zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

Yes.....MOST factory defects show up fairly soon, but what about those that don't? Should these defects be covered even many years later?

Case in point....about a year ago i bought a gorgous dialed vintage Omega Constellation in 18K Rose gold with the mirrored dial very similiar to the grande luxe but without the textured edges and regular lugs. It was on ebay and i paid the lofty sum of $1,700 plus shipping.

Now....i get the watch and the dial is 99+% mint(1 minute "spec" of a darkening nature) and the case "frame" very nice. Only problem....the case back had developed a hairline crack from an improper alloy mix. It went across 70% of the width of the case back). No damage caused this (NO dents, nicks, etc. anywhere).......just faulty mixing of the alloy somewhere along the line and i'm a 31 year experienced bench jewelry repairman to back that opinion!

The seller "claimed" he didn't notice, but in giving the serial numbers in the listing he had to have had the back off.....and there was an obvious attempt to repair the crack from the inside. "Cobb job" exposed and he appologises and we agree on a $400 refund which i except......figuring somewhere i can get a new 18k rose back to fit since the dial was so unusual and nice.

......well.....i email Bienne and no go.......nothing left in parts and i'm stuck as i want to wear it but that hairline is just barely seen from the outside but the cobb job bugs me and i never do get it serviced and end up selling it to a local Omega collecter at a $200 net loss......fully informing him of the defect, BTW.

My point.....a defect like this should have been Omega's problem.....and they should have hand made a new case back on their dollar. This was a definite defect that should have been covered forever as long as that watch existed.

......rant over....

: The biggest reason is that, since warranties
: only cover manufacturing defects, and
: defects pretty much always show up within
: the first year or so of use, a longer
: warranty wouldn't change much.

: Car engines are hard to break without obvious
: signs of misuse. Memory modules do not
: require labor to repair -- they just toss it
: and send you another one.

: But watches are small mechanical devices that
: people strap to their wrist, then bang them
: around all day. The odds for damage due to
: accident or misuse are very high. Most watch
: repairs are not covered by warranties
: because they are customer damage, not
: defects. And the bulk of cost of watch
: repairs is the labor, not the parts.

: Plus there is a simple business angle: profit.
: Warrantees are ultimately a sales assurance
: -- we warranty our products so can you feel
: confident buying them. Obviously, OMEGA and
: the other comparable watch manufacturers do
: not feel that offering a significantly
: longer warranty would influence enough
: increase in sales to offset the cost.