Some may remember that my Blue Marine Foundation SH21 watch had quality issues - initially a failed auto winding mechanism. After repair, the watch accuracy was heading towards being outside of COSC limits and auto winding seeming less effective. I put it in the watch box for a while and enjoyed some other pieces. Having been wearing it for the last few days, the auto winder has now failed again. It is losing significant power reserve when being worn. Accuracy has also declined, it is now running at -7spd. I put the watch on a USB microphone and ran the signal through TG0.5.0 and I see that generally the movement cycles in a 3 - 4 second period - speeding up and slowing down every 3 - 4 seconds. Sometimes the trace shows huge and variable beat errors for a few seconds at a time. I double checked with a timegrapher phone app and get the same results.

Being very mechanically minded, I thought to myself that if an engine is running poorly, my ears are a primary diagnostic tool, so I had a listen. The watch adds an "extra" sound at the same interval as the speed up / slow down cycle. so I'm guessing something mechanical is broken or contaminated.

Given that this is the second time the watch is going to be returned, the initial repair being ineffective and the movement performance having been degraded in the first return, I feel it would not be unreasonable to request a complete replacement of the movement, with the watch to be issued with a fresh COSC certificate. Or, if this is not available, a full refund.

I'd appreciate peoples thoughts on this.

You are entitled to a no questions asked full refund.

Neil

I would think you are probably won't be satisied with reapir again so requesting a new COSC movement is the way forward if you intend to keep the watch. Otherwise, full refund it is then.

(I've had similar experiences with JLC & Blancpain and full refund turned into credit which I needed to force myself to spend I hope you manage to secure a new movement than credit.)

hsukirk wrote: ↑Sat Sep 14, 2024 5:32 pm I would think you are probably won't be satisied with reapir again so requesting a new COSC movement is the way forward if you intend to keep the watch. Otherwise, full refund it is then.

(I've had similar experiences with JLC & Blancpain and full refund turned into credit which I needed to force myself to spend I hope you manage to secure a new movement than credit.)

I do really like this watch, it is probably my favourite, but given my two experiences of the service department so far, I'm not confident that CW's workshop can even case up a new movement effectively. I'm on the fence with this one.

Chris GB wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2024 2:32 pm
I do really like this watch, it is probably my favourite, but given my two experiences of the service department so far, I'm not confident that CW's workshop can even case up a new movement effectively. I'm on the fence with this one.

This is your watch and your frustration and whilst I can't insist that you're wrong I'm going to say that over the years I've had a number of watches fixed/serviced by CW and my experiences have all been happy ones.

A repair or new mvmt should come with a warranty but I also had 2 faults on an SH21 model both fixed under warranty but ultimately decided not to keep the watch.

Personal choice, I felt it was an itch I had to scratch to own that particular movement but I actually don't miss the watch now it's gone.

My 2023 FLE Sealander had to go back to the service department twice from new. I was disgruntled at the time, and still am when I think about it (there were multiple other issues they got wrong with it too).

When I'm wearing the watch though, and six months down the line, I've generally forgotten all that and am very happy with it whenever I look at it again. It's become an almost daily wearer. It's made me cautious about another new watch from CW (including one currently on pre-order that I ordered before the FLE saga) but this one that went through all the issues...? Love it and have generally forgotten the frustrations.

Get it fixed properly - and insist on that - and then if it's finally all good, this will be a memory to be forgotten for you too and the watch can be enjoyed again.

I'm thinking I'll give it one more chance. Repair / overhaul won't cut it for me, so if they've a brand new COSC ticketed movement complete with all new auto winder I'll go for keeping it. If not, refund it is.

Sometimes you just lose confidence with a watch. I bought an older IWC spitfire chronograph that I loved. It developed a fault and was repaired and serviced under The sellers warranty, however it developed the same fault not long after I received it back so I took a full refund. It was a shame but as much as I loved and wanted to keep the watch, I had lost confidence with it and wanted it gone.

I had the same experience with my Tudor BB GMT. 2 years later, they replaced it with a brand new watch & I sold it the next day. Irrational I know. I’d lost faith in the brand.

I later bought another BB, and was happy with it, but the original frustrations still annoy me.

iain wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 8:00 am Sometimes you just lose confidence with a watch. I bought an older IWC spitfire chronograph that I loved. It developed a fault and was repaired and serviced under The sellers warranty, however it developed the same fault not long after I received it back so I took a full refund. It was a shame but as much as I loved and wanted to keep the watch, I had lost confidence with it and wanted it gone.

0uatiOW wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 8:14 am I had the same experience with my Tudor BB GMT. 2 years later, they replaced it with a branch new watch & I sold it the next day. Irrational I know. I’d lost faith in the brand.

I later bought another BB, and was happy with it, but the original frustrations still annoy me.

I can't help but wonder if these "problem watches" just bounce from owner to owner?

Well we are not off to a great start. Emailed CW to ask if a brand new movement and winder module are available to replace the defective one, and will this be fitted if I return for repair, explaining that I need this information in order to complete the return form. Evidently Customer Services have skim read and told me to fill in the return form. The return form that asks me if I am returning for refund / exchange / repair.

This is why I moan about CW quality assurance. I just get the impression that attention to detail is missing across the organisation. So much for employing someone as a new COO with marketing knowledge. I'd be more interested in knowing about their QA appointments.

It goes from bad to worse. CW customer "services" won't commit to guaranteeing a replacement movement and want to diagnose the watch and decide between repair of the movement or replacement. Given this is already a failed attempt at repair, I am being generous in offering to take a replacement movement. I think that perhaps the organisation should train their operatives on the basics of the consumer rights act 2015, where a failed attempt at repair automatically qualifies the customer for a full refund.

This company got me into watches. It is now trying as hard as it can to ruin my interest. What a shower of...