I am posting this as a warning to anyone who is contemplating buying a high end timepiece from certain watch houses. It seems that when you purchase the watch of your dreams, you are not actually the owner but merely the custodian in the eyes of these companies. If i need a spare part for my Vauxhall, i can go to any garage and look for the best price. This is true of everything in the consumer market today, apart from certain watch brands who insist you have to use one of their accredited watchmakers and pay the earth. I am a lover and collector of Omega watches but i have become increasingly disillusioned by their lack of honesty when selling me their timepeices. I have never once been told that parts for certain calibres can only be obtained through Omega dealers and that THEY will dictate to me what work i have done. A recent case was brought against Cartier in the States by a master Watchmaker, Andre' Fleury, for restrictive trading. Here is a press cutting reporting Mr Fleury's action.    Fleury Vs Cartier       

I know for a fact, that a certain watchmaker in the Midlands has gained the support of his local MEP to look into this very thing. The stumbling block is that Switzerland are not in the EU but they still have to trade with countries that are. I can understand a company wanting to protect it's prestige brand but i cannot think of a more prestigious brand that Rolls Royce who will supply their parts to garages throughout the world. Sorry for the long winded rant but this practice is depriving qualified watchmakers from making a semi decent living.       

                                    Terry

Terry,

This has been going on for years and there are no signs that it will ever change!

I have accounts will many brand suppliers and toolmakers the world over but the likes of Cartier, Breitling, Rolex to a degree take the biscuit as no matter how well you work or what repair arena your from they are not interested....

The best suppliers that I have encountered are Raymond Weil, Rotary and even Gucci to a degree... All very helpful with very fast dispatch.

The one big negative that this restrictive practice encourages is excessive pricing.

How can a steel crown for a Rolex cost over £125 when you can get a high quality non branded from as little as £10.

All in a days work!

Owen...

I agree with everything you say mate. I do believe however, that there has been a recent shift by watchmaker's to be more offensive rather than defensive. If you want to trade within the EU then i think all restrictive practices should be banned, whether you are a member or not. This is tantamount to being black balled at your exclusive Golf Club by members who feel YOU are not up to their standards. It is the arrogance of these companies that is astonishing. Lets see what happens to them when their exclusive brands run out of customers willing to put up with such pathetic customer Service. I have been quoted personally £300 for a mainspring swap on a Sub, and i have to wait upto 3 months for the job to be done. The owner of the watch wants to keep it legit with no generic parts as it could affect sell on prices. Even though i have assured him that a buyer or collector would not go that far into the mechanism, he has had to bite the bullet and let an accredited repairer do the job. Snobbery is alive and well in the Swiss high end market and i have always been totally against fake replicas but in the case of these houses, i say go for it!! You are correct about Raymond Weil. When you put me in touch with the UK agent, they phoned me every couple of days to let me know how my order for parts was progressing. Excellent service. I think the heat might be getting to me, better go and get a lager in a bit