Beware Of Catrier Watches!!

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#16
I got my Cartier at Tourneau at South Coast Plaza, I needed a battery once and they did it for no charge. The SA there said the "tune up" is a big scam.
 
#17
Jill - that seems very pricey since it's just a quartz movement. Cartier's wathces are not known for their movement, and it's NOWHERE near as complex as Rolex and Patek Phillippe... I'd look around a bit and see if there's another authorized retailer that can give you a better price.
 
#18
I have a Concord that supposedly needs a "tune up" for the price of about $500 and it'll have to be sent out for 10-12 weeks. URGH.......I think I'll wait until my battery is dead.
 
#20
I agree the "tune up" is a big scam. I used to take my Cartier watch in for a battery change to a jeweler and there was no charge, however once he became an authorized Cartier service center there was an exorbitant charge!

He says Cartier has a certain protocol to follow even if it's just for a battery change and allegedly they must open the watch and do a visual inspection, etc...
 
#22
Wow and I was complaning that they are charging me $80 for a new battery in my Tag watch! They had to send it to New Jersey, I am in Colorado and I dropped it off on Nov 7th and still dont have it back :( I got the estimate though so I know it is being worked on. Good thing my Dh has not had to take his Patek Phillipe in for service! I would not even want to know how much they would charge him!
 
#23
When you bring your watch in for a tune-up/overhaul they take apart the whole watch, replace any gears/parts that need to be serviced, lube it so everything runs smoothly inside, reseal it so it is watertight again and then clean it up hence the huge $$ involved. It is a time consuming process and is very labor intensive. The place I work at guarantees their work for a whole year.

When you take it to just any old repair place to put in a new battery your watch is no longer water-resistant (because they opened it up and never sealed it correctly or at all) and is more susceptible to water/moisture damage and THAT is a very costly repair. You could save money this way but I have seen OLD watches (owned by customer's grandparents, etc) that still look fabulous TODAY because it has been well cared for. Another plus for taking proper care of the watch, the value increases unlike cheaper watches on the market. Just a FYI :flowers:
 
#25
Jayne1 said:
I'm assuming it's a quartz?

I have the medium size stainless steel with gold, quartz Tank Francaise and find I don't use it as much... because I don't want to take it in for cleaning and a new battery. The battery alone costs $90 here in Canada!

I use my Tank Americane (automatic) and never take it in. I have an old Santos automatic (stainless and gold) and have never taken it in for cleaning! Not once! It's 20 years old and I just wear it. It still runs, but not as well as it once did. The SA told me that to fix it properly would cost upwards of $600. I'll just keep using it and save the cleaning costs, which add up over the years, and buy a new watch.

Anyway, I know exactly how you feel.
Click to expand...

do you have any pictures of your tank watch? i had a brand new cartier tank i forgot to pack with me when i left a hotel years ago :(
i would love to see which kind you have
 
#26
Same thing happened to my mom. She took her piaget back to the store and assumed that it was just the battery but they told her that it's not just the battery and the watch need maintenance every year which will cost around $350 on top of the battery.....that's annoying!!! Not sure whay something that already costs so much need maintenance every year. I would assume it will be better than that.
 
#28
I have had a tank for about 4 years. I have had to send it back for minor adjustments and I was never charged anything. I bought it from Traditional Jewelers in Fashion Island, Newport Beach.

I also have a Rolex and a Baume Mercier that I bought from Tourneau at South Coast Plaza. They polished and tuned it up the Rolex for free and they always give me complemetry batteries for the BM.

I think the level of service has a lot to do with where you make your purchase.
 
#30
Ugh this happened to me too. Did you buy the watch at Cartier? My old SA left and so the new one wanted to charge me 300 for the repair...I said no since it is just a quartz movement and got the battery replaced, I think about 65 bucks? The manager waived the fee for me.
 
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