Excellent Patek Service Experience

Jul 09, 2020,16:40 PM
 

I had posted back in January, my disappointment with Patek refusing to polish my not too subtly beat up 5196P, via AD communication.  


www.watchprosite.com

After recommendations from this forum I contacted HSWA directly.  They were courteous and said they'd try to polish it but made no promises (see post in above link). This was a well worn watch, with lots of dents and dings, not just a fine patina.  The wrong kind of character for a dress watch.

Well, the watch came back today good as new and not just that it is shiny again, but the convexity, contours and edges are perfect and the hallmarks are untouched (makes sense as only the top surface was damaged).  Outstanding work as platinum is not easy to work with.  It does deepen your relationship with a brand a when they put this much love and attention into their work.  A great example of underpromising and overdelivering.  

Here's a before and after comparison as pictures can say it better than words.


 










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Thank you!

 
 By: Horo_Traveler : July 9th, 2020-17:40
No more gardening and repairs around the house wearing the 5196P .

Great, thanks for sharing the excellent news! ;-)

 
 By: FabR : July 9th, 2020-17:06
As I said since the beginning, there was no doubt Patek would have done an excellent job to restore this piece and return it to you in like-new condition. Your contacting them directly was definitely the right move. Congrats again, and enjoy for long! ;-)... 

I am not surprised

 
 By: baufoam : July 9th, 2020-23:26
that you had a good experience with the Henri Stern Watch Agency. I have always had pleasant dealings with them. At worst I have had to send things back to them for additional care. They have always ( ultimately) come through for me very satisfactorily. C... 

I used polishing broadly.

 
 By: Horo_Traveler : July 10th, 2020-07:51
They laser filled the dents. The case and bezel are thin so you can’t just polish away the kind of knocks this watch took over time.

day vs night ! Glad that you are...

 
 By: GLau : July 10th, 2020-08:33
totally happy with the result and have built a good relationship with HSWA ! Enjoy this classy piece often !

Thank you! [nt]

 
 By: Horo_Traveler : July 10th, 2020-19:35

Similar experience for a different reason

 
 By: benwatches : October 29th, 2020-06:48
Thanks for sharing this! I had a similar experience with my 5712. After wearing it well for the most part of 10 years, I wanted to have it serviced and polished. Patek highly advised against polishing the watch. It had mainly surface scratches that added ... 

Wait...

 
 By: Patekfinity : October 29th, 2020-18:17
You mentioned that Patek told you if they polished the watch the service warranty is invalid? How is that possible if polishing may involve taking the movement out in some instances? I’m sure they do not run a polisher across the case with movements insid... 

I think they said the service warranty would be invalidated as it was only a few months in

 
 By: Darron : October 29th, 2020-21:15
And then to do the polishing now would have to be remove the movement, etc. but the story is annoying in that they finally agreed but would not do it when it was in for service which makes the most sense. Especially if it invalidates the service!

Here's what happens in practice...

 
 By: benwatches : October 29th, 2020-23:39
I went to Patek Switzerland direct (don't go through an AD, etc. - one more barrier of communication), and wanted to have my 5712 serviced and polished. They advised against the polish, but did the service. A few months after I received the watch back, I ... 

Does Patek do the laser sintering with SS or only with precious metals?

 
 By: Darron : October 30th, 2020-07:02
Where they add material first and then polish after