can impact cause low amplitude?

[Martini90]

Hi there,
I am new to the forum and would welcome any advice, thanks.
I have a Bremont SS/OCB which stopped working after about 18 months.  I sent it in to be looked at and they initially came back and said their analysis showed it was caused by low amplitude. They stated that this ‘will decrease naturally over time when the oils and lubrication dry out.’ Upshot, it needs a service. Their website suggests services every 3-5 years. Still under 3 year warranty but they have said that because there is damage to the case, this is a contributing factor (although not mentioned in the technical team’s report?) so not under warranty. 
So my question is can impact cause low amplitude or is this a handy cop-out in the 3 year warranty? 
Many thanks for any advice.

[Martini90]

Hi there,
I am new to the forum and would welcome any advice, thanks.
I have a Bremont SS/OCB which stopped working after about 18 months.  I sent it in to be looked at and they initially came back and said their analysis showed it was caused by low amplitude. They stated that this ‘will decrease naturally over time when the oils and lubrication dry out.’ Upshot, it needs a service. Their website suggests services every 3-5 years. Still under 3 year warranty but they have said that because there is damage to the case, this is a contributing factor (although not mentioned in the technical team’s report?) so not under warranty. 
So my question is can impact cause low amplitude or is this a handy cop-out in the 3 year warranty? 
Many thanks for any advice.

[watchweasol]

Hi welcome to the forum,  It depends on the nature of the damage incurred, If the case has had an impact the balance pivots can get damaged unless they are shock protected, the Incabloc etc may have been displaced enough and not re set properly, and also the train wheel pivots may get bent. They dont need to be badly bent to cause a problem. There may be other reasons to consider.   Is there a possibility of getting some pictures of the the case and its damage and also the watch movement   

[nickelsilver]

I'm surprised they won't service it under warranty, even if it received a great big impact. Do you remember it taking a big knock?

 

I had a Maurice Lacroix in a while back; customer sent it for factory service, month or two later it stopped working. Sent it back, "sorry, we see that there has been a shock to the watch, it's not covered" (there was a ding in the case). So it comes to me- every single screw was loose, and one of the dial screws was floating around in the chronograph module, which is what stopped the watch. They SHOULD have at least looked inside (ML) before blaming the customer. I think Bremont should do the same.

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, Martini90 said:

Hi there,
I am new to the forum and would welcome any advice, thanks.
I have a Bremont SS/OCB which stopped working after about 18 months.  I sent it in to be looked at and they initially came back and said their analysis showed it was caused by low amplitude. They stated that this ‘will decrease naturally over time when the oils and lubrication dry out.’ Upshot, it needs a service. Their website suggests services every 3-5 years. Still under 3 year warranty but they have said that because there is damage to the case, this is a contributing factor (although not mentioned in the technical team’s report?) so not under warranty. 
So my question is can impact cause low amplitude or is this a handy cop-out in the 3 year warranty? 
Many thanks for any advice.

I think that depends on the impact and the damage to the case. A picture may help to better evaluate this. Their report seems a bit vague.  If i had my car towed to a garage because it wouldn't start and the mechanic told me it wont start because the engine doesnt run i would be particularly unimpressed with his diagnosis  and/or his attitude. 

[JohnR725]

2 hours ago, Martini90 said:

Bremont SS/OCB which stopped working after about 18 months.

I don't suppose we can get a movement number who made the internal part of your watch? Then they 18 months is always a problem in that how long has it been sitting in the dealers showroom or in the factories warehouse or wherever it's been before you purchased its. Just because you purchased it brand-new doesn't mean it just rolled off the factory assembly line the day you purchased

2 hours ago, Martini90 said:

(although not mentioned in the technical team’s report?)

I don't suppose we can see what the technical report looks like?

 

[Martini90]

Thank you all! Here are a couple of photos they sent to me. They have the watch, so that is all I have. They didn’t state what damage has been caused internally, as a result of the external damage, just that it ‘contributed.’ 
 

this is the technical report…

When I queried that the report indicated
that it was due to lubrication issues and no other structural problems, their response was:

‘Your watch does indeed require a service at this time and the low amps being displayed in our diagnostics are behind the movement issues. However, your watch appears to have sustained several impacts to the case and this has also exacerbated the issues.

These impacts along with the low amps would have been the cause of your watch’s anomalies.  As such we would have to carry out a full service.’

[Neverenoughwatches]

38 minutes ago, Martini90 said:

Thank you all! Here are a couple of photos they sent to me. They have the watch, so that is all I have. They didn’t state what damage has been caused internally, as a result of the external damage, just that it ‘contributed.’ 
 

this is the technical report…

When I queried that the report indicated
that it was due to lubrication issues and no other structural problems, their response was:

‘Your watch does indeed require a service at this time and the low amps being displayed in our diagnostics are behind the movement issues. However, your watch appears to have sustained several impacts to the case and this has also exacerbated the issues.

These impacts along with the low amps would have been the cause of your watch’s anomalies.  As such we would have to carry out a full service.’

Seriously ? Some of those dings are minor. I have 70 year old vintage with worse damage than this that run really well for their age. There is one area that stands out but why flag the other very minor marks. Its possible that internal damage has occurred but its pointing to leg lìfting to me. 

50 minutes ago, Martini90 said:

Thank you all! Here are a couple of photos they sent to me. They have the watch, so that is all I have. They didn’t state what damage has been caused internally, as a result of the external damage, just that it ‘contributed.’ 
 

this is the technical report…

When I queried that the report indicated
that it was due to lubrication issues and no other structural problems, their response was:

‘Your watch does indeed require a service at this time and the low amps being displayed in our diagnostics are behind the movement issues. However, your watch appears to have sustained several impacts to the case and this has also exacerbated the issues.

These impacts along with the low amps would have been the cause of your watch’s anomalies.  As such we would have to carry out a full service.’

Has this been redialed and handed , it doesn't exactly ooze quality and i dont mean the damage, why does it have damage ? I know Bremont isn't top end luxury but i would have thought a better dial tbh.

[watchweasol]

Hi  It wasn't April fools day was it?  I have seen watches the dog has chewed working and I had a Road kill (Tissot) that had been run over several time , cleaned up new crystal and the bracelet cleaned up and all working.

The dings on your watch IMO would not contribute to low Amplitude. As mentioned by John (below) most likely dried up oil. Is the state of the dial around the 6 position historic,  as N.E.W said does not ooze quality.  The price list is a bit heavy also. Get the watch back. and take it to a reputable repair man and get a second opinion.  deffo leg lifting.

3 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

how long has it been sitting in the dealers showroom or in the factories warehouse or wherever it's been before you purchased its. Just because you purchased it brand-new doesn't mean it just rolled off the factory assembly line the day you purchased

 

[nickelsilver]

Bremont is a fairly new brand, positioning themselves as "in house" makers (at some point). But I, as an independent watchmaker, get a watch back 10 months later with dry Incablocs, redo the service even though my intermidiairy assured me they left the watch on the dashboard all summer long ( still I believe epilamed properly oiled escapement should hold up).*

 

It comes down to service / serviceability. If I was positioning myself as a new brand, I'd make service #1 priority. Blaming customers, -100% priority

 

*it's rare but if I get a customer who isn't happy I do everything to make them happy. One unhappy customer is baaaad. (but some are never happy...)

Edited September 27, 2022 by nickelsilver

[JohnR725]

6 minutes ago, nickelsilver said:

It comes down to service / serviceability. If I was positioning myself as a new brand, I'd make service #1 priority. Blaming customers, -100% priority

remember without the customers the company doesn't exist so you always blame the customers because it's their fault the company exists at all and is having to suffer to deal with the customer.

I would be really concerned about a watch like this it already needs to be serviced in less than three years. The case is basically worn out in less than two years.  is it interesting conflict between the sales department who probably is trying to convince you that this is a wonderful watch and the servicing department indicating your watch is worn out needs to be basically be replaced.

 

 

[dadistic]

Sounds like they didn't open up the watch to assess it, just put it on a timegrapher. If they are going to say the warranty is void because of misuse/damage, showing case damage isn't sufficient.  I would want them to be specific about how the movement was damaged. 

1 hour ago, nickelsilver said:

*it's rare but if I get a customer who isn't happy I do everything to make them happy. One unhappy customer is baaaad. (but some are never happy...)

I'm never happy, but I try not to take it out on people who are trying to do good work

Cheers!

[anilv]

Watches don't like being dropped. On some models it can dislodge the rate adjuster or stud carrier leading to timing issues. It can also affect the hairsprings.. on some movements the hairspring can escape from the pins and this will also affect timing.

If there is visible damage to the case I would say that its fair for the vendor to protect themselves and deny any claims. Having said that, I would say a check on a timegrapher would reveal if there is internal damage. A clean even trace would mean that it just needs some tweaking of the stud carrier or rate adjuster. If it is not consistent (ie reading is wavy or spotty instead of a line) then it may need some parts changed. I know not many hobbyist have a timegrapher but look around for a watchmaker who has a timegrapher and see if he will put it on for you.

Anilv

[Martini90]

Thank you all for the advice. I will go back to them and ask for further info on what damage has been caused. Many thanks!