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DirtyDozen12
··Thanks, mystery donor!Recently, I have been engaged in a discussion with someone about the potential service of their vintage watch by the brand. The primary reason for sending the watch to the brand is that the watch needs a number of uncommon parts and the brand seemingly has many of them in stock. The watch has now been inspected by the brand in Switzerland and something unexpected has come up. I will share direct quotations below, but essentially the brand is stating that they will only replace the incorrect hands on the watch if they restore the dial. Now, this may be the brand's policy and I could accept that. However, the explanation provided for why they would only replace the hands on this condition is what puzzles me. Please see the quotations below.
The current hands are not original. We will replace the current hands with original ones, only if the refurbishment of the dial is accepted. The dial is original. The condition of the dial is poor, so fitting new hands is risky unless the dial is restored. It could cause further damage to the dial due to the pressure needed to fit new ones.
And another quotation:
I apologise if I haven’t been clear enough about the condition of the dial – it really needs to be restored as it is in a highly deteriorated and fragile condition. We would normally not consider carrying out any work to the movement without the dial restoration but have made a special exception due to the circumstances of your request. Ultimately if something happens to the dial when in our care we would be liable for it, so we would not be willing to put your watch in an even further risky situation.
So, my questions are:
1. Does fitting new hands present a greater risk of damage to the dial than refitting the old hands after a service?
2. Does fitting new hands require more pressure than refitting old hands?
3. If "yes" to (2), does this greater pressure present a greater risk of damage to the dial?
4. If "yes" to (3), what damage is expected and how likely is it to occur?
I understand that the brand would be liable for any damage to the dial that occurred while under their care. However, restoring the dial is out of the question, and incurring a bit of risk of dial damage might be worth it if it means acquiring new, correct hands for the watch.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
The current hands are not original. We will replace the current hands with original ones, only if the refurbishment of the dial is accepted. The dial is original. The condition of the dial is poor, so fitting new hands is risky unless the dial is restored. It could cause further damage to the dial due to the pressure needed to fit new ones.
And another quotation:
I apologise if I haven’t been clear enough about the condition of the dial – it really needs to be restored as it is in a highly deteriorated and fragile condition. We would normally not consider carrying out any work to the movement without the dial restoration but have made a special exception due to the circumstances of your request. Ultimately if something happens to the dial when in our care we would be liable for it, so we would not be willing to put your watch in an even further risky situation.
So, my questions are:
1. Does fitting new hands present a greater risk of damage to the dial than refitting the old hands after a service?
2. Does fitting new hands require more pressure than refitting old hands?
3. If "yes" to (2), does this greater pressure present a greater risk of damage to the dial?
4. If "yes" to (3), what damage is expected and how likely is it to occur?
I understand that the brand would be liable for any damage to the dial that occurred while under their care. However, restoring the dial is out of the question, and incurring a bit of risk of dial damage might be worth it if it means acquiring new, correct hands for the watch.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
