watches, I've seen other owners complain about the Texas service centre. So this is not isolated to IWC in the US.


Ok, that's what I was thinking: that there's a central service center as opposed to on-site servicing. I mean, it sort of makes sense to have a shared pool of technicians...but it just sounds like QC isn't very consistent.


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## michael8238

salayc said:


> I agree that the quality of service has nothing to do with the individual boutique but I do wonder why the boutique has a service manager who inspected, wound, set and presented the watch to me in the condition I received it. Of course, the IWC service center should never have QCd and sent a watch back to the boutique like it was, but the boutique has some responsibility to check the work of the service center. Considering the service manager QCd the watch in front of me and still presented me with such substandard work, means they have no idea what they're doing in the boutique.
> RSC has been good for me too BTW.


To your point, I think it probably is the case---many of the boutique staff aren't very knowledgeable about watches, they are just straight sales. They know the ref number, they know the price, they know some of the basics about their own brand, that's about it. I've been to a few boutiques over the years and I find most of them will have a couple quite experienced and knowledgeable ppl, those are the ppl you can have a very pleasant horological conversation with for a good 30min. The rest tend to be much younger, less knowledge or passion, and usually only talk about numbers. 
If it's a new boutique, chances are you are really gonna run into some quite incompetent staff---the Panerai boutique in South Coast Plaza for example, ABC should consider filming a new season of LOST there.
I generally feel like the more high-horology brands tend to have more passionate and better trained staff, and all the Vegas boutiques are nicer (compared to LA) for some reason---maybe they are used to see a ton of tourists, so they aren't so pushy about making a sale.


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## michael8238

gyang333 said:


> If I am not mistaken, this is all stemming from the Richemont Service Centre in Texas.
> 
> I am not sure if it's a shared pool of technicians or if each Richemont brand has their own. From other things I've read, it used to be a shared pool (except for Cartier who had their own employees).
> 
> As an owner of Montblanc watches, I've seen other owners complain about the Texas service centre. So this is not isolated to IWC in the US.


That's the thing, I don't feel quite comfortable about the idea of having my timepiece serviced by a Richemont or Swatch group regional service center. If you talk to the customer service, of course they are gonna assure you that all their watchmakers are trained by the manufacture and to the manufacture standard, but in reality, it's something very hard to guarantee.
I'd assume an IWC is finished at much higher level than let's say, a Baume & Mercier (nice watches, don't get me wrong), hence the price difference, but when you send it to the Richemont service center, you'll just get a pool of watchmakers who work on all brands across the group. I don't see them turn a dial in their head and say, 'oh this is a B&M, imma turn the dial to 80% and do 80% of my capability when I refinish that case' or, 'oh this is an IWC, imma turn my dial to 95%'. In reality, they probably will just treat all pieces the same and do what they consider a decent job on all of them, and there is probably a higher chance for them to refinish an IWC to B&M standard, rather than refinish a B&M to IWC standard.
I guess my point is, when you work on such a wide range of products, it's hard to control the consistency or level of work. (Maybe not so much on movements, because I think all movements should be regulated to the accuracy that they are intended to have.) Case finish is one aspect that you see huge differences between different brands and price points. I feel like only the manufacture truly knows what their standard is and how to get there, because that's what they do and have been doing.
I'm not sure about Richemont (except Lange, maybe RD?), but I know for some brands within the Swatch group (BP, GO, ect ), you can request your piece serviced by the manufacture, even if it's a simple complication. You drop it off at the US service center, then they ship it out to Switzerland or Germany. That'd be my choice---a bit longer turnaround, but prob well worth it.


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## sigma2chi

mharris660 said:


> I can't get over the fact that you can hold a watch with your toe


I nominate this for funniest, yet spot on reply of 2019 🤣


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## sigma2chi

My next purchase was probably gonna be an IWC. Every time I think I want to pull the trigger on one finally, I read yet another post about an IWC horror story.......


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## salayc

Unfortunately, there's no more to tell about this one. I have decided not to deal with the boutique again for any service issues, and IWC has repaired the watch to a close enough standard that I can live with it until I send it somewhere else for the next service. I reached out to some higher ups at IWC but got no response, I really didn't think I would. I have a timegrapher, and when I get it out of storage I may check for accuracy and post results here.


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## shinn8

Sorry for what happened to your watch.
IWC needs to improve their after-sale service. I haven't heard as frequently from the other brands, who couldn't service their own products well.


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## shinn8

Sorry for what happened to your watch.
IWC needs to improve their after-sale service. I haven't heard as frequently from the other brands, who couldn't service their own products well.


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## Cybotron

I went through Tourneau and had no issues. Sorry that this happened and I hope everything gets resolved. 

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## benjamin831

I was just about to send my Mark XVI off to service, thank god I checked out here before doing so. I live in LA as well so it'll be going to the same boutique and service center. I really not comfortable doing so now. The results you got back are completely unacceptable; the watch you get back should be close to factory finish (maybe I'm spoiled by Rolex RSC). Having flat spots, additional scratches on pushers, AR coating abraded off? That's mind-numbingly unacceptable at all. 

I'm certainly not going to send it off to IWC after hearing about this. I'm not sure what other options I have. I know ABC Watchwerks does a great service but I've never used them for polishing before.


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## salayc

benjamin831 said:


> I was just about to send my Mark XVI off to service, thank god I checked out here before doing so. I live in LA as well so it'll be going to the same boutique and service center. I really not comfortable doing so now. The results you got back are completely unacceptable; the watch you get back should be close to factory finish (maybe I'm spoiled by Rolex RSC). Having flat spots, additional scratches on pushers, AR coating abraded off? That's mind-numbingly unacceptable at all.
> 
> I'm certainly not going to send it off to IWC after hearing about this. I'm not sure what other options I have. I know ABC Watchwerks does a great service but I've never used them for polishing before.


My understanding is ABC does excellent case refinishing, but you never know until you try. Some people are more discriminating than others, so reviews are hard to gauge.

IWC might be able to refinish a case properly if you ask for it separately, but their complimentary polishing is a disaster. Like I said previously in the thread, trying to refinish a case without disassembly is simply unprofessional and bound to lead to a poor result. The good thing about IWC doing a service is it's IWC and their flagship boutique, so there is some measure of accountability if something goes wrong. The end result on my watch (after three attempts) I would consider acceptable for most people, but not what I expected from a factory service, and it certainly was a hassle.


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## dak_la

Thanks for sharing your experience salayc.

I also live in LA (but work in OC, near South Coast) and my Mark XVI is also due for service soon so this thread is relevant to me as well. It will be much more convenient for me to go through the South Coast boutique instead of the Beverly Hills boutique though. I spoke with the staff at the South Coast boutique about getting my watch serviced, and specifically asked about the option of sending the watch to IWC instead of the Texas Richemont Service Center. They confirmed that it is an option, but will generally cost more (about 20-30%) and will take significantly longer time (several months instead of several weeks). They claimed that they have never heard of any negative experiences from their customers using the Texas Service Center. 

When asked about whether the watch is being serviced by the Richemont technicians (shared with other brands within the Richemont umbrella), they claimed that it isn't true, and that the watch is being serviced by dedicated IWC staffs at the Service Center and they are not shared with other brands (I take this statement with a grain of salt).

My conversation with them didn't give me much confidence. Thanks for the suggestion of ABC as an alternative. The watch still runs fairly well (just from observation without using any instrument) so I probably still have time to think about the options.


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## dak_la

Duplicate post.


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## benjamin831

dak_la said:


> Thanks for sharing your experience salayc.
> 
> I also live in LA (but work in OC, near South Coast) and my Mark XVI is also due for service soon so this thread is relevant to me as well. It will be much more convenient for me to go through the South Coast boutique instead of the Beverly Hills boutique though. I spoke with the staff at the South Coast boutique about getting my watch serviced, and specifically asked about the option of sending the watch to IWC instead of the Texas Richemont Service Center. They confirmed that it is an option, but will generally cost more (about 20-30%) and will take significantly longer time (several months instead of several weeks). They claimed that they have never heard of any negative experiences from their customers using the Texas Service Center.
> 
> When asked about whether the watch is being serviced by the Richemont technicians (shared with other brands within the Richemont umbrella), they claimed that it isn't true, and that the watch is being serviced by dedicated IWC staffs at the Service Center and they are not shared with other brands (I take this statement with a grain of salt).
> 
> My conversation with them didn't give me much confidence. Thanks for the suggestion of ABC as an alternative. The watch still runs fairly well (just from observation without using any instrument) so I probably still have time to think about the options.


Since the Mark XVI is such a simple watch, and its ETA 2892 based movement being equally simple, I think anywhere you bring it to for a routine service will be fine. However, case polishing is more or less an art form and in anything but highly skilled hands can do irreparable damage.


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## dak_la

benjamin831 said:


> Since the Mark XVI is such a simple watch, and its ETA 2892 based movement being equally simple, I think anywhere you bring it to for a routine service will be fine. However, case polishing is more or less an art form and in anything but highly skilled hands can do irreparable damage.


Thanks, I agree with you. As long as I don't care about polishing the case I feel pretty confident taking it to a reputable place.


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## salayc

dak_la said:


> Thanks, I agree with you. As long as I don't care about polishing the case I feel pretty confident taking it to a reputable place.


You can always refuse polishing. That's what most vintage Rolex owners used to do with RSC.


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## De Wolfe

Hence why I never polish my watches when I send them for service.

I rather give it to a reputable independent for that job.


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## dkbs

Your watch is just standard ETA 2892. You don't have to send it back to Richemont for the service. Plus, the service center at Texas even don't have a clean room. You guys are asking way too much from a technician who's wage is far less than 100k.

Basically the service problem is true for almost every brand in the US. If you don't believe it, just search Youtube "Service Rolex" and see how many "watchmakers" with finger cot on. Those "watchmakers" can barely finished their high school degrees and totally don't understand what you guys are complaining.



dak_la said:


> Thanks for sharing your experience salayc.
> 
> I also live in LA (but work in OC, near South Coast) and my Mark XVI is also due for service soon so this thread is relevant to me as well. It will be much more convenient for me to go through the South Coast boutique instead of the Beverly Hills boutique though. I spoke with the staff at the South Coast boutique about getting my watch serviced, and specifically asked about the option of sending the watch to IWC instead of the Texas Richemont Service Center. They confirmed that it is an option, but will generally cost more (about 20-30%) and will take significantly longer time (several months instead of several weeks). They claimed that they have never heard of any negative experiences from their customers using the Texas Service Center.
> 
> When asked about whether the watch is being serviced by the Richemont technicians (shared with other brands within the Richemont umbrella), they claimed that it isn't true, and that the watch is being serviced by dedicated IWC staffs at the Service Center and they are not shared with other brands (I take this statement with a grain of salt).
> 
> My conversation with them didn't give me much confidence. Thanks for the suggestion of ABC as an alternative. The watch still runs fairly well (just from observation without using any instrument) so I probably still have time to think about the options.


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## michael8238

dak_la said:


> Thanks for sharing your experience salayc.
> 
> I also live in LA (but work in OC, near South Coast) and my Mark XVI is also due for service soon so this thread is relevant to me as well. It will be much more convenient for me to go through the South Coast boutique instead of the Beverly Hills boutique though. I spoke with the staff at the South Coast boutique about getting my watch serviced, and specifically asked about the option of sending the watch to IWC instead of the Texas Richemont Service Center. They confirmed that it is an option, but will generally cost more (about 20-30%) and will take significantly longer time (several months instead of several weeks). They claimed that they have never heard of any negative experiences from their customers using the Texas Service Center.
> 
> When asked about whether the watch is being serviced by the Richemont technicians (shared with other brands within the Richemont umbrella), they claimed that it isn't true, and that the watch is being serviced by dedicated IWC staffs at the Service Center and they are not shared with other brands (I take this statement with a grain of salt).
> 
> My conversation with them didn't give me much confidence. Thanks for the suggestion of ABC as an alternative. The watch still runs fairly well (just from observation without using any instrument) so I probably still have time to think about the options.


"They claimed that they have never heard of any negative experiences from their customers using the Texas Service Center"---I specifically complained their horrible job to Casey a month ago, they must have the memory span of a fish.


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## dak_la

salayc said:


> You can always refuse polishing. That's what most vintage Rolex owners used to do with RSC.


My worry is that if they did such a botchy job on the polishing, I'm not sure what kind of job they would perform inside the watch. Do you have any idea? I'm not going to open up the watch again right after servicing to check.


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## dak_la

De Wolfe said:


> Hence why I never polish my watches when I send them for service.
> 
> I rather give it to a reputable independent for that job.


I thought I would give the watch a spa and getting back a watch like-new (both the outside and inside), but I guess I might have to consider no polishing to be safe.



dkbs said:


> Your watch is just standard ETA 2892. You don't have to send it back to Richemont for the service. Plus, the service center at Texas even don't have a clean room. You guys are asking way too much from a technician who's wage is far less than 100k.
> 
> Basically the service problem is true for almost every brand in the US. If you don't believe it, just search Youtube "Service Rolex" and see how many "watchmakers" with finger cot on. Those "watchmakers" can barely finished their high school degrees and totally don't understand what you guys are complaining.


I guess I'm glad this is a pretty standard ETA movement and it can be easily serviced by any independent watchmakers.


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## dak_la

michael8238 said:


> "They claimed that they have never heard of any negative experiences from their customers using the Texas Service Center"---I specifically complained their horrible job to Casey a month ago, they must have the memory span of a fish.


I honestly take whatever they say with a grain of salt. To be fair, I didn't speak with Casey (I think I saw him a few times before at the store, but he wasn't there when I inquired about servicing).


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## aa909

Wow, this is an absolute horror story. So disappointed in IWC, they need to up their game at the service center. If they need to get more competent watchmakers at a higher salary then so be it, I would rather pay more for servicing the watch and have complete certainty that I will get it back in better condition than when I sent it in.


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## salayc

dak_la said:


> My worry is that if they did such a botchy job on the polishing, I'm not sure what kind of job they would perform inside the watch. Do you have any idea? I'm not going to open up the watch again right after servicing to check.


I have the same worry. However, the watch winds smoothly, power reserve is restored, and timekeeping seems good. I would have to put it on a timegrapher to know for sure. I might be able to do that next week.


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## dak_la

salayc said:


> I have the same worry. However, the watch winds smoothly, power reserve is restored, and timekeeping seems good. I would have to put it on a timegrapher to know for sure. I might be able to do that next week.


Thanks for the info salayc!


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## salayc

A quick update:
The IWC boutique got in touch with me last week. Apparently they do read the boards, and I returned a feedback survey as well. The combination of the two brought my service issues to upper management's attention and the IWC Beverly Hills boutique invited me in, and had me pick out a strap of my choice as a way to make amends. So, on the way to me is a new Santoni croc strap for another IWC of mine.


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## karmatp

salayc said:


> A quick update:
> The IWC boutique got in touch with me last week. Apparently they do read the boards, and I returned a feedback survey as well. The combination of the two brought my service issues to upper management's attention and the IWC Beverly Hills boutique invited me in, and had me pick out a strap of my choice as a way to make amends. So, on the way to me is a new Santoni croc strap for another IWC of mine.


That was pretty nice of them.


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## NM-1

I'v had two recent positive experiences with the Texas center on two different aquatimers. One was full service on my GST. Communication was prompt and I received it back within 5 weeks. The other on my Galapogos was even better. It was running fast, sent it in, they demagnetized it, regulated the movement, and sent it back for free within a month as the watch was under warranty. News to me as I bought it used without warranty info.


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## JFerraro819

Terrible to see from such a highly regarded brand


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## makak

Wow, I am wanting a Big Pilot as my next watch. This thread is making me think twice


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## andrekei

salayc said:


> Rather than have my IWC serviced at an independent, or AD, I decided to send my Doppelchronograph in for factory service through the boutique. What I got back, is a bit horrifying. I assumed through the boutique, the watch would come back to me looking like it did from the factory, but I can only conclude IWC either is incompetent, or farms out their service through the boutique. I shudder to think what the movement might look like after this watch's first service, but I did take one picture of the case while in the boutique.
> IWC has offered to try and fix the problems, but it was apparent the service person in Beverly Hills had no idea what I was talking about, and the fact that I got the watch back in this condition doesn't make me hopeful. In addition to the obvious problems with brushing, the nice polished line on the side of the lugs is gone, as well as the bezel being over polished and with an obvious fit spot between 5-7 (can't be seen in the picture because of the glare, but it's visible in person to the naked eye.)
> Super disappointing, and be warned, if IWC services your watch it might be worked on by a child.
> We'll see how IWC resolves this.


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## andrekei

in my experience - I did it twice - the IWC service is horrible!
They repaired the watch and replaced a wrong crown my GST Alarm (without a fish), and water permeated inside! they did not really apologise. I have been without a watch for almost a year...


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## LCheapo

Well, I hope they improved. My 3716 Portugieser chronograph had gradually sped up to gaining twelve seconds per day (from initially +6s/day when new in February this year), and also occasionally (about every tenth time, I'm estimating) stopping completely when the stopwatch feature was activated. Last week I had nothing better to do than visit the local Omega and Richemont boutiques, and IWC offered to send it in for me. It sounded like they weren't 100% sure whether the national service center could fix it, or it had to go to Switzerland. In any case, the stopping of the movement made me decide to have it fixed now; if it were just the rate I could have lived with it a bit longer. 
Let's hope they don't screw it up; I asked them to refrain from any polishing.


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## RBK

LCheapo said:


> Well, I hope they improved. My 3716 Portugieser chronograph had gradually sped up to gaining twelve seconds per day (from initially +6s/day when new in February this year), and also occasionally (about every tenth time, I'm estimating) stopping completely when the stopwatch feature was activated. Last week I had nothing better to do than visit the local Omega and Richemont boutiques, and IWC offered to send it in for me. It sounded like they weren't 100% sure whether the national service center could fix it, or it had to go to Switzerland. In any case, the stopping of the movement made me decide to have it fixed now; if it were just the rate I could have lived with it a bit longer.
> Let's hope they don't screw it up; I asked them to refrain from any polishing.


LOL I'm waiting on mine as well... It got there to Texas this morning. This thread was revived from years ago, so let's hope it was an isolated incident and they fixed the service issues.

I'm really dismayed to hear that your portugieser is also having issues... I have the same exact model.


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## c3p0

Don't leave us hanging OK. Please let us know how it all turns out.


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## LCheapo

RBK, if I may ask: how long did it take from dropping the watch off to getting arrival confirmation from the Texas service center? 
I dropped mine off nine days ago, and haven't heard back yet.


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## dkbs

LCheapo said:


> RBK, if I may ask: how long did it take from dropping the watch off to getting arrival confirmation from the Texas service center?
> I dropped mine off nine days ago, and haven't heard back yet.


If you use IWC service kit, the day after Fedex delivered your kit to Richemon service center at Texas, you will get a new service order number and confirmation email.

Watch at dealer or boutique handles service differently. They normally ship service once per week, and Richemon may only notify dealer, not you.


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## LCheapo

Summary: good experience with both IWC Chicago boutique and Richemont Texas service center; very fast turnaround.

I received my Portugieser Chronograph back today, in less than three weeks total, which I think is a pretty darn quick turnaround time.
The Chicago IWC boutique notified me via SMS that my watch was ready for pickup.
Apparently the email address that sends receipts is not quite set up for getting messages back to them.

The watch looks as before; I asked them not to do any polishing, and so far I noticed no blemishes from the service. On the timegrapher it seems as close to 0.0 s/day as one can get:








Update: it gained a bit over 3 seconds in the first 24 hours, which is a lot better than before.

Before it was gaining +12 s/day. I noticed while inspecting the watch that the screw regulating the engagement depth of the clutch with the chronograph is accessible from the rear without any disassembly, so I'm hoping they adjusted that as well - the main reason why I sent it in, besides the rate being out of spec, was that the watch would occasionally come to a screeching halt (minus the screeching...) when engaging the chronograph.

The boutique is going to find out for me what the Richemont Texas service center did in detail. It didn't sound like they disassembled the movement. I would actually prefer that, since the watch is only 3/4 year old.

So, all in all, email communication was a bust, but otherwise a very good experience.


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## Dunnej

salayc said:


> A quick update:
> The IWC boutique got in touch with me last week. Apparently they do read the boards, and I returned a feedback survey as well. The combination of the two brought my service issues to upper management's attention and the IWC Beverly Hills boutique invited me in, and had me pick out a strap of my choice as a way to make amends. So, on the way to me is a new Santoni croc strap for another IWC of mine.


I know this is old, but I'm just reading this saga now and I'm fuming. Santoni makes nice straps, but they botched your watch 3 times and thought you wouldn't notice. The least they could do is give you a new case, or offer a SUBSTANTIAL discount on something new to keep you as a believer in the brand...


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## msikk

I sent a titanium Ingenieur to Superior Watch sometime in 2008 for a dried out mechanism. Even though the watch was out of warranty they took it upon themselves to give me a new movement and kept me informed through the process. This was all done at ZERO cost to me. The best service experience I've ever had for any product. Swatch group has been pretty good to me also.


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## LCheapo

Update on my 3716 warranty repair experience: unfortunately the watch still stops completely about 1% of the time when the chronograph function is started. (I observed 6 stops in about 600 tests.) When this happens, two pairs of teeth can be seen in contact head-on between the clutch and the (stop seconds?) wheel it drives. The clutch is visible through the window in the back of the watch.
I'm still trying to find out what the Texas service center did besides regulating the watch.

I haven't seen this behavior with any other chronograph, so I am assuming it is not normal. It certainly makes the watch unreliable.


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## Flawedtommy

Get the crystal replaced. It’s seems the polishers aren’t doing there job properly.


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## jjx1028

Dunnej said:


> I know this is old, but I'm just reading this saga now and I'm fuming. Santoni makes nice straps, but they botched your watch 3 times and thought you wouldn't notice. The least they could do is give you a new case, or offer a SUBSTANTIAL discount on something new to keep you as a believer in the brand...


I actually just had issues with a servicing of my Aquatimer 2000 from 2011, and IWC offered me a new watch due to their error in trying to repair it. It shocked me beyond belief but the issue after repairs left my watch working like a semi-automatic requiring daily winding. The issue stems from the new mainspring not being compatible with my particular watch for whatever reason. I put up a fuss but they eventually came back to make it right for me.


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## jjx1028

LCheapo said:


> Update on my 3716 warranty repair experience: unfortunately the watch still stops completely about 1% of the time when the chronograph function is started. (I observed 6 stops in about 600 tests.) When this happens, two pairs of teeth can be seen in contact head-on between the clutch and the (stop seconds?) wheel it drives. The clutch is visible through the window in the back of the watch.
> I'm still trying to find out what the Texas service center did besides regulating the watch.
> 
> I haven't seen this behavior with any other chronograph, so I am assuming it is not normal. It certainly makes the watch unreliable.


I actually just had issues with a servicing of my Aquatimer 2000 from 2011, and IWC offered me a new watch due to their error in trying to repair it. It shocked me beyond belief but the issue after repairs left my watch working like a semi-automatic requiring daily winding. The issue stems from the new mainspring not being compatible with my particular watch for whatever reason. I put up a fuss but they eventually came back to make it right for me. The service was done through the Fort Worth, TX service center at Richemont.


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## highendtime.com

I think there are quite a few mixed reviews above but honestly IWC (and Richemont for that matter) really do need to up their game.

Excessively long wait times, confusing responses to simple questions and disinterested service managers that lack QC have unfortunately been my experience so far.

I do hope it improves since all other brands notably Rolex and AP have been fantastic for me thus far - I have escalated a few times to Richemont management and they definitely need to adopt some of Rolex’s service standards and quick turnaround.

With all these brands in Richemont’s stable one would assume they would build in extra capacity to improve service quality.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MuZI

Recently purchased a Mark XVIII because I was under the impression the craftsmanship was exceptional. The choice was between an IWC or Grand Seiko. I'm getting a little nervous after reading this thread.


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## WTSP

highendtime.com said:


> I think there are quite a few mixed reviews above but honestly IWC (and Richemont for that matter) really do need to up their game.
> 
> Excessively long wait times, confusing responses to simple questions and disinterested service managers that lack QC have unfortunately been my experience so far.
> 
> I do hope it improves since all other brands notably Rolex and AP have been fantastic for me thus far - I have escalated a few times to Richemont management and they definitely need to adopt some of Rolex's service standards and quick turnaround.
> 
> With all these brands in Richemont's stable one would assume they would build in extra capacity to improve service quality.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This is par for the course for most brands other than Rolex. I know people who've been mistreated by AP, but their extremely high service prices usually mean the job gets done right.

See the link in my signature for a thread with more thoughts on this issue.


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## Michael5959

Had my MkXV Service by Superior several years ago and have nothing but positive things to say about the experience.


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## LCheapo

Update on my IWC 3716 lockup problem: after three unsuccessful trips to the IWC Texas service center the original AD sent me a new watch! The last communication the AD had from the service center was that the original watch still locked up after 120 chrono starts, but that that is acceptable in their (the service center) view.


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## WTSP

LCheapo said:


> Update on my IWC 3716 lockup problem: after three unsuccessful trips to the IWC Texas service center the original AD sent me a new watch! The last communication the AD had from the service center was that the original watch still locked up after 120 chrono starts, but that that is acceptable in their (the service center) view.


Congratulations on the new watch! The only chrono I've ever had lock up was an NOS Valjoux that needed lubrication. It locked up once and then never again after service. Never had an El Primero lock up on me. Even the vintage ones. Strange that IWC or the service center would consider a 1 in 120 lock up rate to be acceptable. At that rate somebody who used their chrono once or twice per day would have several problems per year. There's no way that's normal.

Your experience with your Portuguese and mine with my Big Pilot confirm what has often been said about it being better to wait five years or so until buying into a watch with a newly designed movement.


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