I've been reading on a couple of other forums that an AD/Boutique can get you a replacement set of cards, if you take the watch in to them... and hand over £125.

Has anyone done this/know if it's true?

 

For anyone that's interested in the future, the London Regents Street Boutique have confirmed that they can do this, at a cost of £150.

They just need to see/inspect the watch in store, and then order the pictogram/warranty cards from Switzerland, who will issue within 14 working days.

Might be better putting the money towards a service.

 

Fantastic information, good to know.

 

This is the opposite of what I've heard from every ad I talked to in the US...they can order any generic part (box, tag, pictograms), but never a replacement warranty card or chronometer cert.

Does anyone know if this can be done in the US??

 

So now we know! don't throw away those red cards!

 

@alam I know you're having a laugh, but I don't think anyone throws them away. I think they either get lost, or people steal a watch and sell it to a pawn shop or privately, and that's how they disappear.

The second reason is why my father will never buy a watch without papers, unless the person selling can produce a receipt...he doesn't want the risk or mental burden of potential wearing a stolen piece.

 

Naa, this is no laughing matter! This is very serious stuff here. Now we know not to throw away the original sales receipt either!

 

The Boutique did say that: a) they have to be ordered from Switzerland, and b) if it's for an old watch, the card will be marked as Expired.

I suspect that Boutiques, being owned by Omega, are allowed to do it. ADs might not have the same privelige.

 

And on the Chronometer Certificate, you can directly request that from Omega yourself through customer service from what I've read here.

 

Funny you say receipt as I bought a diver in the 80s off a fellow water-skier that came with the receipt that was about 3-4 foot long as it took the previous owner over 6 months to pay off by lay-by paying $20 a week. Sold it to a guy I met on a Sydney fishing charter who liked it that much he offered what I payed for it a few years earlier ( Probably @styggpyggeno1 before he got ran out of town) I found the receipt in some paper,s only a year ago when looking for something else.
It was a blue dial Jenny

 

Hm...interesting.

I may have to look into this. There is a boutique right near me.

 

Popped down to the Royal Exchange Boutique here in London, and chatted to one of the guys there, who helpfully used to work for WoS.

He confirmed that Boutiques (in the UK at least), are able to order new pictogram/warranty cards, on presentation of the watch, and confirmation of the serial number (i.e. the number matches what their records say the watch is).

He thinks (but couldn't say for certain), that they can do this for watches produced from 1990 onwards.

The charge is £125-£150 depending on the watch.

He also confirmed that at WoS (a UK AD), they were not able/allowed to offer this service by Omega.

TL : DR - In the UK, an Omega Boutique can sell you replacement cards if you take the watch in to them. AnAD cannot.

 

I don't see any value added for spending this amount of money on these cards, I rather spend that money on a nice strap.

 

I can see both sides of it I think...

If you're keeping and wearing the watch, a strap is probably money better spent.

If you're buying to sell on, got a good watch, at a good price and want to add value/increase buyer appeal... then this might be a winner.

 

Personally, if the watch is out of warranty I'd rather have the money off the asking price than pay for something that will be shoved under the bed for several years

 

I see this as sunk cost, the value of the watch will not increase by the cost of the cards - we may recover some of the cost of servicing the watch after a sale but not all.

 

Again, can see what you're saying, but there are a lot of people who pay extra for boxes and cards... you only need look at eBay Sold listings and compare two of the same model watch to see the effect.

It's purely psychological, but makes some folks happy.