Comments:
My claim to Patek was that the "watch does not look right".
Would Patek change the dial on my 5205G?
I have just returned my 5205G back to Patek for them to carry out some warranty work.
Basically the DAY pusher is sticking in when pushed and so the day doesn't change over, unless you then manually wind the watch past midnight. When that happens the pusher then springs back out.
Anyway, back to the question.
While the watch is with them at the UK service centre, if asked, do you think they would exchange the darker dial & W/G silver hands for the lighter dial and the darker hands, which I believe are still made from W/G, but somehow treated to make them darker in colour?
And if they do any idea what they would charge?
Thank you.
Regards
Tony
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Basically the DAY pusher is sticking in when pushed and so the day doesn't change over, unless you then manually wind the watch past midnight. When that happens the pusher then springs back out.
Anyway, back to the question.
While the watch is with them at the UK service centre, if asked, do you think they would exchange the darker dial & W/G silver hands for the lighter dial and the darker hands, which I believe are still made from W/G, but somehow treated to make them darker in colour?
And if they do any idea what they would charge?
Thank you.
Regards
Tony
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Doubtful
Highly unlikely and even if they were willing it would probably cost thousands of dollars.
It depends...
I asked in the past both from the London and Paris Salon it the dial of my 5120J could be changed the the ones of the bracelet version. In both places they told "no Chance".
I wrote a motivation letter and delivered my watch together with that letter for a service to Patek Salon in Geneva. They did the job! The price of the dial in July 2011 was 1,000 Swiss Francs and the hands were 100 Swiss Francs. To both they added Swiss VAT of 8%.
So I guess it depends. If you are a born poet, your opportunities are improving.
I hope this helped.
Best, Kari
I would have bet it is no but...
... but the comments from Kari let me have a very small doubt.
You can try your luck but I assume you should prepare your arguments well if you write a letter to Geneva.
But in case they agree (which I still doubt), be prepared to not only pay a bunch of money but also forget your original dial (for this I am certain, they will NEVER give it back to you). So you'd better be sure before you ask so as not to regret your choice !
Both grey and black dials are nice on the 5205G but they really look different to such an extent that almost the watch itself looks different (I exagerate only a little). I mean they look so different that I believe they address a different clientele. And if you choose the dark dial originally, you might not feel happy in the long term with a silver one.
Ideally, find a friend who owns a 5205 with silver dial in your city and try to convince him to do a temporary swap for 1 or 2 weeks and then decide...
Good luck and let us know the outcome.
Best,
Mike
Additional comment:
In London Salon they told me that in case the dial has to changed due to readability issues, the chances are much better.
I was very surprised to get the dial changed by Mike H is 100% right; I did not get the old back.
Best, Kari
Thank you for the replies so far.
What is the issue with a dial change?
Is this a Patek policy, as I don't understand what difference it would make?
My AD is going to ask the service centre tomorrow, so hopefully will have a better understanding!
Kari, firstly, may I have a copy of your letter 
Secondly, I am expecting to hear that if they did make the change, the price would be mega bucks, which would make the decision an easy one
Regards
Tony
I will try to find the letter...
I bought 5120J as my first Patek because it was the only one the AD had available and I needed to get the watch without delay! I made a deal worth of over a billion and wanted to celebrate that with a new watch...
I did not all in all like the watch too much. So I ordered through the AD the golden bracelet of 5120/1 to my watch. That was organized without problems. But the watch did not feel right and I wanted to change the dial to the one of 5120/1. The rest is history...
My claim to Patek was that the "watch does not look right".
In your case I would claim about the readability. It is a fact that the darker dialed watch is difficult to read and the main reason for most of us is to see the time. If the lighter would be easier for you to read, you could try that kind of reasoning.
Kind regards, Kari
Thanks Kari..........
But I am still getting my head around making a billion "Something" deal!!!!!!!!!!
What a feeling that must have been
And you certainly celebrated it in style
Nothing really special
In oil and shipping the amounts are big but the margins are small. I have a tanker shipping company and we ship every month crude oil worth over half a billion. And still in today's market my pockets are nearly empty!
Best, Kari
Kari, my friend it still sounds impressive.
Update from my AD.
Patek will change the dial, should I choose.
The only uncertain thing, is whether they will have to also carry out a service at the same time, which would more or less double the cost. But if they don't have to then it may be a possibilty.
I hope to view the lighter coloured dial at an dealers later on this week.
I chose the lighter dial on the 5205 ...
Because of legibility upon conferring with my trusted AD. Further, I was smitten by the Patef print ads showing the 5205 in lighter color tucked under a suit. The rest as they say is history.
I hope everything will turn out well on your end.
Very happy for you, this is great news
I would not have imagined they agree even if it is not much hassle for them, so this is excellent news!
5205G is a great watch, whatever the dial. Enjoy it and wear it in the best of health.
Best,
Mike
I am very happy on your behalf!
I think that if a watch like Patek is having the same basic reference in different versions, we should be able to get just the one pleasing us most. And sometimes it happens that we do the wrong choice in the first place.
Please send us a couple of pictures when you'll get yours!
Best, Kari
Gents, thank you for your replies & comments......
Patek will not look at my 5205 now until the New Year.
So, I will have to wait & see whether they could replace the dial without a service or have to do a service as well. If the latter then I shall not even consider it. But just have the warranty work carried out.
I have asked my AD to enquire with Patek the following:
1) With the original certificate having the model number on for the darker dial, should I replace it for the lighter one, how would that effect the certificate. As it is my understanding that Patek, will never issue another one!
2) Would I be allowed to keep the darker dial & hands?
Gents, have you any thoughts on these two questions?
Regards
Tony
Don't dream...
You will not get a new Certificate. But you will get, if you ask, a detailed receipt of the dial change job. Keep that with the Certificate. You will not get the old dial and hands either.
Best, Kari
Interesting Kari, we're pulling out of some hard and soft commodities areas and will
be focusing on electronic trading... basically turning into a software developer!
Good luck with electronic trading!
In my business it has never really functioned.
I understood that electronic trading is always quite challenging. My other kid brother was involved with that both in the States and back at home with the result that last summer he defended his PhD Thesis. The topic was something like "Why do the Electronic Market Places Fail?". If you are interested, I can ask him if he's having a copy in electronic form. The book is anyhow in English. Just to avoid some potential mistakes...
Best, Kari
We can work a lot more clients that have an institutional day trading desk. Keep our
spreads tighter and maximize profit by relying on our low-latency gear doing the work... after all you don't have to pay a system a bonus
would love to have a look... puffy dot watches dot gmail dot com
Sounds like a business...
I am so old and old-fashioned that I'm trying to make money with simple basic industries like oil and shipping. And my business concept is simple: I use money of others and if everything goes to hell, I loose my reputation and others loose their money. If everything goes well, my reputation is growing and pockets are filled. At the moment it's difficult but I can see the light in the end of a long tunnel. I just hope that the light is not a fast moving train coming towards me because the tunnel is narrow...
Best, Kari
The link of the thesis is sent
I had a quick look and it looks as boring as my younger brother is. However, he's not totally stupid so perhaps you can find something clever from the book.
Best, Kari
PatekServiceLeavesMuchToDesire
I completely agree with you,
There should in truth be absolutely no question with getting your Patek dial changed to whatever is your liking, when you are prepared to pay for it and it is made for the same watch with matching hands all manufactured and available, but Patek unfortunately do sometimes make simple 'feel good' things like this unreasonably difficult for their customers, rather than making service for their premium watches a pleasure for customers, as it really should be.
I asked a few years ago whether I could have a dial replacement from Patek for a vintage watch of mine and was taken aback when they insisted they would have to retain my original dial if they did the change, despite charging me the full price of the new one (which to their absolute credit they did have in stock for a 60 yr old watch). I felt this was unfair practice, that was unacceptable to me, and after voicing my opinion and much argument, PP did finally agree I may have my old dial back. In the end however, I was so put off with all this, along with other vintage PP service issues, I didn't have the dial changed at all, and instead proceeded to gradually sell all my PP's (except those that are of too great sentimental value) putting the money into more friendly watch brands that do provide more satisfactory service. I've since decided I will not buy another PP unless convinced they have taken adequate steps to rectify flawed service policies.
They had asked me close to CHF 1000 for the new dial at the time, which I thought very fair for a watch that was so old.
All the best with having your watch dial changed, and getting the original back!!
Rishad
Which friendlier watch brands?
Hi Rishad,
Which friendly brands did you invest in instead of Patek? I know that Rolex does the same.
Omega
Hi,
Omega is one. I've found them far more forthcoming and customer friendly in my experiences when speaking of service and spares for vintage watches. I sincerely hope they retain these good standards in years to come.
To give an example, I wrote to Omega years back requesting a dial for a 1940's chronometer, and was pleasantly surprised to learn a suitable dial was available. On my approval of a scan, they immediately shipped out the new dial to an AD located 10 mins from me for a very affordable cost of about $100, without so much as asking me for an advance, and never asking for my old dial, which I retain to date. Such a good experience made me feel here was a watch company that had not forgotten old clients, and are prepared to provide service and stand by their products down the years to see customers satisfied.
I never understood why a company must retain an old dial, specially when customers specifically want the old one back and they paid for both dials, old and new.
Best,
Rishad
Why retain old dial?
>>I never understood why a company must retain an old dial, specially when customers specifically want the old one back and they paid for both dials, old and new.
I though it was to ensure the dial would not be used in a fake.
fnk
Thanks
Thanks fnk,
That's the first logical reason I heard for a company retaining old dials! I do however feel the company is going about it the wrong way, whatever the reason. I'd see no wrong in a manufacturer asking to retain an old dial when changing dials, but the choice to part with the old dial should to my way of thinking be left to the watch (and dial) owner in the end.
Forcing a watch owner to forego what is their rightful 'paid for' dial can become a most upsetting proposition, specially when speaking of watches as beautiful as most vintage PP's are, these often holding so much priceless and irreplaceable sentimental value.
Best,
Rishad
Well I had the opportunity to see the lighter dial.......
And I am sold on it.
I visited my nearest AD this week and spent quite a long time viewing it in various light conditions.
And I have to say that it is a LOT more legible then the darker dial.
So, I may well being changing over in the New Year.
I visited my nearest AD this week and spent quite a long time viewing it in various light conditions.
And I have to say that it is a LOT more legible then the darker dial.
So, I may well being changing over in the New Year.