You have a piece unique! Contact an auction house ten years from now and you’re a made man;))) On a serious note, just take it back to the dealer and let him sort it out...!🥂
Take your watch to the Henri Stern Agency
They will put things right. It may take a while, but it will be Ok.
In a few weeks ( or months) all will be well.
In a few weeks ( or months) all will be well.
Regardless of the location, he should stand behind the product! And pay for return shipping!
contact thierry stern directly
start by sending an email to him directly with your problem with details from your watchmaker
stating that you want a new replacement.
stating that you want a new replacement.
So the watch was made that way?
Could it have been mishandled at the AD? Most these pieces are sitting and being tried on even if it only by their select clientele.
Had two flawed Pateks so not surprised at all.
Whilst quality control on only 60k pieces per year should be better, they will still honor their watch and replace the damaged part(s). Will take time though…
Go to the Salon.
Take your watch. Point the flaws. They will send to Geneva. If they approve, they will then solve the issue in whatever way they deem suitable. But it takes time. Get ready to wait
I’ve seen this exact question / post on another forum almost a year ago.
Before you purchased that 5170 you posted pictures of what you said looked like a polished case asking for advice. And I believe you spoke to Patek Geneva about that watch too.
Is this the watch you purchased?
Perhaps you should sell it (for a premium?) and be done with it
Then you will have no remorse or continued grief.
Cazalea
UPDATE: took watch to Henri Stern
So, I took the watch to Henri Stern Agency a week ago. They examined and confirmed the vertical distortions in the case finish.
However, they started by insisting such distortions can appear on “one or two out of ten watches” as a by-product of hand finishing and therefore are passable by Patek standards. I questioned this assertion as none of the five other Pateks I’ve owned have had similar issues and I don’t see why I should settle for a one-out-of-ten issue on an $80K+ watch.
They then pivoted to suggesting it’s possible that I may have caused the distortions through wearing the watch! I responded that I found that both offensive and incredibly implausible, which shut down this branch of conversation.
Then they pivoted to suggesting that, regardless, I should expect nothing of Patek beyond a service polish as I had already taken the watch from the dealer. I questioned this as well: any manufacturing flaw should be covered under warranty and they need to make the watch right as it should have been new. They did not agree with this perspective and re-emphasized that I have limited ability to expect recourse, since I am a customer and not a dealer.
Ultimately, they offered to send the watch to Geneva for a second opinion, which I agreed to. However, after the above exchange, I do not feel particularly hopeful. As someone else suggested, I have tried emailing Thierry Stern directly—however, he has not been responsive.
They then pivoted to suggesting it’s possible that I may have caused the distortions through wearing the watch! I responded that I found that both offensive and incredibly implausible, which shut down this branch of conversation.
Then they pivoted to suggesting that, regardless, I should expect nothing of Patek beyond a service polish as I had already taken the watch from the dealer. I questioned this as well: any manufacturing flaw should be covered under warranty and they need to make the watch right as it should have been new. They did not agree with this perspective and re-emphasized that I have limited ability to expect recourse, since I am a customer and not a dealer.
Ultimately, they offered to send the watch to Geneva for a second opinion, which I agreed to. However, after the above exchange, I do not feel particularly hopeful. As someone else suggested, I have tried emailing Thierry Stern directly—however, he has not been responsive.
Help? Thanks!
UPDATE: Patek Geneva agrees there’s a defect and wants to repair the case…
Patek Geneva examined the watch and agreed that there is a defect in the case finishing that should not have passed QC. They are going to repair the case in a “return to stock” procedure that they claim will put the watch back to new condition, indistinguishable from any other brand new Patek. From what was explained to me, this requires putting the watch case “back through production” and is completely different from a standard service polish. They assured that there will be no metal loss, the profile will be as new, and all edges will
be factory sharp. It the result does not pass QC, they will replace the case.
Should I be happy with this or should I press for a replacement case upfront?
Laser welding.. and put the case through factory finish?
I expect this is as it good as it gets without getting a new case
True… if this is from an AD… then yes. If there is a notion that this was preowned and not from an AD.
