END OF AN ERA

[david pierce]

My dentist has a collection of extremely expensive Swiss wrist watches. He showed a few of them to me including a Zenith and a Patik Philipe. The watches are due for service and he asked me if I wanted to clean and lubricate them. After considering the fact that the watches are worth more than I earned over my entire lifetime, I said NO! Actually I said S#&T NO! Instead I told him about an Atlanta watch repair shop that for many decades worked on expensive watches. The man who currently does the watch repair is the grandson of the founder and despite the fact that he is in his 40s, he has well over 30 years of experience at the bench. When my dentist took the watches to their shop he was told that they can no longer work on those watches as the watch factories longer sell parts to them. My dentist then had to send the watches to the factory service centers. Instead of getting the watches serviced, cleaned and repaired in a few days for a few hundred dollars, it will take from 4 to 6 months at a cost of thousands of dollars. Sadly, the repair person at the factory service center will have no where near the skill and experience of the man they essentially put out of business. It looks like everybody got ripped off except the watch factory.
david

[bernie weishapl]

David that is why I quit working on modern watches. The swiss are now shutting down parts accounts to a lot of watch shops including mine and as you said that shop there in Georgia. A friend of mine 2 yrs ago wanted me to work on his Cartier watch. Cost him around $16,000. I looked at it and could have fixed it for about $300 but they would sell me the part I needed. So he sent it in. 7 months later he got his watch after he paid $2100 for the repair. Talk about a rip off. There is a watchmaker in California that has taken the case to the DOJ for monopoly practice. I don’t think anything is going to happen. He took Cartier to court over them closing his account that get this he had for more than 30 yrs. He graduated from the swiss school after taking their 4 yr course and has about 40 yrs experience. They told him they closed the account because he wasn’t qualified to work on their watches. He took them to court and the judge in California side with Cartier. What a crock of crap. There are now 60 watch companies that are refusing to sell parts except to their own watch repair shops they set up. If that is a monopoly I don’t know what is. It is damn sad that this is taking place and no one in the courts or DOJ seems to give a hoot. It is definitely a sad day.

[chris mabbott]

Why is it that the Swiss get off so easily ? Wars never effect them, terrorist attacks seem to bypass them, natural disasters, famine and economic crisis simply fly over and crap everywhere but Switzerland…Why is that I wonder??

[david pierce]

Bernie,
Many of these watch companies are pulling in more than $50,000,000.00 per year. I think if a real investigation was done and campaign contributions were unlundered, it would become extremely obvious why our government is taking the side of the big players. One of the problems facing the small independent watch repairman is the cost of the equipment used to manufacture modern watch components. It is nothing for Rolex to purchase a $120,000.00 wire EDM or an $80,000.00 dynamic balancing machine but the equipment cost and technical hurdles are out of reach for the average watch repair guy. The watch parts Swiss companies are refusing to sell are made with technology and machinery that was initially developed in the USA. The Swiss are not a master race and the watches they produce contain no magic. They are pieces of metal machined to manufacturing specifications. There is no reason any watch part cannot be made in the USA but the manufacturing costs would be prohibitive in small quantities. As I see it the problem can be solved by manufacturing the parts here and sidestepping the Swiss monopolies. There is no reason to expect a fair shake from our current political system that sides with whoever hands over the most money.
david

[david pierce]

Chris,
The reason Switzerland is immune to attacks is because that is where the top echelon of the world’s wealthy and powerful keep their money. Switzerland was neutral during WWII but so were a lot of other countries until Germany attacked them. It is obvious that Germany could have overrun Switzerland in a couple of days but never considered it. The mystery was solved many decades later when traces of mercury were found in Swiss gold coins. The top tier of Germany had the Nazi gold safe and sound stored away in Swiss banks. I believe I mentioned Bohemian Grove to you in an email several months ago. Where do you suppose those folks have their money stashed away?
david

[stevefitzwater]

Go figure, the watch companies are following a stricter model of the auto industry.. LOL

[bernie weishapl]

I agree totally David. One of the things that is also hurting the small watchmaker is if you want a parts account you have to purchase certain pieces of repair equipment from them and the price is not cheap. Several on another forum I belong were dropped because they refused or didn’t have the means to purchase up to $25000 worth of tools. I know Rolex, Cartier, etc in order to have a account you must buy their tools or no account and if you do buy their tools it is still not sure thing you will still get a account. They also come into your shop to inspect it and it had better be as clean and as neat as a surgical room at the hospital. One gentleman bought $18000 worth of tools and then when they came to inspect his shop denied him a account because of the way his shop looked. He is thinking of taking them to court in a suit because they won’t take the tools back after they denied his account. I still don’t understand why the courts say I can buy auto parts anywhere I want. Can have my car fixed anywhere I want and can still buy original parts. You would think the same would apply to watch parts. That I could have my watch fixed where I want and can buy parts from anywhere I want. But no. Just sucks. 😡

The other thing they are doing is if they determine the watch has been fixed by someone else even if it has genuine parts the warranty is invalid and the price to repair is double. The other thing that is most times on some of these watches when they are sent in for repair they just change to whole movement out at a cost of $2000 or more. Funny thing is though the movement they put in generally can be bought for $50 to $75.

[david pierce]

Bernie,
That would certainly improve their bottom line even more. The watch companies no longer have to hire skilled watchmakers; only movement replacers. I always thought Archie Luxery was a whinny jerk. Looking at it in this light I may be beginning to change my opinion of the guy.

As far as determining if the watch was repaired by them or someone else, that is undoubtedly determined from the examination of repair records and not the examination of the movement. By keeping the price of their watches so unrealistically high, they are assured a constant flow of designer label conscious customers who are almost totally ignorant of the situation they are getting involved in.
david

[bernie weishapl]

That is correct that the consumer has no clue.

[bamadadof3]

Swiss snobbery at its finest.

[bernie weishapl]

It is called monopoly. The swiss want it all. They could care less about the independent watchmaker.

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