Inhouse vs. ETA

[willy]

Many inhouse calibers cost more to service because of the finish given to the parts that maybe have to be replaced . I can except that to a certain point . And the watchmaker who services say a Lange or Patek as to be specially trained to do his job . I can accept this .
But that a watch costing maybe 100.000 DKK can cost nearly 10 % of the new price every 5 years is for me over the top . And Kims example of the AP that cost 20.000 dkk is really taking the piss out of watch buyers . And just another example of the lousy attitude many brands have to the people who buy their products. And i bet he had to wait a long time to get his AP back from the factory .
I put a Patek Aquanaut in for a service about 5 years ago . This watch cost new around 80.000 DKK at that time . It cost me 7.500 DKK and i had to wait 5 months before i got it back again . This is in my opinion a disgrace .
Would anyone accept putting a car in for a service that costs nearly 10% of the new price . And getting the car back 5 months later ? No i do not think so .
But OK we are talking about the art of watchmaking here , so maybe it is unfair to compare a watch with a car .
But again Rolex who in my opinion have the best and fairest service system in the watch world do not overcharge or make customers wait months for their watch . And 3500 DKK for the service Rolex give is a steal compaired to other brands . Rolex are inhouse simple calibers that are made to be easier to service .
Now many High End brands use the sales argument that highly polished well finished calibers will last so long you can hand them down to several generations .
But this sounds hollow when their reliability and wear factor is not higher than a Casio . I can accept that to own a special watch or car etc etc costs more in service costs . But i cannot except 10 % of the new price and having to wait months to get my watch back after a service .
A friend of mine who is a well known brand dealer told me , that he sometimes felt ashamed . Because he had to tell a customer who had bought a watch costing over 100.000 DKK , that he would have to wait maybe 4-5 months to get his recently bought watch back after sending it to the factory for a simple repair under the guarantee .
And i must admit service costs have influenced my choice of watches for the future . It reminds me a bit of the English car trade . Luxury cars like Ferrari - Porsche- Rolls Royce can be easily got for the same price as a new VW Golf . But not many people buy them because of the cost of keeping them on the road . Willy