Scratches on new 3777 AR Crystal

[smh223]

Hey guys - just got a brand new 3777 for my 40th birthday.

On the fist day of wearing it I noticed some fine scratches on the AR coating on the crystal. It must have been like this out of the box.

It’s was a gift so I didn’t see it at the AD. Presumably this was show room handling damage.

Is this normal wear and tear for this type of watch? Am I being too sensitive? I would have expected more from IWC, yet maybe this is just par for the course and I’m upset cause it’s still brand new.

Thoughts appreciated. Thanks.


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[DHPSU]

If that’s a brand new watch and those marks don’t come off, yeah, I would raise hell.


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[smh223]

I took that photo at angle so you could really see it. In general you can’t see it at all. After reading a bunch about topcoated AR I think this is just par for the course. Lots of posts on folks removal the coating cause they can’t take the scratches.


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[smh223]

Any other thoughts on this one?


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[eonflux]

That's unacceptable on a new watch.
If it bothers you, would try to get it replaced.

But as you point out, such scratches are inevitable, and it'll probably end up looking like that at some point anyway unless you're quite careful.

So I guess what to do depends on how much it bothers you now.
Sometimes, even minor things once seen can't be unseen...

[asiparks]

Absolutely not acceptable on a new watch...silly question, but they are definately scratches ? You've tried mild detergent and a soft cloth ?
Whilst it true that external AR can be scratched, it doesn't just rub off. IWC are very good at applying it.
I've just snapped some pics of my IWC's, non of which show marks like that after years of non-babied use...
11 year old 3717, now my wife's.



aquatimer that's spent a far bit of time with sea and sand


Top Gun, again, even with marks on the case, the AR is still intact...



Big Pilot...



I don't know what your recourse is, butI'd at least contact the boutique.

[smh223]

Yes, it’s a scratch. I wonder if it’s on the underside of the crystal? Thanks for sharing the pics. Great collection


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[asiparks]

that would be good news as it would be hard for the seller to argue that you’d caused it post sale...

[smh223]

Yes. I’m gonna start w the dealer tomorrow morning and see what they say


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[eonflux]

Originally Posted by smh223

Yes. I’m gonna start w the dealer tomorrow morning and see what they say


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Best of luck!
Keep us posted...

[smh223]

So I spoke to the dealer today.

First let me say that they were very nice and understanding and wanting to help.

However, they ultimately would not accept financial responsibility. Although I could have gone to small claims court, frankly I’m not sure I could my case


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[smh223]

Oops. Click send to soon.

Anyways, they offered to take the watch back to IWC for me and handle it through inspection and ultimately probably replacement.

But realizing that would cost a few hundred bucks at least, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I figured worse case I would just replace the crystal in any event.

Anyways, what I can currently report is that the scratches are removed. And so is about 1/2 or so of the AR coating.

It will probably take a few more hours of work, but it is coming off nicely and should be super clean very soon.

Pics to follow


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[asiparks]

best of luck to you, but if it was a new watch IWC would probably have taken care of it under warranty.....

As you can see, it actually takes quite a bit of effort to remove the external AR...

[smh223]

So after carefully removing nearly all of the coating, I could see that the scratches went all the way to the glass. So, I sent the watch down to IWC today for a replacement. It won’t be cheap but at least it will be back in proper order soon.


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[smh223]

And after a few weeks she’s back in perfect condition. Long wait and tough way to start a relationship, but thankfully all’s well that ends well






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[themast]

Originally Posted by smh223

And after a few weeks she’s back in perfect condition. Long wait and tough way to start a relationship, but thankfully all’s well that ends well

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Good timing!

Looks great, now you can enjoy it the fullest!

[eonflux]

Originally Posted by smh223

And after a few weeks she’s back in perfect condition. Long wait and tough way to start a relationship, but thankfully all’s well that ends well


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Looks awesome!
Glad this got sorted, even if it took a while.

[asiparks]

Looks 100% now, congrats on getting it back.
Was it fixed under warranty ?

[smh223]

No. They believed I caused the scratches.


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