Now, before you question that last line, please understand what I am trying to convey. I am not knocking the quality of Swiss products. To the contrary, I believe that the Swiss are the makers of some of the highest quality products that this world has to offer, timepieces included. What I would like to talk about is the perception that people have of the word "Quality." Allow me to explain.
Several years ago, back when I was still working at my father's shop, a most Swiss-enthusiastic woman came in. She wanted us to replace the battery in her Swiss Military watch; a very simple task. The steel backing was removed, followed by the removal of the plastic movement protector that some watches are known to be equipped with. The old battery was taken out, and a new one replaced it. The watch was then closed up.
Upon turning the watch over to examine the dial and look for hand movement, we noticed something. The hands did not move. This did not alarm us, as this is somewhat of an uncommon occurrence when it comes to replacing watch batteries, but it does happen (In fact, this is something that I see a LOT of in Fossil watches). It meant that something other than the battery had caused the watch to stop working. Something mechanical that we, as goldsmiths, are not capable of repairing, as it is outside of our field. This is why watchmakers exist.
We showed the watch to the client, informed her that a new battery has been installed, and that the watch is still not working. Now, in most cases, the client is very understanding, and knows that we have done everything on our part to remedy the situation. This one was not. Upon being told that the watch did not work, even with a new battery installed, and that it was in need of repair, she replied with, "That's impossible. This is a Swiss Military watch. It never needs repair." Suffice to say, this client has been misinformed, and that's putting it gently.
Before I continue, let me insert a tiny story. My father is the proud owner of a $5,000 Omega watch that he purchased approximately 10 years ago. That watch stopped working in the very same year that he purchased it. It cost him $350 to repair, and when it came back, it still did not work properly. It still kept time, but the seconds hand did not function normally. He decided to keep it the way it was instead of shelling out another $350. Omega is an ultra luxury watch, on the same level as Rolex. It is infinitely more prestigious than Swiss Military, which is an entry-level Swiss watch. But even that wasn't enough to escape malfunction.
Going back to the original story, this client was not impressed. We tried to alleviate the situation by making apparent to her a number of options, such as the watch's warranty which, if it wasn't expired, would entitle her to a repair, free of charge, due to the problem being a manufacturer's defect. We even gave her the name of a reputable watchmaker nearby in case the watch was no longer under warranty. Unfortunately, she would not budge from the idea in her mind that Swiss watches were invincible, and left unsatisfied.
Everyone needs to understand something. Everything in the world is prone to defect. There is not one single entity in existence that is invulnerable. Nothing is perfect, and nothing is 100%. No matter what something is, no matter where it comes from, and not matter what it is made out of, in due time, some components in the entity will degrade or become faulty. This is especially true for anything that contains moving parts. And here's a fun fact, a watch mechanism is called a "Movement," and its components are constantly moving, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, forever, up until something gives out. These are not my rules, these are the laws of physics.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret regarding the watch industry. Most of the watches in the world share the same, EXACT movement, across most makes and models. This means that you can open up an $800 Gucci watch, and find the same, literally, part-for-part movement that you would find in a $200 Guess watch. Doesn't that blow your mind? The only 2 differences would be the rest of the watch (Bracelet, case, etc) and the name. Oh, and you can't forget price, so 3 differences. Other than that, you might as well be wearing the same watch as your friend, and not either one would be better than the other. That being said, there are many exceptions to this. Some watches, normally the ultra luxury makes, and even certain models of mid-level watches, will have exclusive movements. Specialty movements, such as Seiko's Kinetic movement, or Citizen's Eco Drive movement, are also exempt from this, as are any other specialty movements that are the sole proprietary creations of a watch make, including Bulova's Motion Quartz movement. I could get into more detail, but then I would be putting a long story into an already long story. But just so you know, most fashion-type watches are notorious for this. It's not exactly a bad thing, per se, but it becomes unethical when one company, again, using Gucci just as an example, charges 4 times the amount of money for their watch than another fashion brand does,, such as Guess, while one of the 2 brands is regarded as luxury-type, and the other one isn't.
Some people have sworn by their $20 Timex watches, while others have sworn by their $6,000 Rado watches. Either one of these watches, or any other watch for that matter, is capable of wearing out. Paying more for a watch does not necessarily mean that it will never break down, paying less for a watch does not always mean that it is certain to break down, and vice versa. When you buy a $100,000 Rolex watch, you're paying for much more than just the gold casing and bracelet, the diamond bezel, or the finely-handcrafted and intricate movement. When you're buying a Rolex watch, you're buying a piece of history, a piece of reputation, and a piece of prestige that doesn't come with any Timex watch. In the end, every watch is going to tell you that it's 5 O'clock, no matter how much money you throw at it. If you can afford a Rolex watch and have your heart set on it, then by all means, I encourage your purchase. As for me, although it's not within my budget, I would like to wear an Omega one day, just like Mr. "Shaken, not stirred" does. One day...
By Joseph Garabet
Levant Jewellery
No comments:
Post a Comment