Comments:
So GP just sent me a quote for my seahawk...
And I have to say i am not too pleased...
The price while on the slightly high side for a ref. 7300 seahawk, seems reasonable to me. After all i like the watch. But 1 year for a service?!?!?!??
Ok. So what happened to my seahawk was that the gold crown failed to screw down and the dial had water damage so I brought it down to the local agent. The Hour Glass.
But I dont understand how fixing these problems can take 1 year...
Does anyone know if i can opt for a selective servicing (i.e just replace dial, relume and replace crown) to reduce the servicing time. I have already actually had the watch serviced by a trusted watchmaker a few months back so it is not entirely necessary i feel. Or am i just being too impatient because one year away from my watch does not sit too comfortably with me
The price while on the slightly high side for a ref. 7300 seahawk, seems reasonable to me. After all i like the watch. But 1 year for a service?!?!?!??
Ok. So what happened to my seahawk was that the gold crown failed to screw down and the dial had water damage so I brought it down to the local agent. The Hour Glass.
But I dont understand how fixing these problems can take 1 year...
Does anyone know if i can opt for a selective servicing (i.e just replace dial, relume and replace crown) to reduce the servicing time. I have already actually had the watch serviced by a trusted watchmaker a few months back so it is not entirely necessary i feel. Or am i just being too impatient because one year away from my watch does not sit too comfortably with me
Really...?
44 weeks? I'd expect 4-6 weeks for a repair cycle.
I'd question that in the hope that it's a typo and the lead time is really 4 weeks. Worth clarifying anyway.
Well...
... they mention a year for warranty, you'd have thought they'd specify such a long repair cycle as "months" rather than weeks...
Excuse my bad phrasing
I was told it was going to take 8 weeks when i first brought it. Well now its 44 lol
Sea Hawk I, 7300
Hi Matt,
putting the price aside, as far as repair cycles are concerned, you need to consider that a Sea Hawk 7300 would already qualify for a vintage service where there will be a queue. I had my 7100 serviced recently and yes the wait was long, but the result will blow you away, it's perfect like new, without missing the charm of a semi-vintage. They did an amazing job with it. So considering all, it was well worth the wait and the cost.
CC
I tend to agree with C C considering the vintage aspect.
While the time is long it is reasonable if the vintage queue is the hold up. No production model can afford to not be top priority as they need to assure fast turnarond on current and warranty work. It sounds like the job is done in ch. alos if cc has prior experince and was very statisfied. Run with it and enjoy your other watches. When it arrives it will give you many years of joy.
I dont have a choice though
I know I have to get it fixed by GP because only GP would have the parts necessary. However, i cannot be too happy about the 1 year lead tome though. Even my friend's beaten up Omega alarm watch came back in 6months
Would there be anyway to opt out from certain parts of the service that is not entirely necessary to try and shorten the lead time?
Would there be anyway to opt out from certain parts of the service that is not entirely necessary to try and shorten the lead time?
I say to enjoy the journey.
It is almost like a having a new baby.
I completely understand i suffer the vintage madness with Rolex and can only find specialized watchmakers to do my service as Rolex through normal servoce to not accept vintage. At least we can still find movement parts.
For me the story here is that CRownComfort has firsthand experience no internet expert bs. I trust his experience as it comes to a gp vintage watch.
Come and hang out in the forum an comisserate with us other guys in the service black hole.
Bill
You can search some of my recent posts with search item "7100".
Not sure the before photo will help as it was the movement, the crown and the bezel that were broken on mine. In summary, it looked BAD. 
You have way too many posts my friend! :D
Took me ages to scroll down and find those pics. Looks great man! With the full service, will they also work on the bracelet? Because the clasping action was not as smooth as it should be
I'm sure they will, but you should be specific with your AD what you want to get done
Mine did not have a bracelet, much prefer straps in general
Sounds strange...
I know that queue for service are often long for most brands, but I didn't know that 44 weeks was to be expected!?
What would be interesting know is if this is a service that is done locally at your AD or if this is a service where they actually send the watch to the manufacture?
The Sea Hawk 7300 is no longer in production and because of that some longer wait for dial/parts might be expected but...
Is the long wait due to GP or due to the local AD?
Please keep us posted.
Best
Blomman
Hi Blomman! I was eagerly waiting for you to chime in! :)
The local AD told me they cannot service it locally because it is an older model. So it was sent to switzerland and I waited a month to get this quotation.
I would have found 6months to be an acceptable lead time but i have mixed feelings about this
I would have found 6months to be an acceptable lead time but i have mixed feelings about this
You had to wait for quotation since....
They must have asked during the Swiss vacation period.
44 weeks / 10 months - honestly, I had worse experiences with other brands.
Is it fast, no. But as stated, it is vintage (+20 years since in the catalogue) so...
I know it is no comfort for you, but I waited 18 months for some of my vintage services...
Best
Blomman
44 weeks / 10 months - honestly, I had worse experiences with other brands.
Is it fast, no. But as stated, it is vintage (+20 years since in the catalogue) so...
I know it is no comfort for you, but I waited 18 months for some of my vintage services...
Best
Blomman
Wow
Hi All
Cheers
I am not sure what is the exchange rate from Singapore $ to US$, but if I remember correctly was a little higher than 1 : 1. So price wise it is still high, at 1.2 : 1 that means about 1200 USD for service only, without dial. I just sent my GP for service in the US, and cost quoted is 850 USD, and turn around time 10 weeks, which I think is too much and too long.
Rolex here in the US seems to be most reasonable, they charge around 600 (service only, not dials or unexpected parts to change) and their turn around is quoted as 3 to 4 weeks, but in fact usually come in faster. Last watch I had serviced turn around time was 2 and half weeks!
Cheers
Tony
Actually...
The USD strengthened vis a vis the SGD significantly last year September-ish and it has been floating at about 1.35:1 since i believe. Still on the higher side than you mentioned though!
Well everyone
I have given the AD the ok sign to go ahead with the service. GP you will be missed. Maybe to fill up the emptiness, i should get a modern seahawk in the meantime? 
Does GP really care about its clients?
From my own multiple experiences the answer is profoundly no. Exactly like Matt's, straightforward repairs are responded with unreasonable cost and time estimates with the sole options being to approve or pass on service and be left without any repair option. Very polite, but no opportunity for true dialog, discussion or explanation.
If they ever expect to be truly held in the same regard as the highest tier of manufacturers they need to step in and absolutely prevent these types of situations. Instead it seems that what Matt has experienced is GP's standard approach.
How about this uninformed thought exercise: The movement is not in house and well within the competence of Matt's local watchmaker, especially since it has been serviced in that manner already. The replacement dial must of course come from GP. Given that they are quoting a price its available, why not just sell the dial (and any other needed parts) and send to the local resources? That will cut the repair time and cost back to reasonable levels?
I serviced and repaired my GP's for years using a great and well known third party here in the US. They enjoyed good working relations with GP and all transactions were straight forward, transparent and respectful of all involved. It is my understanding directly from GP that they now no longer provides access to replacement parts and mandate repairs be handled via their care. This of course makes every bit of sense for their complicated pieces, but probably way out of bounds for Matt's request.
Please know that I share the same sentiments expressed in the thread and have rationalized and have tried to understand and support the challenges faced by GP. Regrettably no more.
Imagine the good will engendered if GP engaged productively with Matt? Better yet, what if the real issue was not having a replacement dial and they have to make a new dial and that's the long lead item for Matt's repair? That's top tier manufacturer service and would be met with a chorus of applause and the cost and schedule become entirely irrelevant. All they would have to do is communicate. We would do the rest for them!
The intro to GP's website currently reads, "There is no mystery about a Girard Perregaux, simply more than two centuries of craftsmanship and a perpetual commitment to perfection." Let's hope they include service as a part of commitment.
I hope you receive the very best care and service possible Matt. You have my best regards.
If they ever expect to be truly held in the same regard as the highest tier of manufacturers they need to step in and absolutely prevent these types of situations. Instead it seems that what Matt has experienced is GP's standard approach.
How about this uninformed thought exercise: The movement is not in house and well within the competence of Matt's local watchmaker, especially since it has been serviced in that manner already. The replacement dial must of course come from GP. Given that they are quoting a price its available, why not just sell the dial (and any other needed parts) and send to the local resources? That will cut the repair time and cost back to reasonable levels?
I serviced and repaired my GP's for years using a great and well known third party here in the US. They enjoyed good working relations with GP and all transactions were straight forward, transparent and respectful of all involved. It is my understanding directly from GP that they now no longer provides access to replacement parts and mandate repairs be handled via their care. This of course makes every bit of sense for their complicated pieces, but probably way out of bounds for Matt's request.
Please know that I share the same sentiments expressed in the thread and have rationalized and have tried to understand and support the challenges faced by GP. Regrettably no more.
Imagine the good will engendered if GP engaged productively with Matt? Better yet, what if the real issue was not having a replacement dial and they have to make a new dial and that's the long lead item for Matt's repair? That's top tier manufacturer service and would be met with a chorus of applause and the cost and schedule become entirely irrelevant. All they would have to do is communicate. We would do the rest for them!
The intro to GP's website currently reads, "There is no mystery about a Girard Perregaux, simply more than two centuries of craftsmanship and a perpetual commitment to perfection." Let's hope they include service as a part of commitment.
I hope you receive the very best care and service possible Matt. You have my best regards.
Sorry to hear this.
Yes, GP had problems with the after market service.
Last few years GP worked hard to improve the service line!
Is it flawless? No, but they work hard to improve.
But as for all manufacture this is a multi level issue.
If not a brand boutique, then the local AD watchmaker has to be certified for the specific calibre to be allowed to do the service locally.
(Yes, most watchmakers would be able to preform service without a special course/certification for each calibre, but it is a way for the brands to ensure the service quality).
Service parts, it is a well-known fact that most brands has stopped to send parts to a third party for usage. We as end customers may think this is bad, but again a multi level issue. Often we think that the brand name on the dial is responsible for any problem with our watches, even if the service was preformed by someone else. By limit the supply-line, brands try to take control to make sure service is made in a professional way.
In this specific case as it is a vintage service, the wait is longer. Why? Because all watchmakers are not able to preform a vintage restoration. During the last few years, the vintage workshop at GP had an increased request for service.
I guess that we here in the forum had a part in that ...!
Best
Blomman
Thank you Mustang and Blomman for your replies!
Both of you make good points.
Yes, I am a little upset with GP with this matter but i also feel it is unjustified for me to push all the blame to the primary source itself because it is a multi-faceted issue.
I now just hope that the watch will come back good as new and I hopefully won't have anything to complain about.
Yes, I am a little upset with GP with this matter but i also feel it is unjustified for me to push all the blame to the primary source itself because it is a multi-faceted issue.
I now just hope that the watch will come back good as new and I hopefully won't have anything to complain about.
Yes, hope the end will be good....
Please keep us posted how it turns out!
Best
Blomman
Best
Blomman
Wow!
Shocking, almost as bad as Patek. Very sorry to hear this. Also they take a year to service your watch and only give you a one year warranty - they should at least give a couple of years I would hope.