Jaeger-LeCoultre

Hi all, Hoping to tap into your wealth of knowledge. Does anyone here have experience with Watchfinder (a franchise owned by the Richemont group specialized in selling pre-owned watches)? My wife and I just got the worst service from them, and I am keen t... 

I purchased a new JLC Duoface from a JLC boutique and had an AWFUL experience with the watch and Richemont. I had to bring it back to the boutique 4 times!! After 4 attempts on a 13K brand new watch any honorable company would give me a full refund… But n... 

Think about it this way... Watchfinder is just an aggregated source of watches; some good, some not so good, being offered for sale to indiscriminate buyers. You have to understand the business model. They want to get a bunch of watches to list. And they ... 

But I don’t think this issue is pertinent only to Watchfinder...this is also a Richemont issue.

Richemont basically bought Watchfinder somewhat recently to get a claim into the pre-owned watch space. Since they foresee control of the pre-owned watch market would help boost their existing brand's desirability since resale value is a big part of new w... 

Like I said I know that others will sing the praises of JLC but there were multiple problems with different units of exactly the same model. 1000 hours of scrutiny!?!? Really? And then with the defensive “you signed a binding no refund contract” ? This re... 

If you don't mind the question, which are some of the brands do you trust when it comes to servicing?

Avoid "service centers" where you never get to speak to the watchmaker. For instance I avoid Swatch Service center and Richemont Technical Center in Dallas, Texas and Rolex Dallas, Texas. You also have to understand that these service centers are organize... 

I, too, always try to request to see a watchmaker to explain the service needs, or at least to talk in phone in case the watchmaker is at different premises. If all else fails (and there is no alternative authorized service available), I'd include written... 

A lot of those written instructions do not get passed on. The watch at the service center is put on a plastic tray. Nothing else is on this tray, no written instructions, nothing. Plastic tray has a barcode. Watchmaker takes the tray and scans the barcode... 

I have only ever left watches for service at local authorized service points (basically brand-qualified watchmaker(s) working at a major local AD of the brand), or had the watches shipped back to the maison at Switzerland or Germany. No experience of thes... 

Large service centers just have very streamlined processes. Lastly, the process is not heavily scrutinized. In other words; there's a lot of quality control at a factory, where something is new and should be close to perfect. On a used watch, an old watch... 

Which may actually be a blessing in terms of peace of mind, as long as it's only cosmetic. Haha!

which brands service with integrity? this is something that is high on my priority list for purchasing but not enough information is out there about it. my patek service experience for a 5026 was a nightmare. 7 months! The dial had some oxidation but it w... 

But if you come to New York City often, own a Lange. Alkis, the servicer for Lange, is THE BEST. Instructions are well followed. Never a scratch on the movement plates.

For instance I can say from experience that there is junk at the Real Real but they take returns no questions asked and even pay the shipping.

Of course I can only speak from my own experience but when I dealt with Watchfinder prior to them being bought out by Richemont I felt they offered a better service then they do now being under their current ownership. As for anyone that believes that the... 

And to think that it's a public company... good luck to their investors. That's one horse I'd be very cautious putting my money on. Then again, I could be wrong. But I don't think investors understand that a company like Real Real need a lot of integrity ... 

The reason i do not like to buy pre owned.

Hi all, thank you for input. My takeaway: Watchfinder is really a scam, and you should only buy pre-owned watches if you really trust the person selling you the watch. In my view it damages the “artisan storytelling” of all of the brands of Richemont that...