Quoted 5 months to repair sticking date

[HL65]

Originally Posted by Tony64

It's been a while since I 'simplified' my life and hadn't realized that HSWA did service/repair work for PC's. I think my point remains somewhat valid however that for the US market at least a trip overseas for one's watch will add to what we all know is already a lengthy process. Something to consider when contemplating the purchase of a grand complication. I think it greatly helps if a buyer has realistic and informed expectation of how long a trip to the spa will entail. This thread has undoubtably helped in that regard.

I would never trust a complicated Patek to anyone but the factory, and a long as the service time is understood at the time of purchase, it makes the pill a bit easier to swallow. I would be very curious to know opinions/experiences with more simply Patek servicing ie time only Calatravas and whether these more simple mechanisms could be trusted to a skilled independent watch repair.

Henri Stern Agency are Patek certified and trained official Patek watchmakers. Why wouldn't you trust a complicated or grand complication Patek to them when Patek does and authorizes them as they are their own? Sorry but that makes zero sense to me.

[perpetualman88]

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

Henri Stern Agency are Patek certified and trained official Patek watchmakers. Why wouldn't you trust a complicated or grand complication Patek to them when Patek does and authorizes them as they are their own? Sorry but that makes zero sense to me.

x2

I would trust any watch with the HSWA.
Their head watchmaker can work on pretty much anything. My AD and I were talking about him the other day as he worked on my watch. Apparently the guy has worked on some of Pateks most complicated movements including some of the world famous pocket watches

[g997]

I sent a IWC to them many years ago...they suck

[Tony64]

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

Henri Stern Agency are Patek certified and trained official Patek watchmakers. Why wouldn't you trust a complicated or grand complication Patek to them when Patek does and authorizes them as they are their own? Sorry but that makes zero sense to me.

Sorry for the confusion. In my last paragraph I was using the term "factory" to refer generally to Patek and its licensed affiliates including HSWA. The point I was trying to convey, somewhat inarticulately it seems, was that I would personally want any complicated Patek of mine worked on only by Patek regardless of the wait and that understanding this should be part of the decision to purchase.

What I was asking was whether a less complicated piece could be trusted to a skilled independent rather than going back to official Patek service center.

[Tony64]

And FWIW, I do trust HSWA to service any Patek and to make the determination which pieces must go to Patek Geneva for evaluation. I'm sure this decision is made with consideration of both the complexity of the piece as well as the complexity of the repair. I'm fairly certain that even a simple vintage piece in need of a new manufactured part would find its way back to Geneva.

[HL65]

Originally Posted by Tony64

Sorry for the confusion. In my last paragraph I was using the term "factory" to refer generally to Patek and its licensed affiliates including HSWA. The point I was trying to convey, somewhat inarticulately it seems, was that I would personally want any complicated Patek of mine worked on only by Patek regardless of the wait and that understanding this should be part of the decision to purchase.

What I was asking was whether a less complicated piece could be trusted to a skilled independent rather than going back to official Patek service center.

I would never use an independent for a Patek! No chance and only use HSWA for Patek as I am in US. As for vintage Patek yes some do require being sent back to Geneva. It could take a lot of time including up to a year as they could have to make parts for the watch. The bottom line is if one expects fast turn around Patek is not the watch for them.

[Puffy]

only let Patek work on your Patek.

it's like letting your shoemaker resole the shoes they made for you. common sense really.

[Tony64]

Originally Posted by Puffy

only let Patek work on your Patek.

it's like letting your shoemaker resole the shoes they made for you. common sense really.

Thanks for your insights, Puff. Not sure who soles your shoes, but I can tell you that I'd have my skilled local gunsmith work on my Holland & Holland any day of the week and twice on Sunday, before I'd ship it back to jolly ol' England for a 3 month hiatus. And if I ever rolled into my local MB dealer in my '55 300SL asking for a servicing they'd probably bust a gasket laughing.

So while it seems to be a very simple issue for you, I am sure that there are others that may have given the concept a little more thought and might share their views.

[CaveDiver]

Originally Posted by myopiccoog

Anders is right. I was told it is caused by winding and changing the date and time after 6pm. It is not a defect but caused by user error. I know their are a lot of purist but a winder will take a majority of the used error out besides one day ever other month.

Really...set time or wind a modern Patek and it breaks? What's next, look back at it and it turns into "Lot's wife" or if you look at it after the sun comes up it suffers petrification?

I suppose this will bend folks the wrong way, but if a brand is portrayed as "perfection of the watches" and make the statement "develop, manufacture and assemble the finest timepieces in the world" and does not design in safeguards against "user error" when setting the time and date, it is not perfection. If Patek polished a turd and gold plated it, how many buyers would there be..

Don't get me wrong, there are some Pateks that carry a word of wealth, but these are not it... Who cares if it is hand made if at the end of the day it is a pile of gold plated dog
End of rants..sigh..
I guess I really should have said instead, don't call this user error, call it a lack of Patek watch design...but what the hey..

[justbrowsing]

Originally Posted by CaveDiver

I suppose this will bend folks the wrong way, but if a brand is portrayed as "perfection of the watches" and make the statement "develop, manufacture and assemble the finest timepieces in the world" and does not design in safeguards against "user error" when setting the time and date, it is not perfection.

I think a lot of watches can break if you set the date at the wrong time. But, I mostly agree with what you are saying. When I pay a premium for something that is supposed to be excellent I want it to be very well designed. For example, my macbook air costs more than similar offerings from pc makers but the macbook just seems much better designed all around. And I am mostly a PC guy. Macbook air is not perfect but on the other hand laptops are a lot more complicated than watches to get right. Patek premium is very high, so it is reasonable for expectations to be very high. I love the Nautilus and Aquanaut, and am thinking of getting a 5711. But I do think that design and/or quality control should be better given the huge premium.

[Misterchan]

Received a message that the work has been done and my watch ready for collection. Will get a new warranty as well. It was fixed eventualy and in a reasonable time of 3 weeks, to reach this I had to send many messages via various channels. It should not be this way for a prestige brand, exceptional after sales care should be standard at these levels and prices. I only hope the repair has fixed the issue and it does not have to go in again as others have commented.

[justbrowsing]

Originally Posted by Misterchan

Received a message that the work has been done and my watch ready for collection. Will get a new warranty as well. It was fixed eventualy and in a reasonable time of 3 weeks, to reach this I had to send many messages via various channels. It should not be this way for a prestige brand, exceptional after sales care should be standard at these levels and prices. I only hope the repair has fixed the issue and it does not have to go in again as others have commented.

Glad to hear that. It is a beautiful watch so I hope it is working well now and you get to enjoy it!

[JorgeB]

Misterchan, please post a little update when you get your watch to see if the problem still there. best regards

[Keaofosu]

I admired the company and both of these watches prior to this post. Extending the warranty should be a given. That's your hard earned money. PP ought to stand by their products and uphold their reputation. You've owned the watch for 5 months. Barring any traumatic event which may have caused the dysfunction, the watch should be replaced by the manufacturer. End of story. Unacceptable!

[Royalex]

Just less than a month for fixing, so they actually could do like this in the first place. Should not let the clients feel unpleasent of waiting for the long time quote.

[luv2fly]

All mechanical devices are prone to failure...I would hope PP failures would be very few and far between and trust that statistically they are...

[c.rod]

Originally Posted by Puffy

certainly known on the forums

i don't think they would ever 'admit' there is a known issue with a movement, although the number of incidents are probably really low and potentially owner inflicted anyway

i've seen how some of these ads, in particular m&w treat their watches. one gave a 5164 such a wild wind i thought it would catch fire

"incidents are probably really low"... its actually probably a lot worse than you think. on average there has to be a TON less PP watches out there than rolex for example. so that just makes the broken to good ratio for pp really crappy. just on sheer volume alone.

[tom2517]

Yeah, PP got way more parts in the watch and are more prone to failure. However, I still love looking at the movement so I will live with it.

[codecow]

I finally decided to send my 5167 in yesterday while it's still under warranty, it's having the same issue.

On the plus side I pulled my gold GMT out of the safe to wear instead.

[lipjin]

Glad it all worked out. But really, unacceptable customer service and QC from the premier watch brand in the world. Makes me worried since I'm a recent Patek owner as well

[c.rod]

Originally Posted by tom2517

Yeah, PP got way more parts in the watch and are more prone to failure. However, I still love looking at the movement so I will live with it.

oh dont get me wrong. if i could afford one i would have one!

[Misterchan]

Originally Posted by JorgeB

Misterchan, please post a little update when you get your watch to see if the problem still there. best regards

No repeats of the date sticking since the watch was returned.

[subtona]

Originally Posted by Misterchan

They have apologised but it's not their fault, it was a manufacturing defect, that was not up to PPs high standards. …

i find this comment very disturbing…if that is what they told you, it is without a doubt a major fail in product support/ customer care and responsibility to their own product… not only do PP manufacture the 324 movement, they also inspect & stamp the movement with the PP seal... Did they really try to pass the buck by blaming the manufacturing process

Originally Posted by Misterchan

No repeats of the date sticking since the watch was returned.

happy to hear this

[Time Exposure]

Patek Philippe will fail on occasion. It's a mechanical watch. And you will hear about their failures here.
I'm here to declare Patek Philippe has succeeded in their assessment of quality in their control process (my 324 is fine).

[IS2000]

I'm about to send mine in for the same repair at the PP service center in Bangkok as my warranty will be up in about a month. I'm still a bit nervous as I had a bad experience at the Rolex SC here scratching up my then flawless SS Daytona. My 5711 is occasionally worn but is still looking brand new, and I hope I will get it back in the same condition (minus the sticking date, of course). How's everyone experience getting their watches back from their SC's?

[codecow]

Mine is back already, haven't picked it up yet.

[robisan]

This waiting time sucks.

[Time Exposure]

Great result, unreasonable wait (during which time I lost interest in the watch!)

[perpetualman88]

the absolute fastest turn around time at the HSWA is 2-3 weeks. remember there are several days of QC after the repairs

[HauteHorlogerie]

Originally Posted by perpetualman88

the absolute fastest turn around time at the HSWA is 2-3 weeks. remember there are several days of QC after the repairs

Exactly.