IWC Service issue

Gents and Ladies who share a passion for IWC:

I love IWC's. Let me make that clearer: I love IWC's from the 90's to the
early 2000's. I'm still buying them and will keep on buying them. My
collection process has gone askew: I started with a particular model in mind -
one that had a special impact on me as a teen - but have yet to buy it, while
somehow I've been going in a whole different genre and collection from that
period. This was an introduction I have been meaning to write on this forum
for a while, but it's not the topic of this thread.

I've recently sent my Mark XV for Service with IWC, as I do from time to time
with my watches. This year alone I've sent my Mark XII and my Ingenieur 3521
for much needed Service - I do wear my watches, often with abandonment. Again
and again, IWC Service - although not carried out in Schaffhausen - has proven
excellent.

So I sent my Mark XV expecting nothing less... to what I believe is a whole
different result, but I will let you be the judge of that.

I sent the XV because of some scuffs and scratches, but mainly because of the
buckle of its Beads of Rice bracelet. It no longer closed with a satisfactory
sharp click, but rather with a dull one, which was leaving me with a little
bit of bracelet anxiety. Mind you, this is one of the watches I use more, day
in day out. The bracelet never once opened unvoluntarily.

I was surprised to receive an estimate for the repair of the watch. This
included a full Service, of course, which was the point, but also an estimate
for the replacement of the whole bracelet, due to the fact that the buckle was
deemed malfunctioning and that IWC did not have the buckle solely in stock.

Let me also add that the replacement of the bracelet was not given as an
option to the full Service, rather, if I wanted the Service to be done it
would necessary include the bracelet replacement - there was only one ticking
box (for the full Service and bracelet replacement), instead of two (one for
the Service and one for the bracelet replacement).

Now, in my point of view, there are several issues with the above: a) I am a
layman in what concerns watchmaking, but have a fairly good grasp of the
materials used - there could be no extent of damage to my buckle that could
not be repaired (mind you this was a still working bracelet), the bracelet was
not broken, not even bent; b) I find it hard to believe that IWC no longer has
just the buckle of the bracelet, I've had prior work done - although in
Schaffhausen - and was surprised by the amount and specificity of stock; c) I
find it shocking that - should the buckle indeed prove impossible to be
repaired and that IWC has no stock of the buckle only - that I should be
charged the full price of a new bracelet, while the Service centre still keeps
my old one and, lastly; d) I should have been given the option to have the
full Service
done, without the bracelet replacement.

I know that there is a big difference between Schaffhausen Service and Service
Centre Service. Given a watches' life expectancy I also believe that after-
sales - including maintenance - should be as important to a modern watchmaker
as their current line-up.

The Authorized Dealer to which I take my pieces for maintenance is going to
contact IWC about this issue. I think they are just going to ask for the
option of having the Service irrespective of bracelet replacement. For this
reason, I felt I needed to vent this somewhere, possibly where someone at IWC
would see it... and now it's already going on for too long... so sorry and
thanks... and please weigh in...

P.S. - Edited for clarity sake regarding the ticking boxes in the estimate...

It's your watch so you have the right to decline the replacement of the
bracelet and doing so should not in any way impact on the warranty of any
service to the watch head/internals itself.

Precisely my point... except the estimate did not provide for this option...

I believe the issue lies within the service department's policy and is uniform
throughout the various service centers, including Schaffhausen. The service
center returns a watch to you that includes a new two-year warrnaty. Now if
the watch has only been partially serviced, proving warrany claims on the part
that has been serviced vs. the part that has not (in this case, the bracelet)
becomes more difficult. I believe the service department will only conduct
repairs if they are able to return the watch to the customer in fully
warrantable condition.

Now if you were to switch the the bracelet to a strap, you likely wouldn't
have any issue. Possibly you could remove the bracelet and just send the
watch, without strap or bracelet, in for service (often times watches are
shipped internationally without straps to avoid CITES documentation
requirements - but that's another topic).

But first I would let your AD talk to the service department and see what they
say.

Thank you Ben. This I totally understand, although I believe some leeway could
be given to watch models originally sold with a choice of leather or steel
bracelet and whose steel bracelet is not integral to the watch. With that
being said, the fact that I was not given the choice to repair my watch
without touching the bracelet was just the cherry on top... I not only
question the evaluation of my bracelet's operation and condition by the
Service Center but also their statement on the unavailability of the buckle as
a separate part. I contacted the IWC Concierge separately, who promptly
replied they would look into the matter... let's see..

My original post in this thread was NOT the post I've been meaning to write
here in the Forum for a couple of months. This was it:

The above result started here, in this forum, 4 years ago, after I was handed
down the blue Yacht Club you see there. This was my first IWC, followed by a
second (white) YC. I had always loved IWC's. The watches and the ads from the
90's to the 2000's deeply resonated with me. As a teen I tried out a titanium
Aquatimer 3536 at an AD. This is still my "grail" watch, but, as I've said,
things turned in a different direction and I have still to get that awe
inspiring Aquatimer. I may not be the most active participant here, but I do
read... boy, do I read... all of the purchases above were either deeply
informed or motivated by the passion and knowledge of the people here...

Anyway... just wanted to show the rest of the forum the possibly dire
consequences of becoming a member here and also... thank you!

P.S. to the above - Sorry for the intruders in the photo. Those two spots are
actually reserved for the titanium and maybe the steel 3536... although those
DaVinci Perpetuals are looking nice and I would still like to get a minty Saab
Mark XII and a Portuguese Rattrapante and an Ingenieur 500,000 A.M. and...
and... and... I think you all know the feeling...

Fantastic collection

Thanks for posting :o)