Get your watch serviced - and fall off a chair-Chuang Peck Ming Sat, Oct 10, 2009 The Business Times
I RECENTLY sent my five-year-old white-gold Lange 1 timepiece for servicing.
It's a model that's been discontinued, which makes it quite a sought-after piece. So I was prepared to pay a lot for the servicing, $2,000 plus maybe.
But when the sales-service lady called me back a few days later, the price she quoted almost floored me - $4,100!
Most people I told were also amazed. For those who spend no more than a couple of hundreds to buy a watch, the 'ridiculous' sum could buy them many more new ones.
Even an ex-employee at Lange's head office in Germany was amazed. Richard Habring, now an independent watchmaker, had drawn up plans for after-sales service at Lange. But these were shelved after a change of management.
The sales-service lady told me vaguely that apart from the usual oiling and cleaning of the watch parts, there were also some repairs to be done. Of course, I could decline to go ahead with the servicing. But a mechanical timepiece needs servicing every three to five years to make it last - and where else could I sent my Lange watch to?
The lady told me it would take months before I got it back. I said 'fine', adding half in jest that the longer it takes, the better. I need time to save up to pay for the servicing.
My lady boss, who has occasionally splurged on expensive timepieces, said that she would think twice about buying any more pricey watches if it costs so much to maintain them.
How many of us watch-lovers have really thought about maintenance when we make a purchase? I didn't. Nor did the salesman alert me about it.
The obvious reason is that if you knew it, it might kill his sale. But sooner or later, you will find out when you send the watch for servicing. And when you do, you would be mad at him.
This is bad for the watch business and its image. It's better for watch companies to be upfront and tell customers what servicing may cost them. Some may be deterred but many would be grateful.
I asked some of the leading watch brands if they inform customers of after-sales servicing. Patek Philippe says that it trains its sales assistants 'to provide after-sales service information to customers upon the sale of a Patek Philippe timepiece' - and that the sales assistants advise customers on the terms of guarantee and servicing of their watches.
Audemars Piguet hosts an annual training session 'where we ensure adequate information could be delivered to customers on Audemars Piguet know-how, and the required servicing and warranty guarantee'.
Omega agrees that 'all customers should be informed when purchasing a watch that, as any other machine, needs regular service'.
Rolex says that the sale of its watches come with a manual that spells out the need for servicing.
For Chopard, there is no explicit communication 'but rather something of an unspoken assurance that we will take good care of them and their watches, even after they have left the store'. After all, Chopard's 'discerning buyers' are aware of after-sales service.
So all agreed that it's important to let customers know about watch servicing when they buy a watch, but how many really ensure that the sales staff do it? And offer details?
It helps a lot if the customer also asks more about it. How many us actually do?
I send my Rolex watches every two to three years for servicing, but I have no complaint. Each servicing costs a few hundred dollars and takes about two weeks to complete. I also submitted my Patek Philippe white-gold World Time to the Patek Philippe service centre for the first time this year. The servicing took several months but it cost just over $1,000, which I thought was reasonable.
So how do you explain the much higher service charge for the Lange 1 which, price-wise at least, is equivalent to my Patek Philippe's World Time model? Granted, more work may be required on my Lange 1. Still, the charge seems too high and is one-sixth of what I paid for the watch originally.
I asked around and was told that Lange is not the only one charging such a high price for servicing. It is said that you have to fork out $900 just to have the case of your Audemars Piguet timepiece opened. I asked Audemars Piguet if this is true. The company denies it.
Audemars Piguet says in a written reply: 'Every service we undertake is unique to that piece. The watch is opened and its condition assessed by our experts. They evaluate the work required and the materials needed to complete it. They also advise the client on special requests and optional work that is not necessary to the performance of piece but more aesthetical. This information is passed to the client for their decision. All of this work is free of charge.'
Lange sends its watches to Hong Kong or Germany for repair and servicing, which contributes to its high charges. Most of the big names in watches have a service centre in Singapore, with the Rolex centre on Orchard Road probably the most visible. But for more complicated models, most of these watch brands ship the watch that requires repair and servicing back to Geneva or Germany where they have the expertise to do it.
Skills are in short supply in every industry but it is more keenly felt in the watch business, where it takes ages to train a watch repairer or watchmaker. And where modern technology comes to the rescue in other trades, mechanical watch making and repair still depends largely on craftsmanship and skills belonging to the past century.
So watchmakers have to charge a lot for servicing and repair - and there are even justifications for the seemingly outrageous price quoted by some. But watchmakers have to work harder to be more transparent about their after-sales service and educate buyers about it.
Source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/The+Business+Times/Story/A1Story20091010-172902.html
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