Cartier quartz service: What should it cost?

[dannyp]

Took my wife's old Santos quartz to Cartier for a battery replacement. Low and behold, watchmaker "recommends" a complete servicing (shocking, I know...). Explanation was that gaskets (rear and crown tube) seemed worn, dial was spotted, movement could use lubrication and glue around the crystal seemed to be eroding.

On a modern quartz piece with fairly low water resistance anyways, how much do each of these things matter as long as the watch runs when a battery is put in it, and what should it cost to fix if we decide to?

[ELLimon]

Originally Posted by dannyp

Took my wife's old Santos quartz to Cartier for a battery replacement. Low and behold, watchmaker "recommends" a complete servicing (shocking, I know...). Explanation was that gaskets (rear and crown tube) seemed worn, dial was spotted, movement could use lubrication and glue around the crystal seemed to be eroding.

On a modern quartz piece with fairly low water resistance anyways, how much do each of these things matter as long as the watch runs when a battery is put in it, and what should it cost to fix if we decide to?

Ask for a quote. It might be plenty of money

[dannyp]

Originally Posted by ELLimon

Ask for a quote. It might be plenty of money

They quoted something like $375. Or $49 for just the battery.

But that’s from Cartier… thinking that independent watchmaker would probably be like half, no? Pretty straightforward maintenance I’d think.

[enjoythemusic]

$375 seems reasonable to me. Plus have a feeling Cartier also gives you a bit of warranty with them after the service is performed.

[dannyp]

Thanks. For those who’ve had quartz Cartier watches with 30m WR, do all of these recommendations sound truly necessary, or are some equivalent to the service department trying to sell me “magic gas” for in my tires?

[Dino944]

$375 is cheap for a service and to keep the watch in good working condition. Plus they warranty the work. In addition, Cartier doesn't sell parts to independent watch makers so gaskets and the crown tube will be generic, not sure how well they will fit, and if they don't fit well they won't keep moisture or dust out. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Tomas Eriksson]

"dial was spotted" hints that the watch have had moisture on the inside. Letting gaskets perish more and keep using the same way and I would say it's just a matter of time until something unfortunate happens. Get the service and you are good for ten years daily using without worrying that accidentally dipping the watch in the sink will ruin it.

[dannyp]

Thanks! Appreciate the replies and sounds like it's worth having full service. It's been a "daily drawer-dweller" for the past three years or so, so I don't know how it would fare under regular use in its current condition.

Doesn't sound like they're doing a true overhaul (disassembling movement for cleaning of each part), just a lubrication, gasket replacement and resealing of crystal. I would imagine a true overhaul costing more, even though it's a quartz (though there's probably little more than a Cartier-stamped ETA inside, as this watch was from around 2010).

Wouldn't shock me if some moisture had gotten in over the years, since I think this model is only 30m WR. Don't recall ever seeing condensation on inside of crystal but who knows...

[Flying Clog]

Just had my wife’s Cartier Santos back from battery replacement, full service and replacement bezel at Cartier.

Battery replacement and full service was EUR395
Replacement bezel was EUR265

They recommended a full replacement bracelet too but asked them to lightly polish as part of the service as the replacement was EUR1,920 !!


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[DoraTheExplorerII]

Originally Posted by Flying Clog

They recommended a full replacement bracelet too but asked them to lightly polish as part of the service as the replacement was EUR1,920 !!


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Crazy recommendation. I guess their shareholders need to eat well.

[jnelson3097]

I just paid $65 to have the battery and gaskets changed in my wife’s tank solo. If I opted for the full service, it would have been $180. This was done by the only Cartier AD in Wisconsin.

[dannyp]

Originally Posted by jnelson3097

I just paid $65 to have the battery and gaskets changed in my wife’s tank solo. If I opted for the full service, it would have been $180. This was done by the only Cartier AD in Wisconsin.

T&S?

What was included with the “full service” offered?

[jnelson3097]

Originally Posted by dannyp

T&S?

What was included with the “full service” offered?

Actually not sure what would haev been included in the full service. My wife's watch is around 10 years and previously had one battery and gasket change. It didn't sound like it needed whatever the full service was.

And yes, it was T&S and they were wonderful to deal with. Took almost 2 months though since they said they had a huge workload of repairs and service work.

[BDL]

Do ADs offer service or just boutiques?