Poor Q.C. on my new gen

[arniezac]

Took delivery this morning of a watch I've been promising myself for a long time. I'd waited till I got back into work

after a long spell of unemplyment before taking the plunge.

Whats the watch, well, it was an MTM Special Ops Vulture. Not everyones cup of tea, but I absolutley love the looks, the materials and the technology that goes into one. I could n't care less about the claims that its used by the Military, a cheap marketing ploy IMO. I've always loved the look of this type of watch and own a couple of Trasers too.

I digress.

I opened up the box and saw that although the time was set right, the date needed changing, so I undid the crown, pulled it out to the first position and turned it to alter the date. It started changing a few times and then stopped. So, I pulled the crown out to the second postion to roll the date over by altering the time.

The hands started moving, then moved intermittantly, then stopped altogether. I carried on turning the crown and the thing came off in my Hand!!!! The crown had unscrewed itself of the stem.

Unbelievable Quality Control on what is, to me, a watch of conciderable cost.

Suffice to say, it is already on its way back with the demands of a brand new replacement and hopefully all should be resolved by the middle of next week. So its not just the reps we have trouble with. I did n't even have it long enough to take some quick pics so I've grabbed some of the net to show you, if your not familier with this model.

Heres a few specs:-

DLC coated Titanium case and Bezel

Swiss Made Ronda 509 With Large Date Window

Carbon Fibre Dial

3 white Leds

12 UV leds

Rechargable Lithium Ion battery for the Leds, charged via USB or mains charger

Its a big MoFo too. Case is 47mm without crown and 18mm thick

Sapphire Crystal with Ultraviolet Protective Coating ( Not sure what that does, probably stops you getting a tan )

[jchurch]

I had an invicta crown come off the stem when it was new. I had it less than a week or two went to set the time and off it came lol. I sent it back and received a nice new one. Outside of that the only other watch that I have had that lost its crown is my SOSF which really didn't loose the crown just the tube came unscrewed from the case one day while wearing it around.

[Furu]

Haha those hands really are 'sword' hands , sad thing about the crown. Hope everything sorts out fine.

[OmegaPOFL]

wow...

hope it works out! it better

[cougaree]

The watch looks nice. If we put all the unique designs of all other watches into one watch, this will be it. Interesting.

[fakemaster]

Yeah the gen companies aren't much better as people believe. Terribly overpriced but nice watch. Wear it in good health.

[mastrmindalliance]

Oh, hope you get it sorted.

I've noticed poor QC recently (now i look for it because of reps hehe) particularly on Omegas. The last two PO's i saw, one in an AD in Malaysia and one in the wild here here in Aus, both had Bezels that didn't allign properly at 12. And Just last last week I tried on the proplof at the AD and the finishing on the inside of the crown guard (crown side) was rough, really rough!

Hope your replacement is better!

[By-Tor]

I had an invicta crown come off the stem when it was new. I had it less than a week or two went to set the time and off it came lol. I sent it back and received a nice new one. Outside of that the only other watch that I have had that lost its crown is my SOSF which really didn't loose the crown just the tube came unscrewed from the case one day while wearing it around.

I had 2 Invictas too... years ago. Both had the exact same problems that you just described. And the other wasn't waterproof at all.

In my eyes, Invictas are not "gens". They're just cheap reps that have been "branded" somewhere in Indochina. Maybe they produce some better watches too and I was probably unlucky, but the two that I had were absolutely terrible. At least reps are honestly counterfeit and shady products.

[crystalcranium]

At least reps are honestly counterfeit and shady products.

Oh my goodness that made me laugh outloud. Truth in advertising I guess!

[POTR]

Actually Invicta is a cool old watch house... they label their stuff correctly... Japan Movt for Miyota and Swiss for their Swiss... but they price it accordingly too... $20 for their sub-brand swiss quartz Activa crap, $100 for the Japan Movt reasonable quality homages of everything under the sun... all the way up to mega bucks for their full bling pavé diamond Swiss movement super Lupah...

They are the one's that are honest... and the way they do it points out the dishonesty of the other houses that still proclaim Swiss Made when they are getting 99% of their parts from China accounting for less than 50% of their value to make it legal.

Crowns come off... they are made to... they screw right back on as well... Even on a $8.75 Swiss Harley Ronda 509 Big Date Quartz Movement. Has nothing to do with QC. The crown didn't unscrew its self, you did.

[krpster]

I've noticed poor QC recently (now i look for it because of reps hehe) particularly on Omegas. The last two PO's i saw, one in an AD in Malaysia and one in the wild here here in Aus, both had Bezels that didn't allign properly at 12....

I've had the same experience with Omegas. Across several AD's I held 6 or 7 new PO, POC and SMPC. Of the lot only one had a bezel alignment correct at 12. When I asked the Salesman about correcting it he pulled out the catalogue and pointed to the picture then proceded to tell me it was supposed too be like that What a goof. $7k price tag on a POC and I am supposed to accept bezel misalignment....I don't think so.

[arniezac]

Crowns come off... they are made to... they screw right back on as well... Even on a $8.75 Swiss Harley Ronda 509 Big Date Quartz Movement. Has nothing to do with QC. The crown didn't unscrew its self, you did.

Pardon me for wanting the right date displayed. I'll know better next time.

I could give Greenwich a ring and see if they could set their atomic clocks to my watch instead.

Would'nt need the crown at all then.

"Has nothing to do with QC" Its got everything to do with it. Thats what its for, to make sure goods are fit for purpose before they are allowed to be sold.

[Jkay]

Crowns come off... they are made to... they screw right back on as well... Even on a $8.75 Swiss Harley Ronda 509 Big Date Quartz Movement. Has nothing to do with QC. The crown didn't unscrew its self, you did.

That is a patently ridiculous statement. So inane, that I might expect it to be a completely sarcastic joke. Please admit you are joking? (or very drunk)

If the steering wheel for your new car comes off in your hands ... is that not poor QC? Or is driving off the cliff, screaming with your family all your own fault for pulling off the steering wheel like a dolt?

[automatico]

"Yeah the gen companies aren't much better as people believe."

That's the truth if I ever saw it!

Many people who buy new high priced (mainly swiss) watches do not complain out loud when they break because they feel so bad about it. They actually 'drank the Kool-Aid' and believed the hype.

Btw, I always thought the greatest thing to happen to watches was the quartz movement. I remember reading about the new quartz Seiko Astron when it came out in 1969 and thought to myself...no more hairsprings!

(hairsprings are the bane of the universe imho)

http://www.seikowatches.com/baselworld/2010/precon/0101-astron.html

I was really knocked back on my heels when mechanicals started making a comeback in the 1980s. Of course I had to get right in the middle of it.

I'm showing my age but I can remember when mechanical watches were the norm and there was a watch repair shop on every corner. There had to be watch repair shops everywhere because there was always something wrong with them.

Just about the only alternative that was any good was the Accutron.

I do believe the average watch made today is much better than the average watch made back then though.

Why?

The average watch today is quartz.

arniezac...good luck with the new watch!

[POTR]

When someone unscrews a crown accidentally it is usually because they are flexing the stem into the side of the crown tube causing drag and overcoming the friction fit of the threads of the crown. What is screwed on is meant to unscrew. Don't force, don't over do, don't go too damn fast. More examples... When someone strips out the gears of the key-less works it's usually the same type of guy spinning the damn crown as fast as he can trying to wind it or set the time too quickly (not a QC problem). This same type of individual also strips stems out of the works pulling on them too hard (also not a QC problem)...

These issues are more akin to holding hitting all the speed bumps and potholes you can find at 85mph and then blaming your car's resultant bad alignment, bent tie rods and busted struts and ball joints on the manufacturer.

The fix if an unscrewed crown is simply to screw it back on... with a thin pair of tweezers to hold the stem (if you aren't capable of opening the watch to release the stem, judging from your problem you aren't). They are not meant to be non-removable or as sturdy as a steering wheel.

[arniezac]

Well, the replacement watch arrived yesterday and all is fine.

The crown is absolutley solid on this one and feels very rigid on the stem, like someone did a proper job in fitting it.

I could of repaired it myself, but the watch was brand new with a 3 year warranty. Why should I, when I can get it replaced.

The crown was loose as soon as it was unscrewed off the tube, as it was quite wobbly on the stem. I was n't aggressive in turning the

crown and am well aware of how gentle you should be when doing so, it was simply assembled poorly and not properly QC'd before leaving the factory.

[Ronin]

Congrats on the new watch and getting it taken care of. Watch looks awesome.

I "HAD" a MTM Spec Ops for about a week before the bezel allen screws fell out, and developed a bracelet issue. I fought like hell and sent it back for a full refund. Hopefully you won't need that warranty. Sweet looking watches, but their "Military Marketing Claim" seems a little exaggerated. I would sooner go into battle with a Seiko.

(Clarification: I am not trying to poo-poo MTM, your watch looks awesome, but I am just backing up your QC claims having had one. "Looks" come first IMHO from a MTM perspective, then Quality)