Horological Meandering

db darien
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What is a "Manufacturer's International Warranty" and What Does it Mean?

I recently acquired my first watch of 2011 (a Vacheron Constantin chronograph) that I purchased from one of the Authorized Dealers I normally deal with.  Before I made this decision, I did do a fair amount of shopping on the Internet and I have a question.  Specifically:  When an Internet purveyor indicates that a watch (that is "new", "in-box" and "with papers") carries with it the "Manufacturer's International Warranty", what exactly does that mean?

Let me explain by putting what I found (on the Web) into four categories, Category #4 being the subject of this Post:

1)  Most Web sites that I came across are not Authorized Dealers for brands they sell and do not offer a Manufacturer's Warranty.  They attempt to address this by offering their own Warranty which, they often represent, is 'equal-to' or 'better-than' that of the Manufacturer.  But it isn't the "Manufacturer" that warrants the product or provides the Warranty; it's the Seller.  Here, it's, caveat emptor.

2)  Some sites are probably frauds.  Often they sell sell nothing but replicas.  I found one site that advertised one watch but had another pictured...and I thought the pictured watch was a fake.  Here again, caveat emptor.

3)  Some Sellers  (I found several) are Authorized Dealers for brands they offer.  Theses Sellers will not quote a price to you (not a price that is different than MSRP) and you must generally call them to discuss price.  Generally, I feel in these instances I'd simply prefer to deal with my local AD .

4)  Finally (this is the category I am focused-on in this post), there were 1-2 Internet Sellers that offer what they call the "Manufacturer's International Warranty"  One such Internet Seller states as follows:  "...[o]ur brand new watches come with the manufacturer’s international warranty, which is dated, stamped and fully completed with the serial number of the watch by the authorised dealer...."

Exactly what is a "Manufacturer's International Warranty"?  Will a local AD honor that International Warranty in the same way as it would a "Manufacturer's Warranty" for a watch it sold?  Will a Manufacturer honor a "Manufacturer's International Warranty" in the same way it would its "Manufacturer's Warranty" when the watch was sold through an Authorized Dealer?

Thanks
DB Darien