Richard Mille

tony p
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Having read this entire thread to date,

my reaction is that RM are responding appropriately to this issue.

This type of high-end, highly complex watch is far more likely to develop such problems than a simple, conservatively designed and traditionally constructed timepiece. I think of my own field (surgery), where we obtain prior informed written consent from patients which includes the sentence "I understand that the practice of medicine and surgery is not an exact science, and that reputable practitioners cannot properly guarantee outcomes".

While surgeons cannot guarantee outcomes, they must deal in a professional and ethical manner with complications arising from their work. Watch manufacturers can and do offer guarantees, but when those warranties expire, they must decide whether they are under a professional and ethical obligation to respond to faults which MAY or MAY NOT have arisen from manufacturing/design errors.

Imagine if this problem had occurred with a RM watch which was 10 years old...or 20. Would anyone seriously think that RM had an obligation of any sort? I doubt it. This watch is 4 years old and well-nigh due for a routine service in any case. Asking the client to pay for such a service, and then replacing, without charge, parts which may or may not have deteriorated due to a manufacturing error, seems highly appropriate. The personal touch of a book signed by RM himself is just icing on the cake.

I also support the Moderator in his position. The content of the negative comments was fair enough, but their tone was out of line. Again, I think of my own profession. When a patient who has experienced a complication is prepared to cooperate with me to achieve a solution, all is likely to go well. When they stand in the waiting room and proclaim loudly that they will "tell all their friends, and the newspapers, what a monster I am unless I fix their problem RIGHT NOW", it becomes more difficult to maintain a constructive professional dialogue.

Cheers
Tony P