ctf Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Hello, I just received my Chopard, and the quality of the watch looks very good. I have a few issues however, and I feel that this is not normal. The bracelet, which is supposed to be scented with Vanilla, was more like scented with burned-rubber smell... That is annoying, but could be easily changed. In fact, the smell is slowly going away I think. Maybe one of you has a better way to take care of that, please do share. Second thing is that this watch only has a few hours reserve it seems. I wore it all day yesterday, removed it around 7PM and the watch stoppped at 12:40AM, or about 5 hours later. Lastly and more importantly, this morning, as I was pulling the crown to re-adjust the correct time, the crown completely pulled out and stayed in my hand. There was a small spring and a seal as well. Obviously, there is something wrong here, and I wanted to know if anybody here could give me some advice and how to fix it. The crown can be re-screwed onto the body, but then I cannot pull the mechanism to adjust the time... I already contacted the seller, which hopefully will be able to take care of this. I understand that CNY is around the corner, so I will be patient. This is my first Rep, and I was hoping for better quality... Thank you for your input. Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adeodatus Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Scented with vanilla? Are you serious, man? That crown thing is a 10$ fix at your local watchsmith, if you don't want to wait for CNY holidays to be over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 The burnt smell will most likely subside with time. You also might like to put it on a nice leather strap later..Im not a big fan of the tire thread design. I too would take it to a local watch repair shop. sounds like easy fix for anyone with a little watch repair know how. These are very nices reps...so hang in there. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miagi Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 i had a rep rubber that smelled quite bad. i rubbed it in with toothpaste and washed it thoroughly, worked quite well.. my panerai rubbers smelled quite noticeable of vanilla when new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 i had a rep rubber that smelled quite bad. i rubbed it in with toothpaste and washed it thoroughly, worked quite well.. my panerai rubbers smelled quite noticeable of vanilla when new. Thank you for the tip, I will try that. Yes, i have a friend who owns the "real" thing, and the bracelets are scented with Vanilla. I will go to the local watch place and see if they can take care of this. Does anybody have more info on what is exactly happening there? Maybe a reputable Pro here would not mind taking care of the watch in a proper fashion, maybe giving it a factory cleanup while taking care of the issue? I would need it back before the 30th however. Let me know. Thank you. Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Talked to the local "Watchsmith" and they probably will not be able to take care of it. In fact, when I mentioned replica, the first answer was nope, sorry. I indicated that it was a nice one and they said to bring it in anyway, to see if they can do anything. Pretty bummed right now. I would rather deal with a trusted member here... Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I decided to get my small screwdriver, and open the back to check it out... The back is simply held by 8 small screws. The link will be a higher resolution picture. Not sure how big I can go here without getting in trouble. And the higher res link http://dl.dropbox.co...WatchOpen1a.jpg Secong half And higher-res link: http://dl.dropbox.co...WatchOpen2a.jpg Cheers, Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 It would appear that your crown has come off the winding stem. The stem is in the watch and the empty crown is in your hand. This is easy to fix if the Dealer sends you a new crown and stem assembly ... I dont know how to re-attach a 7750 crown to it's stem so I can not advise you. The 7750 has over 200 parts ... please do not poke anything inside with a screwdriver There is a trusted watch technician in Texas .. named George .. he specializes in 7750 movements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I forgot to mention that the little seal that behind the back was broken in half. So much for waterproof... Those screws are really small. You really need a very small screwdriver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 There is a trusted watch technician in Texas .. named George .. he specializes in 7750 movements. Thank you for the tip! Do you know how to contact him? I would love to chat with him. I need my watch for the end of the month, and that is not going to work with CMY... Thank you. Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I forgot to mention that the little seal that behind the back was broken in half. So much for waterproof... Those screws are really small. You really need a very small screwdriver. Reps have terrible QC. Never trust that your watch is waterproof .. maybe it is and maybe it is not. You have to check. George is a trusted watchsmith on the RWI forum, but he is also a regular member here on this forum. He has a user name made of all numerals .. and it's hard to remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Found him:14060 or 16610? Indeed not easy to remember. I sent George an email, hopefully he can help me out. Thank you for all the help. Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 You're more than welcome. He is one of the main men for complex 7750 movements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 George just emailed me back, and while not 100% certain without looking at the watch: "it appears that the crown itself has broken. The clutch portion of the crown has broken clean off, releasing the clutch spring." George can help me out with this issue, but only if I can find a crown for it. Does anybody here have one of these that they could sell me? I am completely new at this and have no idea where to turn otherwise. While I anticipate that the dealer will take care of the situation, it means not having my watch for another 2-3 weeks at least... Disapointing to say the least. Thank you for your help. Cordially, Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Your best choice is to let the dealer send you a new, free crown and stem assembly .. I would be startled if a member here had a crown for this uncommon model just sitting around. I'm 100% certain that the dealer will be happy to send you a new crown and stem. I don't know how much you want this watch to owe you but while it's with George, it really is a good idea to have him do a full service on it. Your call, tho. Keep in mind that gen Rolex owners pay $700 for a service so the 1-2 hundred you might pay is a straight up bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 It is a bargain indeed, and I would not mind. I paid close to $500 for the watch, and frankly I am a little bit surprised to see the major issue I have after a week. I purchased it from a well known, recommended and respected dealer here. I am wondering if it would be simply better for me to return it and get a another one. Like I stated, I am a complete newbie here, and this is my first rep. I paid a higher price because I understand that it would get me a better rep. So far, bad luck is all I got... If I decide to go the route of replacing the stem/crown, I will certainly give it to George for him to fix it for me, and like you suggested, probably service it at the same time. I understand that this is money well spent. Thank you for all the good advice here, it makes this disapointing situation a bit less painful. Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adeodatus Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Save your time and money, get the crown and the stem from the dealer and service the watch. The money you'll spend on shipment back and forth and the time and the customs etc., plus there is no guarantee that you will receive a better watch. In any case you'll need to service it some day, so why not now, right? the only problem is that it will not be ready by 30th... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Save your time and money, get the crown and the stem from the dealer and service the watch. The money you'll spend on shipment back and forth and the time and the customs etc., plus there is no guarantee that you will receive a better watch. In any case you'll need to service it some day, so why not now, right? the only problem is that it will not be ready by 30th... That seems the consensus here, and I will probably choose to do that. The wait begins... Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted February 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Well, some news, although not very good news. After another week and multiple emails, the "trusted" dealer has finally told me that they cannot send me a crown, and that I have to send the entire watch back. I am not very happy about this because of the costs involved, and the further delays that this involves. Trusted dealer or not, I was hoping for a better outcome. So far, this first experience has been far from stellar... Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Well, some news, although not very good news. After another week and multiple emails, the "trusted" dealer has finally told me that they cannot send me a crown, and that I have to send the entire watch back. I am not very happy about this because of the costs involved, and the further delays that this involves. Trusted dealer or not, I was hoping for a better outcome. So far, this first experience has been far from stellar... Arno In the long term its better to send the watch back...it sucks big time but in the end you will end up with a better watch it could have been far worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted February 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 In the long term its better to send the watch back...it sucks big time but in the end you will end up with a better watch it could have been far worse That is true. The trusted dealer has been very responsive so far, and I anticipate that they will make it up to me. I will let everybody know who it is regardless when this is finally resolved. I understand that issues can happen, and it is how they are handled/resolved that make the difference between good or bad experiences. So far, while disapointed, I have faith that I made the right choice. Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted February 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Some more news. After discussions with the dealer, it was decided that I would receive a new crown. I just received it today, and it looks OK so far. I will have the trusted watchmaker aka G. take care of it for me, as well as do a full service on it, when he is available. I will let you know how this goes. Arno 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Awesome result. Good luck with the service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctf Posted March 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 I wanted to let everybody know that G. did a great job on my watch, and repaired it successfully. All done quickly and for a very reasonable price. The time was a bit too short on my hand to do a full service at this time, but this will come soon. I wanted the watch back so that I could wear it a bit. After all, I purchased it at the end of December and only was able to wear it a couple of days since then. I highly recommend him and will do business again in the future. Cordially, Arno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 G. is one of the very few go-to people in north America for 7750. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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