shari
57
New (secondhand) Villeret is running fast
Hello all...
I recently purchased a secondhand Villeret - it is the older model 1161-1127-55 with full arabics (no longer being made), SS, white dial with brown croc strap, seconds dial at 6 o'clock, and date at 3 o'clock. It is a lovely looking watch, however, I've been experiencing some problems since receiving it last Wednesday afternoon. And while I have asked Magnus for some assistance in contacting BP, I would like to know other BP owners opinions, if you are willing...
I wound the watch according to the directions in the manual and wore it for about 5 hours the first night. The next morning the watch was running 15 minutes fast. I was a bit shocked so I re-set it and monitored it for this past weekend. The second day it ran perfectly for about 7 hours, then jumped about 5 minutes fast over the next several hours. In the morning it was about 7 minutes fast. The third day it was re-set again, and it ran perfectly for about 8 hours, before slipping ahead until the next morning where it was about 4-5 minutes fast. The fourth day it was keeping perfect time for about 12 hours, then it crept ahead another 2-3 minutes. I did not reset it again and the fifth day it was about 1-2 minutes ahead and this morning, it is now 3 minutes fast. I just reset it again.
I have called my nearest Blancpain AD to speak with their repair dept. and the guy I spoke to said, based only on my desription, it sounded to him like a hairspring problem. He said I should contact BP directly and see what they think and how much they think it would cost for a repair or overhaul. Then weigh that against what I paid for the watch and how much I like it.
As you can imagine, it is rather disappointing to try so hard to find a watch that is no longer being made, find it, buy it, and have it not run perfectly (it was also a birthday present to me from my boyfriend, which adds to the stress that after all the searching, it doesn't work properly). I have no confidence with the watch right now and have to constantly look at another watch to make sure I know what time it is. I love the way it looks, but for me, I'm not interested in owning an expensive watch that is unreliable. And of course, even though it was secondhand, it still was of considerable cost. So my question to you all is this - if it was you, would you keep the watch or return it? I have asked the seller just how long I have to make a final decision and I'm not sure what he'll say. So I am looking for some objective opinions here. I just want a wonderful watch, that is reliable.