Seems there's some proper inflation hitting the CW service department.

I've previously paid £20 for new batteries in quartz models. That's now gone up to £52.10!

I'm told: "Sadly, we have had to increase the cost of our repairs and battery replacements.

Unfortunately servicing costs (including the labour to do so) are relatively fixed in the watch industry, so whilst we're able to offer very competitively priced watches for sale, there is little we can do about the cost of servicing without taking a tremendous loss. We do not run our SAV department as a profit-making venture however there are unavoidable costs associated with offering a servicing & repairs centre. Hopefully this explains the overall cost of the battery replacement."

Fair enough, I know everything is costing more these days, but that's some hike.

The last auto service (SW220) by CW cost me £150. If that's gone up by the same percentage (which I suspect is unlikely) we'd now be looking at £390!

Has anyone had any recent service or repair quotes at all?

I don't see what's difficult about a simple battery change, unless it includes some service work. £20 sounds quite dear to me.

I actually use a chap who stands on my local market. He typically changes max £5.00 for batteries, and otherwise changes straps and so on. Rapid while you wait service, and he's never damaged a watch case for me. He says he used to manage a watch retailer but prefers to work for himself. He doesn't do automatics though.

I recently had a Battery change and service on a CW quartz chronograph which cost £150.
I also recently had a service on a C60 Trident GMT, which included the realignment of the GMT hand, which cost, iirc, £165.

Caveat: recently being probably a few months back - not sure without checking the date of the invoice.

Someone who does it for £5-10 a go might not be vat registered which I assume CW have to include for in their cost.

Does the CW battery change or servicing include postage (inward, return only or both) at all?

Apart from the above and price of the battery I guess the main cost is the staff time. They may be over qualified to just change a battery but you are paying for a specialist whether it is needed or not.

Above £50 sounds expensive but if you had said £40ish I wouldn't have been surprised so it isn't far out.

Guess it is a calculation as to whether you need to use CW to maintain any warranty that is left.

Batteries can last a long time and even the length of the warranty. With the elimination of quartz, maybe it is something they don't want to do long-term and so price it high.

Seems high for just a battery change but the devil is in the details. What else was done? I would think a gasket change and pressure test at the very least.

Yes, pressure testing with divers, replacing gaskets and so on adds time and expense.

The chap I mentioned just takes the back off, and replaces the battery. I imagine if the gasket ring is perished he will change that, but a lot of what he does is change batteries on sekondas and so on for £3.95 a go. If you have a decent watch he might put a Renata in and charge £5.95. he has a steady stream of customers, and I imagine his costs are pretty low.

I've never asked about checking how good the seals are, as I wouldn't take them in the water anyway.

When I first had a watch with loctited double screws (at the time I didn't realise hot water might have worked), he took out all of the removable screws for me, and wasn't even going to charge. He's really helpful.

I don't really know how much H Samuel charge for a battery change. Maybe it's a lot more nowadays.

If i had a choice of a £5 battery change v a £50 battery change plus pressure test,gasket and postage i’d pay the £50 with piece of mind my watch stays waterproof


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Above £50 sounds expensive but if you had said £40ish I wouldn't have been surprised so it isn't far out

I was looking recently at someone fairly local who was quoting £40, so (as you said) once you include postage etc £52.10 is a fair charge. I believe that Timpsons have pressure testing equipment in all their branches. It may be worth just asking their prices to get an idea as to what others are charging?

Honestly doesn't seem bonkers to me. By the time they've paid tax, NI, workplace pension, electricity bills, rent etc. It all adds up. I run a small business as a side venture and the costs of just running the business aren't insignificant.
I'd love it if these things were cheaper too.

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 3:16 pm CW battery changes include WR pressure test and postage both ways; for UK at any rate.

I've rated £30 as cheap, having had several done in the last year or two; even to the point of only just covering costs for CW.

£52.10? High; but not exhorbitant.

Guy

Sent from my XPERIA 5 III using Tapatalk

I always post to them at my cost.

I agree £30 would be acceptable given the pressure test and return postage just to have a CW receipt to go with it, but paying £52 when I can get the same thing done locally for £15 with pressure test was a bit OTT on a C4 which cost me £100!

Lookes expensive, especially if it's a cheaper quartz piece, more so if it was bought in a sale.
Most of which probably don't go near water.

elrikos wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 6:49 pm Honestly doesn't seem bonkers to me. By the time they've paid tax, NI, workplace pension, electricity bills, rent etc. It all adds up. I run a small business as a side venture and the costs of just running the business aren't insignificant.
I'd love it if these things were cheaper too.

Every other business has the same expenses and don’t charge this ridiculous amount for a mere battery change.

Only explanation is that they don’t want this inconvenience and if anyone is crazy enough to pay then they’re quids in anyway!!

If your watches don’t go near water, change them yourself.

Fair enough. I'm not massively into how much other places charge. Perhaps I'm the kind of customer they're targeting with their pricing? Not enough knowledge to know it's not the going rate.