Patek Philippe

Hi all

...found this out the hard way a few years ago.  They were unfailingly polite, friendly, and helpful; however, there was no getting around the fact that my name was not on the Certificate, which meant that there was no warranty.  Other brands also have this policy, although at least with Patek that you know that someone violated the "you never own a Patek" philosophy so soon after purchasing it.  And for that, a price must be paid.

Yep, I've drunk the koolaid. 

And when the watch came back, I was delighted.

Car warranties travel with a car.  I don't see why watch warranties should be any different.

... I trust you are not questioning my truthfulness in reporting this.  But I agree, the policy is ridiculous.  The warranty should follow the object, not the owner.  The COO is not explicit on this, and no amount of discussion with the people at HWSA changed things.  The language of the COO does not really support the "original owner only" policy. Perhaps I'm just not well connected.  They did give me a break on the total price - which helped - and the sting wore off quickly.

But more and more watch companies are implementing this kind of policy.  For example, last year I bought a Ball watch and the warranty language very explicitly states that the warranty is only for the original purchaser.  Other brands are adapting this as well.  All it does it to create a point of antagonism with the customer.  Foolish, foolish.

100% agreed.  Very foolish policy.

Dumb policy... I lost some respect for this brand now...

... they did for me

Guess only sure way to know is to call the service center in my region and ask them

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but within 2 years. I did, however, go through the AD. They knew the first owner and seemed genuine in wanting to please me. All very cordial and professional.

I am confirming that NYC Patek, HS, did not want to repair mine as I was a second owner. Luckily I bought it from a friend, so I asked him to take it for me. The watch was a year old. 

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... its an international warranty. And even if the garantie is not in your name, you can register the watch at Patek in your name, by sending them the watch case and movement number and your name. You gotta insist 007

If someone gave me a Patek as a gift and the certif. of origin had the buyer's name on it and I brought it to HSWA for repair within the 2 yr. warranty and they said they would not cover it, obviously they would have a problem with me.

to warranty any of its products within the 2 year time frame, regardless of who is possession of the item.

However, should grey market items be afforded the same consideration as those from AD's? That is the dilemma Patek faces. I believe their position is the watch is now pre-owned and does not carry the warranty responsibilities. It is their way of making a clear distinction between the secondary market and their authorized distribution network. Otherwise, the grey market can extend the same benefits to a pre-owned watch as the AD. From their perspective, that's a problem.

Not clearly defining the warranty, who and what it covers is certainly a problem and it is up to Patek to make it crystal clear in terms everyone can understand. I don't believe it's rocket science to do, it should simply be explained.

Of course there are circumstances, circumstances, and more circumstances. And, there are always some who take advantage of anything and everything blaming the product, never assuming responsibility for anything. I have experienced things as a dealer which were incredible and I'm certain HSWA could write volumes about the same. I think everyone knows what I'm talking about without going into lengthy details.

But, at the end of the day, I do think the responsibility of the watch's functioning according to the Patek Seal should be honored for the 2 year period by Patek. They certainly did make a big issue of the Patek Seal when launched, it only stands to reason to follow through with the commitment. Afterwards, you're on your own and for those buying a watch older than two years, you're on your own. Everybody's on the same page and knows what to expect.

Just an opinion and I guess we all know what that means.

Patek has made a point of recommending regular service every 3 years and that starting point is generally from the date the AD receives it. However, the distributor may have had the watch in its inventory for quite some time before shipping it to the dealer. Then the dealer may sit on the watch ...well, for years.

So when a client buys the watch, who knows, it could very well be 5 years or older. The recommendation by Patek is for the dealer to monitor their inventory and send watches older than 3 years in for service. Really, how likely is that to happen? Inventory being gone for 3-5 months, maybe longer? After all, time is money and dealers are under quite a bit of pressure as it is.

Even though it would be quite simple for the AD to notify Patek when a watch is sold and the clock starts at that point, the watch could conceivably be 5-10 years old before it's sold.

This doesn't even address issues where a watch is sold, returned .. sold again, returned again, etc. Some stores have policies where clients can wear a watch for a period of time and return it for exchange. And this may happen over and over again. Then, how new is it? Now what about the warranty? I never really had issues with this sort of thing because I controlled it but now most dealers are pretty large operations where things may not be as tightly managed.

I do agree with your thought in that at least everyone would know the conditions of the warranty and would be far less confusing regardless of the number of owners within the 2 years after it is sold.

Your last statement  I feel is absolutely correct, but the real world of money gets involved and results in a lot of what you said. Do you love a dealer who does it right and sells $500,000 per year or the dealer who doesn't always do it right and sells $3,000,000 per year? Take a guess at who is loved more.

Several of Patek's after sales and service policies are degrading like so,

Danny,

All you have to say is that it was a gift and don't mention anything about buying it from someone else.

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