29 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 26, 2012
Hi all,
Since one month i am the proud owner of a IWC Big Pilot 5004(01). It is a one year old watch, bought by an official IWC dealer. It is my second "high-end" watch and i am very proud of and careful with them. I only wear my Big Pilot in the weekend, so i had it on for some five days now. This Sunday i had to adjust the time because it was off two minutes. For me it was the second time i opened the crown...
I unwound the crown and it came of the axle! Having just bought the watch I was of course very disappointed with the fact that the crown is broken. I returned the BP to my official IWC Dealer and they checked the crown/axle with their watchmaker and consulted with IWC. Conclusion: the damage was consistent with dropping or impact of the crown. Therefore, it is not a warranty repair. Having just bought the watch and being really careful with it, I am very sure that the watch was not dropped, neither did I bump into something. It was a big investment and after just one month I am now faced with a possible very expensive repair to my beautiful watch, not mentioning the fact that I will have to go without it for a couple of months probably...
I have a few questions: • Are other BP owners familiar with damage to the crown and how did their IWC dealer handle this? • Is this story ringing any bells? I mean; does someone recognizes the fact that you did not wear the watch often, are super careful with it but are still faced with damage to the crown? • Does it help for me to contact IWC directly to discuss my disappointment with them of should I leave this to my AD?
I really loved the BP for the short time I had it, so I can only hope for a speedy repair with help from IWC. I am sure i have been very careful with the watch, as it is very special to me. Any help would be highly appreciatie!
I was confused: was it a one year old watch that you bought a month ago? Was it used or did the dealer just have it unsold for the prior 11 months? If the former, a prior owner might have really caused the damage.
In all events, it should be a fast and inexpensive fix.
125 Discussions and CommentsMember since April 18, 2007
This is a tough one for us to armchair quarterback, simply because we have no perspective on the watch or the situation as a whole. While I do believe you when you say that you did nothing wrong, and yes, I've seen this sort of thing happen on other watches before (i.e. the watch wasn't abused, yet the crown just popped out), ultimately it's the IWC watchmaker's word against yours.
Now, if I were a trained watchmaker and I was able to inspect the watch myself, then I'd be able to give you an informed opinion, but as it stands, there's not a whole lot that I, or anyone else here can do. Personally, I don't see why they wouldn't "goodwill" this repair -- I would -- but it ain't up to me. Hopefully someone with a similar experience dealing with a service issue of this nature can chime in here.
No matter what happens, the BP is a terrific watch, so good luck getting it repaired and back on your wrist where it belongs.
5,024 Discussions and CommentsMember since May 29, 2003Sarasota, FL,
United States
Well, the only thing I can tell you is that the new 5009 BP has a redesigned crown mechanism to increase the robustness of the assembly. This issue pops up from time to time. The problem with these big watches is that as you walk about there are numerous opportunities to bang the crown against a door frame or other fixed object. Sometimes you are not even aware of how much force is applied on a hit to the crown. It might be worth pressing the issue but it depends how much your AD is willing to fight for you.
29 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 26, 2012
Thanks, it helps just reading some replies!
It is a previously owned watch, now 14 months old and I bought it a monh ago from the IWC AD. I also asked if it is possible that the previous owner caused the damage to the mechanism, but the AD assured me that they check the watch in detail before selling it to me...
I hope that my AD comes thru and fixes it. Or perhaps someone at IWC could be helpful if it is not an expensive fix, especially when this is a weak point for the watch?
5,425 Discussions and CommentsMember since Dec. 22, 2006
Hi John The same happened to my white gold BP some time ago. It was sent to IWC Schaffhauen and within a few days it was repaired for free out of warranty with a very nice apology letter. I am not the only one who has had this nice experience. I hope it works out for you as well since there is precedent.
29 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 26, 2012
Interesting!
If this is a weak spot for this watch, should IWC not recall them and make sure this mechanism is of the same high standard as one could expect from IWC?
3,738 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 28, 2001
JohnDoe77 Wrote:Interesting!
If this is a weak spot for this watch, should IWC not recall them and make sure this mechanism is of the same high standard as one could expect from IWC?
JD
Well, a watch is not a car, where the life of several people is at stake when the break paddle breaks off in a spontaneous way. I wonder if the repair in effect is a kind of upgrade to a 5009. Good luck anyway!
Kind regards, Paul
What you do may not be so important, but it is very important that you do it well. (my variation of a saying by Gandhi)
29 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 26, 2012
@Sunflower: you make a good point!
I was more focused on the quality aspect of the IWC brand. I just bought the watch, so people keep asking me to wear it so they can admire the BP. When I explain to them that I do not have it, I get some strange faces and remarks that I already had to send it in for repairs... I then try to explain that a big crown posses some risk in the construction, but it is kind of hard to grasp on a premium brand watch.
It mostly ends with people laughing about it, that surely does not amuse me!
Since one month i am the proud owner of a IWC Big Pilot 5004(01). It is a one year old watch, bought by an official IWC dealer. It is my second "high-end" watch and i am very proud of and careful with them. I only wear my Big Pilot in the weekend, so i had it on for some five days now. This Sunday i had to adjust the time because it was off two minutes. For me it was the second time i opened the crown...
I unwound the crown and it came of the axle! Having just bought the watch I was of course very disappointed with the fact that the crown is broken. I returned the BP to my official IWC Dealer and they checked the crown/axle with their watchmaker and consulted with IWC. Conclusion: the damage was consistent with dropping or impact of the crown. Therefore, it is not a warranty repair. Having just bought the watch and being really careful with it, I am very sure that the watch was not dropped, neither did I bump into something. It was a big investment and after just one month I am now faced with a possible very expensive repair to my beautiful watch, not mentioning the fact that I will have to go without it for a couple of months probably...
I have a few questions:
• Are other BP owners familiar with damage to the crown and how did their IWC dealer handle this?
• Is this story ringing any bells? I mean; does someone recognizes the fact that you did not wear the watch often, are super careful with it but are still faced with damage to the crown?
• Does it help for me to contact IWC directly to discuss my disappointment with them of should I leave this to my AD?
I really loved the BP for the short time I had it, so I can only hope for a speedy repair with help from IWC. I am sure i have been very careful with the watch, as it is very special to me. Any help would be highly appreciatie!
JD
Last edited: 20 May, 2013 - 22:53
Last edited: 20 May, 2013 - 22:53
I was confused: was it a one year old watch that you bought a month ago? Was it used or did the dealer just have it unsold for the prior 11 months? If the former, a prior owner might have really caused the damage.
In all events, it should be a fast and inexpensive fix.
Regards, Michael
mfriedberg@iwcforum.com
Last edited: 21 September, 2012 - 15:15
Now, if I were a trained watchmaker and I was able to inspect the watch myself, then I'd be able to give you an informed opinion, but as it stands, there's not a whole lot that I, or anyone else here can do. Personally, I don't see why they wouldn't "goodwill" this repair -- I would -- but it ain't up to me. Hopefully someone with a similar experience dealing with a service issue of this nature can chime in here.
No matter what happens, the BP is a terrific watch, so good luck getting it repaired and back on your wrist where it belongs.
Regards,
Adam
This issue pops up from time to time. The problem with these big watches is that as you walk about there are numerous opportunities to bang the crown against a door frame or other fixed object. Sometimes you are not even aware of how much force is applied on a hit to the crown.
It might be worth pressing the issue but it depends how much your AD is willing to fight for you.
Last edited: 8 November, 2012 - 12:49
It is a previously owned watch, now 14 months old and I bought it a monh ago from the IWC AD. I also asked if it is possible that the previous owner caused the damage to the mechanism, but the AD assured me that they check the watch in detail before selling it to me...
I hope that my AD comes thru and fixes it. Or perhaps someone at IWC could be helpful if it is not an expensive fix, especially when this is a weak point for the watch?
Thanks for the kind replies, it is nice to read!
JD
Last edited: 20 May, 2013 - 22:53
The same happened to my white gold BP some time ago. It was sent to IWC Schaffhauen and within a few days it was repaired for free out of warranty with a very nice apology letter. I am not the only one who has had this nice experience. I hope it works out for you as well since there is precedent.
Andrew
andrew.thomas1@mac.com
If this is a weak spot for this watch, should IWC not recall them and make sure this mechanism is of the same high standard as one could expect from IWC?
JD
Last edited: 20 May, 2013 - 22:53
Well, a watch is not a car, where the life of several people is at stake when the break paddle breaks off in a spontaneous way. I wonder if the repair in effect is a kind of upgrade to a 5009. Good luck anyway!
Kind regards,
Paul
What you do may not be so important, but it is very important that you do it well. (my variation of a saying by Gandhi)
I was more focused on the quality aspect of the IWC brand. I just bought the watch, so people keep asking me to wear it so they can admire the BP. When I explain to them that I do not have it, I get some strange faces and remarks that I already had to send it in for repairs... I then try to explain that a big crown posses some risk in the construction, but it is kind of hard to grasp on a premium brand watch.
It mostly ends with people laughing about it, that surely does not amuse me!
JD
Last edited: 20 May, 2013 - 22:53