Hello all,

I recently nearly purchased a LE trilogy sm300, which was offered without warranty, paperwork, box etc and so did some background checks to ascertain as much as possible on it.
I met the seller at boutique who then verified it’s legitimacy, checked time keeping etc (incidentally it failed the pressure test so I didn’t proceed).
However, as it was this particular LE it was within warranty and once they verified it were happy to honour this.
I questioned them on the lack of warranty card and they basically said it just helps them identify the date it was sold, however as they are able find out when any (modern) was sold, ie within four/five years they can honour any warranty on it.
Therefore, my query is what is the benefit of having the warranty card?
I realise with long issued models the owner may not know whether it is within the warranty period without the cards.
No doubt I’m missing something very obvious but if this is the case then why would anyone buy a LE from an AD when you can get the same piece (sans cards) in the grey market and most offer with the rest of the “full set” and still benefit from the warranty and cheaper price?

 

its a grey market watch - sold via non Omega authorized channels- pretty sure warranty would not apply- Jomashop is probably the largest grey market deal if you want to see the sort of thing Im referring to

 

I should add - grey market not a bad thing - and should cost significantly less than via AD or OB when initially sold

 

Thanks but as mentioned the boutique did honour it as this issue was clearly under the 4/5 year warranty due to only being released in 2017...

 

always wondered about that as Omega can always tell if the watch was sold within warranty period - would be interesting to know if the watch was sold with warranty card it was just missing or it was sold via a grey market

 

I don’t know that sadly. I wondered the same and the staff in the OB said it just helped them see quickly when it was sold but they could also do via other mechanisms if needed. Hence why I wonder what impact a warranty card actually has on resale price...

 

To add from what seller told me it has never had a warranty card

 

I though that 5y warranty was offered from July 1st, 2018, so if the watch is from 2017, it should have in this case 4 years (as it is new mechanism).

I don’t believe SG would honor the warranty without warranty card as the car stamped by AD is the way to verify if the warranty is valid or not.

 

Thanks but I can only comment on the experience I witnessed in the Omega Boutique.
If honest, and if, as in this case its, a LE with a known issue date I can comprehend how the warranty is valid, not sure how it couldn't be?
Point is, not my watch (thanks to OB for pointing out the pressure test fail) and the OB described the situation as above to the owner, without a warranty card...
Edit to say that hence why I mention 4/5 year warranty (which still falls between then 2017/18 and now)

 

That is the policy. Of course, policies are not always followed in every instance.

 

Interesting it failed the pressure test. I just got my 60th Railmaster back from service after it got some rain drops on it and subsequently had a lot of condensation inside the watch. There have been more than a few reported cases of people having water-resistance problems with the 60th models. It seems quite odd to me; I wonder if Omega somehow ended up with a bad batch of one part or another that is the culprit. The California service center rep who handled my repair said he wasn't sure what the exact cause was on mine. I suspect it was the case tube, as the SG website first told me the repair was completed, then the next day changed to say it was waiting for parts again, and when I called about it they told me they had to order a new case tube. It appears to be back to water "proof" again, finally.

 

Thanks, I’d seen your other post on your condensation issue as well.
Certainly, very interesting to hear there’s others out there with issues of a similar nature and very grateful to the OB for catching this one before I moved on it.
Food for thought indeed, and sad to say not sure such experiences will help the much discussed resale value of the trilogy editions (clearly of which Im a big fan!).

 

A boutique or AD has some leeway if they want to take a watch in for warranty service with no warranty card. Maybe a known customer, or maybe they are just having a good day. But I wouldn't count on it in all, or most, instances. I think we need to assume if we buy a grey market watch with no valid warranty card then there is not going to be Omega factory warranty service. Part of the lower price is to account for no warranty, the buyer takes that responsibility on.

 

Completely agree and that was my assumption prior to witnessing this exchange.

In this case they definitely didn’t know the seller and were very unhappy he was broaching a secondhand sale in their premises!
Indeed, I picked up maybe a whiff of perverse satisfaction from them when they delivered the news it had failed the test as I think they knew that I was very unlikely to proceed with the purchase!
The seller had already complained about their behaviour/tone to them as they made it very clear they weren’t keen on him/us being there prepping for a potential secondhand transaction.

I left him to further discussions with them shortly after news of the failed test tbh...Sharp exit made!

I only raised their standpoint on the watch being covered by the warranty as an interesting experience (which they explained prior to it failing the test)... and raised a few questions in my head.

Must say that the staff were very polite to me and any hostility was squarely aimed at the seller.

 

Warranty Information (from Omega's Operating Instructions with my emboldening)

"All OMEGA watches purchased from 1 July 2018 are warranted by OMEGA SA* for a period of sixty (60) months under the terms and conditions of this warranty.

All OMEGA watches purchased before 1 July 2018 are warranted by OMEGA SA* for a period of twenty-four (24) months, thirty-six (36) months for watches with a Co-Axial escapement and forty-eight (48)months for watches with a Co-Axial escapement and Si14 balance spring, as well as for watches with the caliber 8500 or 8501, from the date of purchase under the terms and conditions of this warranty.

The international OMEGA warranty covers material and manufacturing defects existing at the time of delivery of the purchased OMEGA watch (“defects”). The warranty only comes into force if the warranty certificate is dated, fully and correctly completed and stamped by an official OMEGA dealer (“valid warranty certificate”).

During the warranty period and by presenting the valid warranty certificate, you will have the right to have any defect repaired free of charge. In the event that repairs are improper to restore the normal conditions of use of your OMEGA watch, OMEGA SA guarantees its replacement by an OMEGA watch of identical or similar characteristics. For all watches purchased as of 1 July 2018, the warranty for the replacement watch ends sixty (60) months after the date of purchase of the replaced watch. The warranty for OMEGA watches purchased before 1 July 2018 ends twenty-four (24) months, thirty-six (36) months for watches with a co-axial escapement, forty-eight (48) months for watches with a Co-Axial escapement and Si14 balance spring, as well as for watches with the caliber 8500 or 8501, after the date of purchase of the replaced watch.

For other terms and conditions, please consult the instruction booklet."

So if you want to rely on the Omega warranty, the card is mandatory. Anything else would be an ex-gratia service/intervention. However, I would suggest that the Omega warranty provisions do not displace statutory consumer protections that may apply to goods sold by a business to a private individual within a particular jurisdiction.

 

Nice to see the legalese on it, thanks.

As I say was an interesting experience that I thought I’d share and hear thoughts on.

Maybe the staff concerned may need some “refresher training” on that point!

 

Most shops don't want their premises to be used as a sales point between two people who have come in off the street, so their reaction is not surprising. Under those circumstances I am surprised that they were as polite as they were, and offering to have the watch fixed under warranty is even more surprising.

 

Again, totally agree!
In my position and considering the watch in question thought it very unwise to proceed without omega’s “view” on it; it was worth at least seeking it and it was the seller’s idea before I even suggested it.
I guess from the seller’s view it is his watch and from what I understand is acceptable practice to request a check on his watch? That may well be debatable though!

As I say any hostility was not aimed in my direction... I think maybe the seller’s tone put their backs up from the off.

Personally, I always try to be as friendly as possible to everyone (especially as they would be doing me a favour in this instance)..until there’s good reason not to be of course.

 

I guess if I was in such a transactional situation, I wouldn't see any purpose behind telling the people in the OB what we were up to LOL. If the idea was to verify a watch's authenticity and get it checked for any issues prior to the sale, you could go in there with the seller as his "friend" and just be there and listen/observe while he gets his watch checked. No need for the seller to walk in and announce, hey, I'm trying to sell this guy my watch and he wants it verified authentic, help me out.

 

Hard to go in there and ask to have them verify the watch as genuine, and please do a time check and a pressure test while you are at it, without raising some suspicion. Plus it's dishonest. It took a bit of chutzpah to begin with to swan in there and ask for verification and testing as part of a sales transaction. Unless I knew the boutique staff it isn't something I'd feel comfortable doing.