Any good experience with Richemont Service Center in Fort Worth?

[tsekh]

Anyone has any good experience sending their IWC/JLC/VC watch for service at the Richemont Service Center?

One of my JLC watches stopped working, and it's still under warranty and so I am planning to send it in for repair. However, people's experiences with Richemont service center seem to be universally very negative on Google and Reddit. I also have a Vacheron Overseas that I want to have certain scratches/dents polished out.

I know the this is a biased sample, as people who didn't have any bad experience don't usually go on the internet and talk about them. But I'm still surprised how difficult it is to find anyone to have anything good to say about the Richemont Service Center. Sure, people complain about Rolex Service Center too, but I can easily find posts on this forum in which people talk about their good experience with Rolex Service Center.

Have you had your JLC/IWC/VC watch serviced at the Richemont Service Center in the last few years? What's your experience? Do you have any other places that you would recommend sending your JLC/IWC/VC watch to service?

[arolexguy]

If it’s under warranty are you really going to pay a private watchmaker instead?

I would send it to them and document the watch diligently before sending. If the repairs don’t hold up or they somehow cause damage during service you can escalate your warranty claim.

If your VC is out of warranty then I would find a local reputable watchmaker who can do the refinishing. I doubt the service center will do a better job, unless somehow you can opt for the watch to be refinished at the atelier in Switzerland.


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[Easy E]

I have had an IWC and a Panerai serviced under warranty. I had no issues at all. I have also had really great experiences with IWC, VC, Panerai, and JLC Concierge. I am currently pro Richemont

[ajw45]

If it's under warranty seems crazy to go anywhere else and potentially kill your warranty. That said, I had terrible service from Dallas. My recommendation is to drop your watch off with a JLC boutique so at the very least if you do have problems, at least you can resolve with a real person instead of calling the service center. If it is a complication, you may be able request it go back to the manufacture which will take twice as long and they still might mess it up but your chances are better for a better outcome.

[tsekh]

Originally Posted by ajw45

If it's under warranty seems crazy to go anywhere else and potentially kill your warranty. That said, I had terrible service from Dallas. My recommendation is to drop your watch off with a JLC boutique so at the very least if you do have problems, at least you can resolve with a real person instead of calling the service center. If it is a complication, you may be able request it go back to the manufacture which will take twice as long and they still might mess it up but your chances are better for a better outcome.

The warranty means nothing if they can't fix your watch or keep screwing it up such that you have to keep sending it back and get dragged along for months or even years. I have used some 3rd party watchmakers that people recommended here to repair/polish my Rolexes and the outcome was better than the time I sent an old GMT back to Rolex for service (polishing was ok, not great, but the watch had to go back second time because it was losing 7+ seconds a day after servicing...). Also, once a watch is poorly polished the first time, it's hard/expensive to reverse it. I'd rather pay a few hundred dollars extra than to have to deal with all these stresses.

Unfortunately all the ones that I contacted don't on JLC watches because they don't have access to parts. I'm going to send my JLC to Richemont and hope for the best... I'm gonna take a lot of photos and video to document the condition of the watch before I ship it out.

[AEC]

Following this thread.

I have a related question: Which independent service providers have JLC parts accounts and perhaps even JLC certification (if that's even a thing)?

I also would prefer to have my Master Control serviced by a reliable independent if possible. I think I asked Nesbit's about this some time ago and they reported not having a parts account. I haven't checked with Stoll & Co.

Hoping others reading this thread might reply to name any independents known to have JLC parts accounts.

[enjoythemusic]

A few years back they tried, twice, to fix the PAM 01033 GMT erratic 'accuracy', i gave up sending it back and forth, this model Panerai is not an accurate timepiece (gains ~30 seconds, loses ~30 seconds, all within a day or three, so quite erratic). Looks ok on a timegrapher, but in real life use / wear she's horrid.

I might try one more time before the warranty expires, but send it to Bob in Naples so he can be Panerai QC it because TX service center was lacking.

[Loosetoe]

a couple of years ago I sent in my Panerai 190 (JLC movement). An independent indicated that it had a broken balance bridge so he could not repair it due to Richemont controlling parts. I sent it in to Fort Worth notating that it did not run, and they did a basic service and replaced hands. It was returned to me. IT DID NOT RUN. I sent it immediately back. They then replaced the balance bridge under warranty. Note that this would have been a much more expensive repair than a basic service.

[Twoatlow8]

In my experience with two IWC Aquatimers, each took 3 trips to get fixed properly.
On my 3538 the first time it came back the chapter ring would move in both directions!
Obviously they forgot some parts.