Cost and ease of servicing a VC watch

[lawyerdude]

Hi. I have been thinking of buying a VC dress watch on the second hand market, and was wondering what experiences people have had with servicing watches with VC. On the one hand the there are some solid used prices on VC. This is as opposed to say a more modern Rolex Cellini, that are similarly priced second hand, but Rolex seems to have some very straightforward servicing costs, and is really easy and timely. Everyone says PP is a crap shoot. Trying to see if VC is similar to PP or Rolex in that way. Talking about post 2010 models. Not vintage.

[kunlun]

I would go with a trusted independent watchmaker for servicing. I can recommend one in the NYC area I've worked with a number of times, always excellent servicing, fair pricing for work that needs to be done (and an explanation of why and what), and a great overall experience.

Or, there is a VC boutique in NYC, all the Richmont brands have fee schedules for service. Richmont service I have heard is more of a crap shoot in quality and time. Bear in mind, more might really need be done than is obvious at first glance.

[swish77]

I recently had my 2018 VC Overseas overhauled by the VC boutique in Manhattan. Their in-house watchmaker handled it, so it wasn't sent to their service center, which I believe is in Texas.

Took a long time, about nine weeks, but it came back running perfectly. Overall, a good experience. It was supposed to cost about $900 for a complete service but they comped it.

[lawyerdude]

Originally Posted by kunlun

I would go with a trusted independent watchmaker for servicing. I can recommend one in the NYC area I've worked with a number of times, always excellent servicing, fair pricing for work that needs to be done (and an explanation of why and what), and a great overall experience.

Or, there is a VC boutique in NYC, all the Richmont brands have fee schedules for service. Richmont service I have heard is more of a crap shoot in quality and time. Bear in mind, more might really need be done than is obvious at first glance.

Thanks, can you share the recommendation? Also, does he do authentication?

[codecow]

Originally Posted by lawyerdude

Hi. I have been thinking of buying a VC dress watch on the second hand market, and was wondering what experiences people have had with servicing watches with VC. On the one hand the there are some solid used prices on VC. This is as opposed to say a more modern Rolex Cellini, that are similarly priced second hand, but Rolex seems to have some very straightforward servicing costs, and is really easy and timely. Everyone says PP is a crap shoot. Trying to see if VC is similar to PP or Rolex in that way. Talking about post 2010 models. Not vintage.

The VC is going to be a much better watch. A dress watch shouldn’t cost that much to service unless it has been harmed in some way like water ingress.

[EdwardC]

Originally Posted by swish77

I recently had my 2018 VC Overseas overhauled by the VC boutique in Manhattan. Their in-house watchmaker handled it, so it wasn't sent to their service center, which I believe is in Texas.

Took a long time, about nine weeks, but it came back running perfectly. Overall, a good experience. It was supposed to cost about $900 for a complete service but they comped it.

Sounds very reasonable even for $900. But how did they comp it? E.g. was the watch malfunctioning by itself?

[HL65]

Originally Posted by codecow

The VC is going to be a much better watch. A dress watch shouldn’t cost that much to service unless it has been harmed in some way like water ingress.

X2

[cactakla]

I just had my 2015 VC serviced through their service center in April. Amazing.

I signed up on their website and requested service. They shipped me a box, I packed it and sent it back fully insured.

Looking at my emails now, here’s how it went:

Day 0: received by VC.
Day 1: notified it was with their watchmaker, service would be free because it was still under warranty, and they’d immediately start the service.
Day 6: after the assessment, I was given a list of what they would do (basic service) and told it would take up to 8 weeks.
Day 9: notified it was on the way back.

9 days and no charge for a 9 year old watch. Seriously.

One note: they asked for a copy of the warranty card. I sent in the passport thinking they would note the service on the intended page- they didn’t, so just send a copy of the warranty card (if you have it). If you’re buying second hand, see if it comes with a warranty card. I don’t know when the cut-off is (10 years?), but it’s worth a try.

[swish77]

Originally Posted by EdwardC

Sounds very reasonable even for $900. But how did they comp it? E.g. was the watch malfunctioning by itself?

Watch was just running slow, by about 10 seconds a day, so they decided to do a full movement service. (I asked for no polishing).

Not sure about the decision to comp the service, although nowadays you can extend the warranty to eight years if you register a new VC, so maybe they figured since I was still within that time period that they’d give me a break.

[kunlun]

Originally Posted by lawyerdude

Thanks, can you share the recommendation? Also, does he do authentication?

Yes, I'll send a pm.

[kunlun]

@lawyerdude, let me know if you got the pm

[lawyerdude]

Yes, I got it. Thank you so much.