COSC

Discuss Christopher Ward watches
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diver69
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Re: COSC

Post by diver69 »

I am bewildered!

I purchased a CWL watch, brand new and direct from CWL. The regulation of the movement was way, way off. It was running +2 mins a day. I contacted Wera, who of course advised me to post it back to UK, they would regulate it and send it back, repaying me my incured cost of posting. All Good.

I do not live in UK, so impatient sod that I am I had it regulated myself at a Rolex/Breitling etc AD. They know me (far too well :oops: ) and regulated it to within +6 secs, They then insisted on keeping it for another 36 hours to ensure it was spot on - and charged me less than 20 quid.

I was happy, the watch did not have to endure a to/from International postage trek, and ultimately it saved CWL money, as I did not even consider sending the bill to CWL (it was my decision to get it fixed locally at my expense, so I would not have expected them to pay).

No parts were changed, it was corrected by a qualifed watch professional and pressure tested on completion.

Kip wrote:
To be clear...If we go strictly by the book, your warranty is void
With respect, I find this hard to believe Kip.
Diver

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robinbarke
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Re: COSC

Post by robinbarke »

I would not worry. I do not think CW would invalidate your warranty having been to an accredited AD and saved CW considerable expense. Keep the paper work in the unlikely event that you will have any more trouble.

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akirk
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Re: COSC

Post by akirk »

the complication is that the manufacturer no longer knows whether an issue was of their doing / design, or created by the third party, so there is the potential for joint or split liability... e.g. if your AD while doing it poked a screwdriver into the mechanism and then damaged something - it would logically be their responsibility...

that is why manufacturers state that they will no longer warrant a product once someone else has worked on it - it is easier and most consumers don't know better - it is not the legal position, but they get away with making that statement and it is simpler than explaining the potential complicated net of liability if several companies have each worked on something...

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craigski
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Re: COSC

Post by craigski »

If a watch is sold as being 'COSC' certified, but it is not within COSC spec, maybe the watch has to be re-regulated by the manufacturer (where the certificate was requested) to maintain the 'value' of the COSC certification?
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diver69
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Re: COSC

Post by diver69 »

the complication is that the manufacturer no longer knows whether an issue was of their doing / design, or created by the third party, so there is the potential for joint or split liability... e.g. if your AD while doing it poked a screwdriver into the mechanism and then damaged something - it would logically be their responsibility...
Actually, that makes sense when considering the big picture of business practice. Whilst I know and trust my AD, to the manufacturer (in this case CWL) they are an unknown entity, and as such there is risk involved.

Fair enough, and thanks for clearing that up- every day is a learning day.........!
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ItsAliveJim
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Re: COSC

Post by ItsAliveJim »

I remember when I had a problem with my Speedbird III crown and the retailer responsible told me it was user error and washed his hands of it, despite not even seeing the watch. The watch had not been dropped, bashed, dinged or abused in any way – the crown had merely gone kaput whilst gently screwing it back down. Now, it would have extremely difficult (and costly) for me to prove manufacturer defect so ultimately my warranty was worthless.

I posted a thread about it on a certain other forum and before long others were saying they had the same problem. Hmmm, was this manufacturer defect then? We'll never know as the thread was swiftly deleted and I was banned from the forum.

Most retailers would have at least accepted the watch back to take a look and assess the problem, but was he legally obliged to do so under the terms of the warranty? Probably not. Despite what Alasdair is saying about the EU 'fit for purpose' laws, in the real world, proving a fault and successfully winning a result from the manufacturer after an official warranty period is over will usually require more time and effort than most people can bear.

Luckily there are decent manufacturers/retailers out there, with CW and Julian Kampmann at Poljot24 being just two examples.

As for the original question, I suspect that in the long term a COSC certification is worth having, not only for resale value, but also as most others have mentioned, the components within a COSC watch are of a higher grade, therefore, in my mind, should keep the watch running to a higher standard of accuracy for longer, but who knows? Could all be marketing fluff :?

My Orient Mako kept to within 3 secs per day. Beat that Breitling, et al :lol:
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akirk
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Re: COSC

Post by akirk »

It'sAliveJim wrote:in the real world, proving a fault and successfully winning a result from the manufacturer after an official warranty period is over will usually require more time and effort than most people can bear.
sadly that is true...
however it is remarkable how much difference it makes to know the law and quote it - a lot of companies who have a blanket response of 'tough luck' start to look at it differently if you demonstrate that you know the legislation and can quote it.

you also do have recourse to the Small Claims Court where you can put the CEO in as the named person of the business, and as a consumer suing a corporation they have to turn up to your local court - in person and are not allowed their usual legal representation... the cost of their having to do that can often mean they just send you a cheque... cost to you - c. £30 - £80.

so there are options

Alasdair
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