So I have been effusive in my praise of CW's build quality, especially at this price point.

After buying my partner the 38mm trident, she returned the favour and bought me the 40mm version.

I was so excited and absolutely love the watch. Now i noticed the bezel felt loose and had a lot more play in it than my partners 38mm, which was rock solid, no movement and a very crisp and solid detent.

The bezel on my 40mm moves laterally a touch, I think cause by a slightly more oval shaped bezel and there is a tiny gap on one side of the insert. There is also play between the 120 clicks, not a huge amount but enough in comparison to my partners 38mm.

So I spoke to CW and arranged for it to be returned under warranty for inspection and rectification. They couldn't accept the return via the website, so I drove the 90 mins to the HQ to drop off.

Got a call yesterday and was informed the technicians will not address the issue or the replace the bezel, that it is well within their standard tolerances and they will send the watch back to me.

Left me very disappointed, compared side by side, the 38mm is like a bank vault whereas the 40mm just feels slightly cheaper and more brittle. I love the watch and the brand but am feeling a bit miffed truth be told.

Any advice?

Tbh, I would have checked it over out of the box and returned it under the 60:60 if I wasn't entirely happy with the play/gap.

You didn't mention whether it was new or not?

Before I get into this question of tolerances, I’m aware that what follows is apples and oranges, so to speak…

Last year we had someone complaining that their watch was running +18 s/d (“not good enough”) However, it was “within tolerances” because the manual STATED tolerances of up to +20 s/d. There was quite a to-do about it.

Apples and oranges because as far as I can see there are no published tolerances for bezel play. So who can judge? Certainly no-one on the Forum.

Advice? Keep it and enjoy it. Or if you can’t live with it, eBay.

I understand both arguments, i.e., yours the customer, and CW tech support. Manufacturing variations are inevitable with acceptable tolerances having to be defined.

Mine has a little gap, but it's no more than some of the much more expensive watches I have. The click is flawless, but I agree, there is a TOUCH of lateral play.

Within their tolerance of honesty and integrity.

There have been a number of examples where their first answer is not the correct one, for whatever reason.

It is the chance you take when buying a CW unfortunately. Amazing watches and value 95% of the time, the remainder is really frustrating searching out a reasonable solution or finding someone that knows what they are doing, or admitting defeat and living with it.

Too late now but as stated earlier, check and check further on day 1 that everything is 100% correct and return for a full refund if not.

If it is a standard tolerance and truly within the parameters of what others experience with the watch, hopefully you can still enjoy it.

StrappedUp wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2024 3:26 pm Tbh, I would have checked it over out of the box and returned it under the 60:60 if I wasn't entirely happy with the play/gap.

You didn't mention whether it was new or not?

Sorry if I wasn't clear, it was returned under the 60:60 policy as it was new.

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2024 3:28 pm Before I get into this question of tolerances, I’m aware that what follows is apples and oranges, so to speak…

Last year we had someone complaining that their watch was running +18 s/d (“not good enough”) However, it was “within tolerances” because the manual STATED tolerances of up to +20 s/d. There was quite a to-do about it.

Apples and oranges because as far as I can see there are no published tolerances for bezel play. So who can judge? Certainly no-one on the Forum.

Advice? Keep it and enjoy it. Or if you can’t live with it, eBay.

Agree, I think it's just the difference between my partners 38mm which is solid and mine, which probably makes it seem worse.

No harm or foul, just curious if others had a similar issue.

BaronJamie wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 2:39 pm

StrappedUp wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2024 3:26 pm Tbh, I would have checked it over out of the box and returned it under the 60:60 if I wasn't entirely happy with the play/gap.

You didn't mention whether it was new or not?

Sorry if I wasn't clear, it was returned under the 60:60 policy as it was new.

Since you weren't happy with it, returning the watch was the right move.

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2024 3:28 pm Before I get into this question of tolerances, I’m aware that what follows is apples and oranges, so to speak…

Last year we had someone complaining that their watch was running +18 s/d (“not good enough”) However, it was “within tolerances” because the manual STATED tolerances of up to +20 s/d. There was quite a to-do about it.

Apples and oranges because as far as I can see there are no published tolerances for bezel play. So who can judge? Certainly no-one on the Forum.

Advice? Keep it and enjoy it. Or if you can’t live with it, eBay.

I think the people on the forum are exactly who can judge. The customers who are creating CWs growth.

Jack52 wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2024 2:09 pm I think the people on the forum are exactly who can judge. The customers who are creating CWs growth.

I wouldn’t presume to judge, because I don’t know what the tolerances are, nor do I know what amount of movement the OP was experiencing, apart from “a touch”. It may be that others are better informed.

I think bezel play is a bit different to timing. I expect that a watchmaker buys movements assembled to a certain tolerance. The movement naker knows that their standard manufacturing process achieved the stated standard. 18secs a day. 18secs out of 86400 is still only about .02% which is very small for a mechanical device. Far better than a car Speedo, say.

Bezel play is a bit different, and the watchmaker ought to be prepared to be sympathetic to a customers complaint, I think. The response could have been worded better than simply "not out of tolerance".

@JAFO We don’t know the actual words used, though this is what the OP reported.

BaronJamie wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2024 2:28 pm Got a call yesterday and was informed the technicians will not address the issue or the replace the bezel, that it is well within their standard tolerances and they will send the watch back to me.

Seems pretty clear to me. Can you think of another way to say it?

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2024 5:34 pm @JAFO We don’t know the actual words used, though this is what the OP reported.

BaronJamie wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2024 2:28 pm Got a call yesterday and was informed the technicians will not address the issue or the replace the bezel, that it is well within their standard tolerances and they will send the watch back to me.

Seems pretty clear to me. Can you think of another way to say it?

We have checked your bezel and it wiggled a bit. Just a small amount of wiggle. We checked a few other watches of the same model and they also had a similarly small amount of bezel wiggle. Had the wiggle been significant (lots of wiggle) as often found on cheap watches, we would have agreed that your bezel’s wiggle was not pleasing. In such circumstances we would happily exchange your watch for one with just a little wiggle.

Neil

@nbg