The A. Lange & Söhne Thread - including daily pics...

[dpap]

Originally Posted by pdnb

3rd party interference in theory caused this high price


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Yes. Lets hope it is a one time cost and they don’t keep doing it next time(?) I service it.

[magicman]

Originally Posted by Watchlurker11

I mean..I’m not sure what to say other than my experience does not map to what you said. (I was actually expecting to get hit with the more expensive service based on age and everything I read)

What I have heard is that Lange recommends 5-7 years, but they allow up to ~10 years without the higher charge. (Not sure what the exact cutoff is.) I've sent mine to Alkis every 10 years and have had no problems. However, I'm worried that Alkis will retire soon and the boutiques will give me trouble, so I'm probably going to do 7 years going forward.

[magicman]

Originally Posted by pdnb

3rd party interference in theory caused this high price


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Yes, definitely a factor in this bill and Lange definitely charges the restoration fee for 3rd party servicing (justifiably given the easy-to-scratch German silver). But TrackingTime's bill above doesn't have the same diagnosis, that was based on wear alone.

[Watchlurker11]

Originally Posted by magicman

But TrackingTime's bill above doesn't have the same diagnosis, that was based on wear alone.

For what its worth, the post-service assessment form I received for my 10 year old never previously serviced watch (original owner) was the same as TrackingTime's from "Inspection of the movement" through "Rate-accuracy and power-reserve check." I.e. it did not have the "repair of the keyless winding mechanism, repair of gear train, repair of escapement, repair of indicators sections". note: though far from a safe queen, this was part of a reasonably sized watch rotation, so ymmv on whether something closer to a daily wearer > 5 years with no service will ipso facto cause the degree of wear that requires a repair (though the watch WAS on a winder for most of that period). But the idea that the higher repair job is unfounded or automatically assessed without actually looking at whether repair is needed does not map to my experience.

Or one can ignore this datapoint and continue to parrot this narrative that Lange servicing is some massive screw-job.

[magicman]

Originally Posted by Watchlurker11

For what its worth, the post-service assessment form I received for my 10 year old never previously serviced watch (original owner) was the same as TrackingTime's from "Inspection of the movement" through "Rate-accuracy and power-reserve check." I.e. it did not have the "repair of the keyless winding mechanism, repair of gear train, repair of escapement, repair of indicators sections". note: though far from a safe queen, this was part of a reasonably sized watch rotation, so ymmv on whether something closer to a daily wearer > 5 years with no service will ipso facto cause the degree of wear that requires a repair (though the watch WAS on a winder for most of that period). But the idea that the higher repair job is unfounded or automatically assessed without actually looking at whether repair is needed does not map to my experience.

Or one can ignore this datapoint and continue to parrot this narrative that Lange servicing is some massive screw-job.

I have also sent in a 10-year-old Lange which actually WAS a daily wearer and not been charged the restoration fee, so I don't disagree with your experience here at all. I don't think TrackingTime said how long it had been since service for their watch. I suspect it was probably well over 10 years. Lange hasn't said if there is a cutoff in number of years, but the trend in these stories seems to be either a 3rd party opened the case or it has been a really long time since service (>>10 years, not sure exactly what the number is). I don't think I've heard of any stories of the restoration fee charged if <10 years and no 3rd party service performed.

It's probably safe to send in a Lange every 10 years, but given the restoration fee is 3x the service fee, it makes it tempting to just send it in every 7. It doesn't cost more than stretching the service intervals if you get hit with a restoration fee. Perhaps that is the point of this whole thing.

I do wish Lange would just make it clear how they assess service vs. restoration. That would solve this whole longstanding debate quickly.

[Watchlurker11]

Originally Posted by magicman

I do wish Lange would just make it clear how they assess service vs. restoration. That would solve this whole longstanding debate quickly.

I just think it varies. Roughly at the same time i sent in a watch that was 13 years old (same deal, original owner, part of a rotation) but that watch ran a bit finicky; that was assessed the more expensive repair. My response was more directed at statement another user made upthread who made the broad assertion

"if your watch haven't been serviced for more than 5 years, they will park it under overhaul or restoration (which is easily 2-3x the maintenance cost)"

All of that being said, if you're buying on the used market and its been over 5 years old, i would budget in the more expensive route and not only for the risk its been opened by a 3rd party.

[NardinNut]

[NardinNut]