Girard Perregaux

The crown on my solid 18K rose gold GP7500 came off and I took it my GP dealer.   I should say  ex GP dealer.  They said they dropped GP because of the very slow repair turnaround and very expensive service charges. They still sent the watch to GP for me.  It took over one month to let me know it would be $1400+  to replace the 18K crown and to do the cleaning etc.   I realized before purchasing my GP that finer automatic watches come with a service responsibility but I'm feeling this is a bit excessive.  

Two questions:   Do I have to go through GP service for basic cleanings or are there others?    Are there others who can repair my watch knowing I need a new crown?

I never thought I would be at the point where I'm considering getting it fixed or not.  At least there is some value in the gold. 
Thanks Steve

is usually very high anyways, something like 900 is not unusual for a chronograph in this price range, and the rest for the crown is not that unusual either. Yes capable watchmakers can do the cleaning and oiling, it is also possible that they can get a non-GP gold or gold plated crown to fit, but that's something you'll have to ask them about. No guarantees about either service or new crown but it's worth a shot. I can PM you more info if you'd like.

IMO the quoted price is not excessive.  You always have options to go to an independent repair person, just as you can with your automobile, but some repair people are more talented than others.  I personally prefer to send to the manufacture or their authorized service personnel.  Service costs and time spent in after-sales servicing are always factors for me when I buy a watch.  I have always had good experiences with the staff at GP. 

Good luck with your watch.

Cheers,
Daos

i feel u...

... is not something we put enough thought into with both new and pre-owned watches, but it is a considerable outlay to keep these motors purring as we want them to, and to maintain them for decades to come.

There are so many variables in pricing and speed of service. Most companies have come back to me with a quote within 2 to 6 weeks, but if the watches have to go back to the 'home country' then there may be delays in transit (some ADs save on shipping costs by bundling up watches and waiting till they have enough to send) and if you happen to strike holiday periods in Switzerland, then don't expect a quick respone.

As to cost, it is surprisingly variable between companies. After paying over 3,000 CHF for a routine service on simple automatic watch I must say that every other service feels cheap to me! But for a chronograph factory service, I think the price you have been quoted is in the right range. You could also try and find a competent local watchmaker who will likely charge you less.

Let us know what you decide and how the service goes.

Andrew

Hi Steve,

Sorry, I do understand your frustration.

If you're in the USA, please PM me your particulars, such as serial number and where you brought the watch to service.

Mike Margolis
Pres, Girard-Perregaux North America

I just got my GP 250 TDF Chrono back from Tradema of America Service in PA. They did a full service which took over 3 months, exactly 101 days from when they received it to when they shipped it back. When I got the watch from the FedEx drive this week I inspected it with a loop, the watch maker did a good job, there are no dents/scratches etc. that were not there originally. I ask for the parts to be returned, they were not. I ask for a itemized list of the work done and what I got is in the invoice below. 

 

While the watch was at Tradema, I ask via email after one month, two months than three months for an update, never received a reply until the watch was ready. I could have called them if I was really wanting an update so that may be on me. I am satisfied with the quality of the service but not the price, poor communication and the way they packed it for return shipping which was shocking. Basically they packed the watch for return shipping by placing it in a preformed foam padded box which was fine but they squeezed that box into an undersized FedEx return package with NO packing materials what so ever. The lack of bubble wrap or some kind of peanuts in the FedEx package really surprised me. So there was the watch in a padded box and the box freely moving within the package every time it is tossed about. 

 

Here is the invoice for all to see, the quality of the service was excellent, everything else including the price, disappointing.

regards, 

steppy

 

Tradema of America Service

Invoice 30xxx

 

801 West Main Street

Mount Joy, PA 17552-1809

717-653-5011

 

Date

1/21/2013

Invoice #30xxx

 

Bill To

 

Ship To

 

Quantity Item Code Description Price Each Amount

1 Repair

 

OUR JOB T-16xxx- CLEANED, OVERHAULED AND

ADJUSTED, WATER TESTED/GASKET, REPLACED

GASKET 970.00

Shipping 27.00

 

Total $997.00

 

Please remit to the Mount Joy, PA address. Thank you.

 

I've got 2 GPs. Both have very similar movements, ie: the DD chrono module which sits on top of GP3300 base. About a couple of years ago, I got my bro-in-law to take my vintage 1945 GMT chrono in to the official service centre in Sydney, Australia.  Cost was around AUD$980 then I think.  Took about 6 months for the service because they had to wait for some parts to come from overseas.  My bro-in-law collected the watch for me because I live interstate.  I didn't take a good look when I got the watch back from my bro-in-law.  It was dark anyway because we went out for dinner.  When I returned home.  These are the thing I've noticed that had gone wrong.  1. dents/scratches on the watch lugs, scratches on the chrono pushers;  2 chrono second hand slightly bend and not return quite to zero after reset; 3. scratches and paint coming off some of the numbers off the date wheel plate; and after wearing it for a couple of weeks, I have noticed 4. ?? the gear train for the minute hand might be slipping because I'm lossing about 3 minutes per week even though the accuracy when I check over 24 hr period was within +/- 5 sec. 

Because I just part my watch for 6 months and I live interstate.  Also I didn't want to send my expensive watch by mail.   I just polished the outside scratches with my dremel tool and put up with the other flaws for the moment until the next service.  No way I'm sending my 2nd GP watch for them to do more damages.  I took it to the Hong Kong service centre last year and got my cousin to pick it for me.  So far I'm happy and it cost HKD$7000 which equates to AUD$890 and it took 3 months.   This watch doesn't have the GMT feature.

Bottom line I don't mind paying a bit as long as they perform the job properly.  Oh, by the way, I think $1400 is pretty good.  I've got any watch (from another brand) and they replaced the crown as part of the routine overhaul service recently and on the invoice, they quoted the part cost alone for the WG crown and it was around $500.  Good luck mate.

Makes me reconsider a GP I am considering. Not so much about the cost but time and variance in service standards. Good if you are in the US as the head of GP US chimes in and offers help but what if you're not. And it shouldn't be this way anyways. The ownership experience should be equally important and service standards is part of that experience.

I wouldn't be discouraged by these reports. Go out and ask and you will find for sure people who complain about poor and expensive service at their local Mercedes-Benz dealership, but that doesn't make it a bad car with bad service per se.

A chronograph service is not cheap and will take time regardless of the manufacturer. You should of course expect a quality service at that price. I'm in a lucky position that a good friend of mine is a skilled watch maker but even he takes many weeks to service a chronograph (granted it is not his full time job as he also runs a watch shop business).

Chose a GP if it fits with your taste and style and don't worry too much about getting good service.

I can accept 2 to 4 months down time but I think 6 to 12 months is really... well.... the brand has the watch for 10% to 20% of the time every 5 years at my expense? That is hard for me to swallow. I don't think cars take that long to repair even if its a major issue and if it does, time to sell off that junk LOL. I just think service times are getting out of hand and I've told myself I don't need to and don't want to accept that.

all I can say is that we (Girard-Perregaux North America) strive for estimates within 10 days of receipt, and that we do compare our repair prices to other brands to make sure we're in line with the market.

We have to buy the parts from Switzerland, and are at their mercy on prices that we pay for crowns,straps, etc...

Some times, we have to wait for parts to arrive from La Chaux-de-Fonds, and sometimes we have to send a watch back to them rather than repairing it ourselves in house.

We just set up a new repair center in our office in New Jersey, and between construction, desks, tools and machinery, it was well into six figures for two watchmakers. Then add the cost of a full time repair coordinator (estimates, parts ordering, checking in, logging and photographing repairs, shipping out), and the cost of skilled watchmakers and their constant training and such, it is easy to see how a repair of a 15 year old complicated watch can come to $1000.

The repair department is not a huge profit center for us. I actually push to have it very close to break even on our side. I think I've said this before, but if not, I'll say it now: We want happy customers, and while we can't give repairs away for free, there is a point where, if there is a disagreement or strife, that both sides can be happy enough.