My Lange story: I recently received my Datograph Up/Down and noticed a horrendous finish on one of the movement parts + shock absorb assembly has a crack on it. Lange claims this shouldn’t make any difference to the function of the watch. Not good enough.
If I pay that much for ANYTHING, let alone a watch, I expect a smooth and friction-less experience throughout my entire ownership of it, no excuses, no problems, no pushback.
Just booked my second service for my cherished Omega Speedmaster Pro caliber 1863 as the rewinding stop did not work anymore. Went to the Omega flagship AD in NYC. Price $900 incl. polishing but 6 to 9 month delay to get it back!!! Will let you know the outcome but my 1st service in 2014 done by their AD in Paris was flawless but with a much lower price tag (€500). I own this watch from new in 1997 and is the one I wear most. So $1500 in service over 26 years of ownership is more than fair for such an icon timepiece
Servicing or repair costs can be quite high indeed 💰 So I decided to take up watch servicing myself about a year ago. Yes you need to spend some money for tools but already saved about € 900 repairing my Breitling Superocean (date wheel was misaligned). And it’s a lot of fun to do as well, great hobby 🙂
Kinda? I really want to like Oris, but they're really spendy. For example their Oris "social club" watch is a 100m "diver" with a 3rd party movement and costs 2-3x what a similar watch would cost from another good company. The price would make sense with a 400 movement in it, but with an off-the-shelf $200 movement ... ?
@@philipblockf2857given they are independent, employ almost entirely Swiss staff (salaries are enormous in Switzerland, I know because I earn one lol) and they don't have the benefit of scale to recuce costs, their costs will be significantly higher than most of the competitors. Hence their prices. Obviously there are other factors too.
I agree with you regarding the in house movements... it's cool and all but I like the fact that the non in house movements can get services by any skilled watch repair person. That might not seem like a big deal until one is waiting for 8 months or more to get their AP back.
Bremont is another that goes out of its way to make its off the shelf movements are in house. When manufacturers do this they diminish the great engineering of companies like Selita, ETA, etc.
Service costs and experiences are the Achilles heel of watch ownership and the industry will be well advised to focus on it and do better. I sent a Sinn 856 UTC in for a simple service after 5 years and waited 10 months for it to come back, with a bill of more than $800 USD. The $800 was not too bad, but the 10 months was excessive, at least to my mind. All the best.
Sinn seem fairly reasonable - my 857 is heading to the UK service partner in January. £350 and 3-5 week turnaround including the moisture absorbing blue thing…….
I had an ALS Saxonia auto serviced by Lange last year for £900 which is the price quoted on their website.The Lange one story is either untrue or the watch was a wreck.
The only Lange servicing story i know is from a friend here in Germany. A friend of his who owns multiple Watches in the Lange/Patek Price range had their ALS sent into servicing and apart from the fact that it took a solid 4 months, everything (including the price) seemed fine. Until he got it back. Cause they forgot to put the moonphase disc back into the movement.
This is normal .I have Frederique Constant Index and Junior .Sent both for maintenance .Took 3-4,5 months for full maintenance and this was at cheap at all .
@@petyopetrov2048 It’s not „normal“ in the way that Lange and Söhne has way less watches to service than Omega, Rolex and Frederique constant. I do indeed know how long watch servicing takes. It’s still not great.
@@flolo7689 The longer service times are due to the shortage of watchmakers. Rolex made the shortage more critical by rolling out its CPO program which increased demand for watchmakers. Hence, service turnaround times are taking 3-4 months, and probably will increase for the near future.
ALS is also known for treating long time customers like shit when they don’t fit anymore. In uhrenforum you find multiple stories about Lange. On a positive note, the services at Blancpain were very reasonably priced (cheaper than Omega in some cases).
I’ve seen those stories on ALS service issues. It has me concerned about owning their watches. The video about the London Watch Enthusiast’s experience with his Zeitwork is worth the watch. No pun intended. BTW, on a separate note, you are looking great and well healed since your accident. I’m so happy to see you recovered. Do you still hop on your bike?
Hello Britt, Lange has ( relatively) reasonable fixed service prices. However, if the watch is damaged (water, drop, unqualified previous repair -> damaged movement parts), the bill may be much higher. But this is not uniquely to Lange, their competitors policies are very similar when a the servicing is out of the usual.
I think LWE purchased his datograph through second hand dealer. When I'm going to buy my first Lange Saxonia Thin, I would definitely use my trusted AD even if it costs way more new. Peace of mind. Motto is, buy new and not complicated movements for your first watch.
Britt, I LOVE what IFL is doing. I already have a CasiOak Blueberry and the recent Moji Concept. And I ordered the Oris BOOGEYMAN as soon as it dropped (sorry, I didn't use your referral link) - their awesome customer service confirmed I'm getting #1 of the 25 LE pieces. Super stoked! Keep up the great videos!
But one thing should be clear to you as a RUclipsr, the reason the name is not mentioned is because they are reworking the movement so that it is simply no longer an original ETA or Sellita. What generally annoys me more is the fact that so many brands in the lower price range only use Sellita movements. This gets more and more boring as time goes on. The best thing would be if you decide to visit ALS once and then you can ask her directly about these grievances and see if they are true. I could also well imagine that some ALS watches were purchased through other channels and not from the official ALS boutique. But one thing should be clear here too: a Lange 1 is not a simple watch.
Unfortunately, you need a truck load of money in the driveway, and when you need to get your watch serviced, just park that truck outside the boutique and leave them the keys.
That's really valuable info on the Lange. Thank you. Wasn't ever on my radar anyways as the more hype I hear about something, the more I tend to move away. On the other hand, there are so many REALLY good microbrands to explore in the English/Swiss and Japanese realms. Congrats on your new G-Shock by the way 👍 I have an MR-G B5000 and it's one of my absolute favorites in my watch collection.
Guys, just compare ALS vs AP service cost and you will find the thief... knowing that ALS are less fragile by design. And do not forget that on internet only issues are highlited. 😊 wondering if service issues in UK is specific.. brexit could be the root cause? Not easy shipping to germany (custom)?
A really good WATCH BRAND RANT by the WATCH GRINGA, cause all the other Rant videos I have seen on RUclips (cant say the names😅) are extremely rude to the brand but you did it in a JOYFUL😂 way without spreading any HATE! By the way, really like the octo design! Thanks for the video!👍
Have you ever had to bring your Mercedes Benz in for servicing? The Germans are nuts! The cash register only had 3 keys. $1000, $3000 and $5000, and they can be used in any combination. I will never buy another German car, and most certainly I will never buy a German watch. But I do love a nice wiener schnitzel and sauerkraut.
Had my Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition a Tourbillon Q1666520 sent to JLC earlier this year for service. This watch has caliber 978 running inside. The service was very fast and cost $1700 USD. This was the 1st service in over 8 yrs. Two screws had come completely out and fell thru the tourbillon and were rolling around on the front of the dial. Cost of service to me seem very fair. This being a complex watch not just because of the tourbillon, I was worried the number would be much higher. The story mentioned about Lange service has to have more to the story in my opinion.
I've only ever had two mechanical watches serviced, first had a modified ETA movt. I took it to a long-established reputable Rolex/Tudor/Breitling etc AD in East Sussex. They serviced it in-house and returned it after about 3 months! It worked less well after the service and I could hardly turn the crown at all. Took it back and they denied all responsibility, said it was like that when they got it etc. and refused to do anything else. The second watch I sent to a long-established professional looking watch servicer in the UK that I found online. It was a vintage Smiths movt. Was returned to me 'service completed' in exactly the same condition and same issues as I sent it in. Again, no positive response from the company. When my Tudor needs a service it's going to Tudor, no one else.
Love the IFL watch. 😎 Lange, not so much…. Especially after the boutique “experience” in Dresden, let alone the reported poor after sales service, if the boutique service is anything to go on, it’s no surprise whatsoever to hear these stories.
If the purpose of my watch is looking at it and making me smile, I really don’t care if the movement is in-house, generic or modified. And if I receive compliments on my watch, believe me, it’s not because of the movement.
Total cost of ownership is a thing you really need to think about when buying these wonderful pieces. I totally get why so many people on tight budgets rather have a Seiko mod than the real thing.
This has me worried about getting myself an ALS as well. (It's not, im from a third world country and can barely afford to get a new seiko 5 due to the exchange rate)
I bought a Jean Richard recently. It's a brilliant watch. I assumed it was a Selitta SW300, but having researched it's a full Girard Perregaux made (in their factory) movement. Obviously servicing is going to cost a kidney now, but it's currently keeping Metas levels of accuracy. Wooooo!
I really enjoyed this video! I kept doing a double take when you said ALS, though. Lange is the better shortened version of the name in my opinion. Hope you are well!
A common thread in these “Lange servicing horror stories” is service work was done by an outside party (also in most cases watches were purchased on the secondary market).
My B17, Breitling Super Ocean, movement was a modified ETA. Service required twice in two years as the crown kept pulling out. ETA based, fashion watch, movements never again for me.
@@BrittPearceWatches I hope my Glashutte Original SeaQ 39.5mm service cost comes in lower than $500 plus parts listed price mostly because they are now owned by Swatch.
Great video, always appreciate your outlook on things. I also love the Blue Jay hat you’re wearing and the appearance of a Roots hoodie in the editing Brittney pop ups. Very Canadian of you. 👍🇨🇦
I know what it’s like to drop a watch. If you drop it, man up and say so. Zenith has a service charge and it seems that they will fix what ever is wrong with the watch included in that service. I’m lucky my watch was ready for a tuneup. Thanks Britt
Can only imagine that A.Lange would give a first class service , but, this information if verified isn't a great look. Looked at a Doxa sub 300 ceramic " white pearl " which was gorgeous, but , for nearly £4,000 pounds housed a Sellita movement with 38 hrs power reserve. That's more expensive than a Tudor fxd so I was scratching my head.
So Kai heads the Bond Street Boutique and normally is great to deal with. If all servicing woes are from this boutique (I know Watch enthusiast London, and your vista friends are), consider calling the Harrods boutique. That is run by Lange proper where as the one on Bond Street is owned by Wempe. All the best!
Owning A LANGE is like owning an Aston Martin car , beautifully made ,Gorgeous to look at , dream to behold, but expensive to service. They both have the trained technicians who cost a lot to get to the standard required. But they both put on very expensive exhibition’s which ultimately you pay for 🙄
Omg I’m so glad you bring this up. There is actually something in the watch world that has been bothering me so much lately, till driving me crazy… And it’s the fact of not having enough money to buy all the watches that I want 😂😂😂😂
You made my day with the Jays Cap. Nice green version. Greetings for you and the Fam from East York, Toronto. Don’t be a stranger and come home 🇨🇦 to make one of your great videos! Cheers !
@@barrylevine9505😂Yes, what an idiot I am … I meant the Blue Jays ! Give me some credit, The logo has a Maple Leaf. 😊 I was too happy to see her still holding on our TO our identity. 🍁 ❤
The £900 for servincing covers what? Visual inspection, new oil, movement regulation, what else? Any part replacement? If that's all, it's a lot of money! Did you ask?? Eh oh, prononciation was OK but it's not "and", it's "und" (check online how you have to sat it). You're getting there! ;-)
I must say that I'm onside with Lange over that 'crown fell out' story. That sounds dubious AF to me. That being said those service charges are pretty cha-ching even before the 'extras' kick in... To quote a Britt-ism - you could probably get a Tudor Black Bay for the total service costs attached to your A. Lange & Sohne... Wow.
A. Lange Söhne is a different league which makes us normal luxury muggles (ie Omega, Rolex, and Glashütte Original), etc look like riff raff poors.😂 One is buying into a whole new level of pricing and servicing ecosystem with ALS - and their target demo (ie not us collector types) probably can pay without a second thought. On your pronouncing A. Lange Söhne - sounded pretty good to my ear. Albeit, I minored and studied in Germany some 20 years ago - so take with a grain of salt.😉😁 Great fun video by rhe way!
I have two ALS - one Lange 1, and one Zeitwerk Striking Time. I had both serviced. The Lange 1 in Germany and the US. About 3k including case. No problems. Top work. The Striking Time counts as complicated watch. They all go back to Germany and are never serviced anywhere else. Price was 7k including case. Top work. No problems. For complicated watches, prices are quoted when they actually have the watch and can see what needs to be done - so there is no actual list. The stories you describe here sound unrealistic to me.
I just asked my local omega boutique about turnaround time to get my 10yr old SMP serviced. I was told it will be 24 weeks before i get my watch back. Frigs sake, what 😳
A few things in response to a fine episode : 1. Good for you, and thank you. This kind of thing is very helpful. 2. I hope you won't mind my saying this, but please don't apologize for being honest. It is somewhat disconcerting. 3. A pet complaint of mine, because you asked us - watch manufacturers who call their watches gold when there is no real gold on the watch, or less gold than it appears there is. For example, two-tone watches in which only the two end links actually are gold. All the other links have components that are gold color but are only gold leaf or gilding or gold PVD. (I'm sure you know which company I'm referring to.) Don't we have the right to expect that no manufacturer will suggest to us there's gold where there isn't? 4. Might I ask, in the future could you mention, when relating stories about service repairs, even under warranty, who is bringing in a watch he purchased new - from an AD or company boutique - and who is seeking service for a second-hand watch? Perhaps I'm wrong, but most of these stories seem like they could boil down to disputes over the condition the watch was in when the current owner obtained it.
I can reccomend a watchmaker who can handle Lange, Neville Clarke in Oxfordshire, he's quite well known and hugely qualified. Doesn't beleieve in post you have to go see him😂 Blinking prima donna . A1 of course is excellent too and my choice for everything below Lange......Honestly I couldn't do what I do without his help. Neville btw is not cheap but not £900 either😂
I won’t buy a German watch because you have to send it back for servicing due to most of the parts are made in house. My watchmaker can’t get the parts to fix problems, so it’s a no go for me even though I would like to own one.
The one that I've found brands doing more and more which really annoys me is brands giving their watch thickness excluding the crystal. How does that make any sense? I'll just pop off the crystal shall I?
😂 I’m totally with you. To be fair a streamlined curved watch slips under a sleeve easier than some slab sided thing with a flat crystal. It’s still a daft measurement
You really should listen to London watch Enthusiast's outrageous saga he had to go through with his Lange and he had already been a supposedly "valued" customer of theirs. I highly recommend his channel to you Britt! ( OH you mentioned him after I typed this! HA! )
hi luv ur rank video and i dont blame u at ur tag approaches cuz none of their models are delicate or easy to digest they are a really noisy brand definitely doesn't match ur character 😅
Does your opinion of brands also change with their marketing decisions? I have always loved AP but their constant need to collaborate and hype up their watches, the recent Travis Scott being the worst example, whilst moving further from their classy past and more towards being Hublot. It’s really sad as I am thinking I will now sell my AP’s and re invest in Patek as I just think the brand has been cheapened.
As they say, if you can’t afford the price a brand coats to service, don’t buy their watches. I’d expect high service prices from a brand like ALS being one of the most exclusive brands in the world.
honestly I wouldn't purchase that watch...I mean would you buy a car if it broke down often and the Customer service didn't respond correctly?..wait I think I just described Range Rover haha ..Personally CS and Quality are paramount when purchasing expensive pieces in my opinion..again maybe thats just me ..I'd wait for the Rolex OP Celabration that you said you wanted instead of this questionable one ...Love the Chanel keep it up👍 Good luck
Hi, i really love your videos. Is there a watchbrand you hate/dislike for no particular reason? For me it is patek phillipe. And on other hand what is your lovebrand (other the. Rolex ;)) i love longines
It is annoying when you start researching a watch or watch company and get something like this. I am experiencing something similar with Nivada Grenchen. I am interested in a few of their watches but I read stories of watches arriving that do not work and poor customer service. Yet RUclips reviewers praise the watches and the brand…
I heard once more a story of this by ALS as i had a talk in the ALS boutique in Munich. Reason of the expensive service was that somebody else had opened the watch before. En once they she somebody else has opened the watch they gonna make big issues of it. I bought my ALS also preowned last year true Chrono. Called ALS several times en had great help from Oliver Siegle. Explained me a lot of how things would go. En was also clear in prices en service. After that bought it en true there website i registered it that i owned it. En even got a cleaning cloth with the Number ID in of the watch in.
Unpopular opinion - don’t buy a 40,000 euro watch and think a service won’t cost 2% of the purchase price…. Just saying, the horror stories do not surprise me. Fun video, thanks!
Oris, Fears and CW can’t exactly afford to pull the wool over your eyes to anyone who cares, with minimal knowledge, it’s rather obvious. Look at a typical entry level Big Crown Pointer Date. There’s no disguising it’s a Plain Jane SW200. I’d I were calling the shots at Oris, I’d have them create a better finished solid caseback and advertise it as an SW200. Subjectively that’s would be a better value.
My Lange story: I recently received my Datograph Up/Down and noticed a horrendous finish on one of the movement parts + shock absorb assembly has a crack on it. Lange claims this shouldn’t make any difference to the function of the watch. Not good enough.
For the price they charge that is 100% unacceptable
Dafuqqqq? You have some pictures of that? Lange is my absolute grail…. Sooooo ehhhhhhhhhh
If I pay that much for ANYTHING, let alone a watch, I expect a smooth and friction-less experience throughout my entire ownership of it, no excuses, no problems, no pushback.
Just booked my second service for my cherished Omega Speedmaster Pro caliber 1863 as the rewinding stop did not work anymore. Went to the Omega flagship AD in NYC. Price $900 incl. polishing but 6 to 9 month delay to get it back!!! Will let you know the outcome but my 1st service in 2014 done by their AD in Paris was flawless but with a much lower price tag (€500). I own this watch from new in 1997 and is the one I wear most. So $1500 in service over 26 years of ownership is more than fair for such an icon timepiece
Servicing or repair costs can be quite high indeed 💰
So I decided to take up watch servicing myself about a year ago. Yes you need to spend some money for tools but already saved about € 900 repairing my Breitling Superocean (date wheel was misaligned).
And it’s a lot of fun to do as well, great hobby 🙂
Kudos to Oris for also offering a choice between the Sellita or their pricier in-house Caliber 400 series movements on many models. Oris is terrific.
Kinda? I really want to like Oris, but they're really spendy. For example their Oris "social club" watch is a 100m "diver" with a 3rd party movement and costs 2-3x what a similar watch would cost from another good company. The price would make sense with a 400 movement in it, but with an off-the-shelf $200 movement ... ?
@@philipblockf2857given they are independent, employ almost entirely Swiss staff (salaries are enormous in Switzerland, I know because I earn one lol) and they don't have the benefit of scale to recuce costs, their costs will be significantly higher than most of the competitors. Hence their prices. Obviously there are other factors too.
I agree with you regarding the in house movements... it's cool and all but I like the fact that the non in house movements can get services by any skilled watch repair person. That might not seem like a big deal until one is waiting for 8 months or more to get their AP back.
Bremont is another that goes out of its way to make its off the shelf movements are in house. When manufacturers do this they diminish the great engineering of companies like Selita, ETA, etc.
Service costs and experiences are the Achilles heel of watch ownership and the industry will be well advised to focus on it and do better. I sent a Sinn 856 UTC in for a simple service after 5 years and waited 10 months for it to come back, with a bill of more than $800 USD. The $800 was not too bad, but the 10 months was excessive, at least to my mind. All the best.
Sinn seem fairly reasonable - my 857 is heading to the UK service partner in January. £350 and 3-5 week turnaround including the moisture absorbing blue thing…….
@@MrY-mc7uv Not sure what your comment about what you think is going to happen has to do with what happened to me.
Good point, not always the cost but the turnaround time can be a real downer.
Why can't watchmakers runa queue and call your watch in when they're ready. Hanging on to a watch for months ahead of touching it is unacceptable.
No one really likes to discuss servicing, but it is a valid issue and concern. The entire industry needs to up its game!
I had an ALS Saxonia auto serviced by Lange last year for £900 which is the price quoted on their website.The Lange one story is either untrue or the watch was a wreck.
Had two ALS services now both around £1500 for a perpetual calendar.
The only Lange servicing story i know is from a friend here in Germany. A friend of his who owns multiple Watches in the Lange/Patek Price range had their ALS sent into servicing and apart from the fact that it took a solid 4 months, everything (including the price) seemed fine. Until he got it back. Cause they forgot to put the moonphase disc back into the movement.
This is normal .I have Frederique Constant Index and Junior .Sent both for maintenance .Took 3-4,5 months for full maintenance and this was at cheap at all .
@@petyopetrov2048 It’s not „normal“ in the way that Lange and Söhne has way less watches to service than Omega, Rolex and Frederique constant. I do indeed know how long watch servicing takes. It’s still not great.
@@flolo7689 The longer service times are due to the shortage of watchmakers. Rolex made the shortage more critical by rolling out its CPO program which increased demand for watchmakers. Hence, service turnaround times are taking 3-4 months, and probably will increase for the near future.
ALS is also known for treating long time customers like shit when they don’t fit anymore. In uhrenforum you find multiple stories about Lange.
On a positive note, the services at Blancpain were very reasonably priced (cheaper than Omega in some cases).
Out or curiosity, what do you mean by "when they don't fit anymore"?
Not posh or rich enough, or don't fit the ideal customer profile ALS wants. In the Uhrenforum you find more information.@@kutark
I’ve seen those stories on ALS service issues. It has me concerned about owning their watches. The video about the London Watch Enthusiast’s experience with his Zeitwork is worth the watch. No pun intended.
BTW, on a separate note, you are looking great and well healed since your accident. I’m so happy to see you recovered. Do you still hop on your bike?
Hello Britt, Lange has ( relatively) reasonable fixed service prices. However, if the watch is damaged (water, drop, unqualified previous repair -> damaged movement parts), the bill may be much higher. But this is not uniquely to Lange, their competitors policies are very similar when a the servicing is out of the usual.
I think LWE purchased his datograph through second hand dealer. When I'm going to buy my first Lange Saxonia Thin, I would definitely use my trusted AD even if it costs way more new. Peace of mind. Motto is, buy new and not complicated movements for your first watch.
Promptly denouncing you to the 'Canadian Ministry of Being Nice'. That exists, right?
🤣🤣🤣 AHHH! It does. But we don’t usually let muggles (non-Canadian-folks) know.
Britt, I LOVE what IFL is doing. I already have a CasiOak Blueberry and the recent Moji Concept. And I ordered the Oris BOOGEYMAN as soon as it dropped (sorry, I didn't use your referral link) - their awesome customer service confirmed I'm getting #1 of the 25 LE pieces. Super stoked! Keep up the great videos!
But one thing should be clear to you as a RUclipsr, the reason the name is not mentioned is because they are reworking the movement so that it is simply no longer an original ETA or Sellita. What generally annoys me more is the fact that so many brands in the lower price range only use Sellita movements. This gets more and more boring as time goes on. The best thing would be if you decide to visit ALS once and then you can ask her directly about these grievances and see if they are true. I could also well imagine that some ALS watches were purchased through other channels and not from the official ALS boutique. But one thing should be clear here too: a Lange 1 is not a simple watch.
Unfortunately, you need a truck load of money in the driveway, and when you need to get your watch serviced, just park that truck outside the boutique and leave them the keys.
🤣🤣 it feels wrong!!! It feels like when I take our car into the garage to get fixed and they give me a higher price than they’d give James!
Also, servicing costs of non-luxury watches, makes something like a £150 watch disposable, which feels totally wrong for a mechanical timepiece.
That's really valuable info on the Lange. Thank you.
Wasn't ever on my radar anyways as the more hype I hear about something, the more I tend to move away.
On the other hand, there are so many REALLY good microbrands to explore in the English/Swiss and Japanese realms.
Congrats on your new G-Shock by the way 👍
I have an MR-G B5000 and it's one of my absolute favorites in my watch collection.
I had my Lange 1 serviced at the NYC boutique and servicing I thought was as expected.
Guys, just compare ALS vs AP service cost and you will find the thief... knowing that ALS are less fragile by design.
And do not forget that on internet only issues are highlited. 😊 wondering if service issues in UK is specific.. brexit could be the root cause? Not easy shipping to germany (custom)?
Hmm... Oris could be more transparent about it. They call their Sellita SW200 an "Oris 733"
And uh... wow... I won't be owning a Lange anytime soon.
Yes! Oris does do that! But my experience on their website is it saying the base calibre next to it! Which makes it ok in my books!
A really good WATCH BRAND RANT by the WATCH GRINGA, cause all the other Rant videos I have seen on RUclips (cant say the names😅) are extremely rude to the brand but you did it in a JOYFUL😂 way without spreading any HATE!
By the way, really like the octo design! Thanks for the video!👍
Have you ever had to bring your Mercedes Benz in for servicing? The Germans are nuts! The cash register only had 3 keys. $1000, $3000 and $5000, and they can be used in any combination. I will never buy another German car, and most certainly I will never buy a German watch. But I do love a nice wiener schnitzel and sauerkraut.
Had my Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition a Tourbillon Q1666520 sent to JLC earlier this year for service. This watch has caliber 978 running inside. The service was very fast and cost $1700 USD. This was the 1st service in over 8 yrs. Two screws had come completely out and fell thru the tourbillon and were rolling around on the front of the dial. Cost of service to me seem very fair. This being a complex watch not just because of the tourbillon, I was worried the number would be much higher. The story mentioned about Lange service has to have more to the story in my opinion.
If it’s my Lange, I can assure you it doesn’t.
Good to see Fears get a mention. Their watch with the salmon pink/copper dial is very pretty. Plus, who doesn't like a cushion case?
I've only ever had two mechanical watches serviced, first had a modified ETA movt. I took it to a long-established reputable Rolex/Tudor/Breitling etc AD in East Sussex. They serviced it in-house and returned it after about 3 months! It worked less well after the service and I could hardly turn the crown at all. Took it back and they denied all responsibility, said it was like that when they got it etc. and refused to do anything else. The second watch I sent to a long-established professional looking watch servicer in the UK that I found online. It was a vintage Smiths movt. Was returned to me 'service completed' in exactly the same condition and same issues as I sent it in. Again, no positive response from the company. When my Tudor needs a service it's going to Tudor, no one else.
Love the IFL watch. 😎 Lange, not so much…. Especially after the boutique “experience” in Dresden, let alone the reported poor after sales service, if the boutique service is anything to go on, it’s no surprise whatsoever to hear these stories.
If the purpose of my watch is looking at it and making me smile, I really don’t care if the movement is in-house, generic or modified. And if I receive compliments on my watch, believe me, it’s not because of the movement.
Total cost of ownership is a thing you really need to think about when buying these wonderful pieces. I totally get why so many people on tight budgets rather have a Seiko mod than the real thing.
This has me worried about getting myself an ALS as well. (It's not, im from a third world country and can barely afford to get a new seiko 5 due to the exchange rate)
Don't be apologetic about saying negative things or even expressing your opinion Britt. You need to say it as it is.
Please review new Tudor Ranger 79950. Very curious how you think it compares to BB 36, 39, ETC
I bought a Jean Richard recently. It's a brilliant watch. I assumed it was a Selitta SW300, but having researched it's a full Girard Perregaux made (in their factory) movement. Obviously servicing is going to cost a kidney now, but it's currently keeping Metas levels of accuracy. Wooooo!
Great video with awesome content.. knocked it out the park Britt!! What’s the green table mat?
I really enjoyed this video! I kept doing a double take when you said ALS, though. Lange is the better shortened version of the name in my opinion. Hope you are well!
Agreed - “ALS” is FAR better known as a debilitating disease, not a luxury watch manufacturer
Is there anything about *WHO BLOW* we cannot rant?
A common thread in these “Lange servicing horror stories” is service work was done by an outside party (also in most cases watches were purchased on the secondary market).
My B17, Breitling Super Ocean, movement was a modified ETA. Service required twice in two years as the crown kept pulling out. ETA based, fashion watch, movements never again for me.
YES!!! I nearly had a Breitling, IWC and TAG rant as well. But the video would be too long!
@@BrittPearceWatches I hope my Glashutte Original SeaQ 39.5mm service cost comes in lower than $500 plus parts listed price mostly because they are now owned by Swatch.
@@BrittPearceWatchesRant part 2!! 😂😂😂
Great video, always appreciate your outlook on things. I also love the Blue Jay hat you’re wearing and the appearance of a Roots hoodie in the editing Brittney pop ups. Very Canadian of you. 👍🇨🇦
Guys..if I service a watch with Rolex and they have to replace parts will it still a be considered a FrankenWatch/Frankenstien watch? Thanks
No, it will just have service parts, which some collectors shy away from, but it shouldn’t really matter for a modern Rolex.
I know what it’s like to drop a watch. If you drop it, man up and say so. Zenith has a service charge and it seems that they will fix what ever is wrong with the watch included in that service. I’m lucky my watch was ready for a tuneup. Thanks Britt
It always depends on how complicated the watch reference is. Brands usually have different price categories. And vintage is in a category of its own.
The ALS pronunciation was on Point 🤌❤ greetings from Germany 😉
Can only imagine that A.Lange would give a first class service , but, this information if verified isn't a great look.
Looked at a Doxa sub 300 ceramic " white pearl " which was gorgeous, but , for nearly £4,000 pounds housed a Sellita movement with 38 hrs power reserve. That's more expensive than a Tudor fxd so I was scratching my head.
So Kai heads the Bond Street Boutique and normally is great to deal with. If all servicing woes are from this boutique (I know Watch enthusiast London, and your vista friends are), consider calling the Harrods boutique. That is run by Lange proper where as the one on Bond Street is owned by Wempe. All the best!
Owning A LANGE is like owning an Aston Martin car , beautifully made ,Gorgeous to look at , dream to behold, but expensive to service. They both have the trained technicians who cost a lot to get to the standard required. But they both put on very expensive exhibition’s which ultimately you pay for 🙄
Love the authenticity of your videos and they are just so interesting!
Omg I’m so glad you bring this up. There is actually something in the watch world that has been bothering me so much lately, till driving me crazy…
And it’s the fact of not having enough money to buy all the watches that I want 😂😂😂😂
You made my day with the Jays Cap. Nice green version.
Greetings for you and the Fam from East York, Toronto.
Don’t be a stranger and come home 🇨🇦 to make one of your great videos!
Cheers !
You mean Jays 😬
@@barrylevine9505😂Yes, what an idiot I am … I meant the Blue Jays ! Give me some credit, The logo has a Maple Leaf. 😊 I was too happy to see her still holding on our TO our identity. 🍁 ❤
Thanks for the vid. What was the rant on Rolex mentioned in the title?
Got edited out as didn’t flow as well.
The £900 for servincing covers what? Visual inspection, new oil, movement regulation, what else? Any part replacement? If that's all, it's a lot of money! Did you ask?? Eh oh, prononciation was OK but it's not "and", it's "und" (check online how you have to sat it). You're getting there! ;-)
Excellent rant. Congrats on the great new sponsor!
I must say that I'm onside with Lange over that 'crown fell out' story. That sounds dubious AF to me. That being said those service charges are pretty cha-ching even before the 'extras' kick in... To quote a Britt-ism - you could probably get a Tudor Black Bay for the total service costs attached to your A. Lange & Sohne... Wow.
A. Lange Söhne is a different league which makes us normal luxury muggles (ie Omega, Rolex, and Glashütte Original), etc look like riff raff poors.😂 One is buying into a whole new level of pricing and servicing ecosystem with ALS - and their target demo (ie not us collector types) probably can pay without a second thought.
On your pronouncing A. Lange Söhne - sounded pretty good to my ear. Albeit, I minored and studied in Germany some 20 years ago - so take with a grain of salt.😉😁
Great fun video by rhe way!
I have two ALS - one Lange 1, and one Zeitwerk Striking Time. I had both serviced. The Lange 1 in Germany and the US. About 3k including case. No problems. Top work. The Striking Time counts as complicated watch. They all go back to Germany and are never serviced anywhere else. Price was 7k including case. Top work. No problems. For complicated watches, prices are quoted when they actually have the watch and can see what needs to be done - so there is no actual list. The stories you describe here sound unrealistic to me.
Servicing costs are painful!
I just asked my local omega boutique about turnaround time to get my 10yr old SMP serviced. I was told it will be 24 weeks before i get my watch back. Frigs sake, what 😳
ive heard about the Lange service cost before... seems crazy. totaly agree with the movement disinformation. I think Breitling is in that boat too.
IFL octopus dial is fantastic!🤩
This IFL shit has got to stop. Lol
We painted a 100$ gshock. So now it’s 1500$
A few things in response to a fine episode :
1. Good for you, and thank you. This kind of thing is very helpful.
2. I hope you won't mind my saying this, but please don't apologize for being honest. It is somewhat disconcerting.
3. A pet complaint of mine, because you asked us - watch manufacturers who call their watches gold when there is no real gold on the watch, or less gold than it appears there is. For example, two-tone watches in which only the two end links actually are gold. All the other links have components that are gold color but are only gold leaf or gilding or gold PVD. (I'm sure you know which company I'm referring to.) Don't we have the right to expect that no manufacturer will suggest to us there's gold where there isn't?
4. Might I ask, in the future could you mention, when relating stories about service repairs, even under warranty, who is bringing in a watch he purchased new - from an AD or company boutique - and who is seeking service for a second-hand watch? Perhaps I'm wrong, but most of these stories seem like they could boil down to disputes over the condition the watch was in when the current owner obtained it.
I can reccomend a watchmaker who can handle Lange, Neville Clarke in Oxfordshire, he's quite well known and hugely qualified. Doesn't beleieve in post you have to go see him😂 Blinking prima donna .
A1 of course is excellent too and my choice for everything below Lange......Honestly I couldn't do what I do without his help. Neville btw is not cheap but not £900 either😂
I always ask about servicing costs before buying - if it is uneconomical or a rip-off, it's a no-got for me
I'll stick to Tudor, Omega, GS, maybe JLC lol. Life's already too expensive as it is!
I won’t buy a German watch because you have to send it back for servicing due to most of the parts are made in house. My watchmaker can’t get the parts to fix problems, so it’s a no go for me even though I would like to own one.
I read too many bad things about Yema's quality and customer services, so I decided to go to Omega.
The one that I've found brands doing more and more which really annoys me is brands giving their watch thickness excluding the crystal. How does that make any sense? I'll just pop off the crystal shall I?
😂 I’m totally with you. To be fair a streamlined curved watch slips under a sleeve easier than some slab sided thing with a flat crystal. It’s still a daft measurement
Please can Jenni Elle make a reaction video to Britt's pronunciation of Lange k ty
Really love your pronunciation of "Uh Longy and Sonah". I think they should just change the name of their brand to fit your pronunciation of them.
You really should listen to London watch Enthusiast's outrageous saga he had to go through with his Lange and he had already been a supposedly "valued" customer of theirs. I highly recommend his channel to you Britt! ( OH you mentioned him after I typed this! HA! )
Hublot buyers don’t care about movements-picture a caged Gerbil on a running wheel 😎!
Hi Britt, do you mind if I ask what jacket are you wearing? My wife loved it. Thanks!
hi luv ur rank video and i dont blame u at ur tag approaches cuz none of their models are delicate or easy to digest they are a really noisy brand definitely doesn't match ur character 😅
The pronounciation of Lange is a bit off. But no worries and thank you for making the Effort!
Some of those watch servicing quotes almost sound reasonable when you compare it with servicing an exotic car.
Can you please do a review on Cuervo y sobrinos, I value your knowledge on watches
IFL did a fun Tissot recently which I didn't jump on fast enough, sadly.
That’s so cool!!! Love it.
Does your opinion of brands also change with their marketing decisions? I have always loved AP but their constant need to collaborate and hype up their watches, the recent Travis Scott being the worst example, whilst moving further from their classy past and more towards being Hublot.
It’s really sad as I am thinking I will now sell my AP’s and re invest in Patek as I just think the brand has been cheapened.
holy moly that g shock is seriously NOT my scene! damn...
As they say, if you can’t afford the price a brand coats to service, don’t buy their watches. I’d expect high service prices from a brand like ALS being one of the most exclusive brands in the world.
honestly I wouldn't purchase that watch...I mean would you buy a car if it broke down often and the Customer service didn't respond correctly?..wait I think I just described Range Rover haha ..Personally CS and Quality are paramount when purchasing expensive pieces in my opinion..again maybe thats just me ..I'd wait for the Rolex OP Celabration that you said you wanted instead of this questionable one ...Love the Chanel keep it up👍 Good luck
The A. Lange pronunciation was not toooooo good 🥲
I’m sure it will improve quickly with owning that A. lange 👏🏻
Hi, i really love your videos. Is there a watchbrand you hate/dislike for no particular reason? For me it is patek phillipe. And on other hand what is your lovebrand (other the. Rolex ;)) i love longines
Interesting perspective, but I love my Rolex! 🤷♀️
They’re all decent manufacturers, especially in the market for beater watches.
Today i was quoted $610 for an oil change. It's a very nice car, so FWP, but yeah. Zee Germaanz don't work for cheap.
That's an expensive polish for Britt's quote. I can only assume it was a gold watch
It is annoying when you start researching a watch or watch company and get something like this. I am experiencing something similar with Nivada Grenchen. I am interested in a few of their watches but I read stories of watches arriving that do not work and poor customer service. Yet RUclips reviewers praise the watches and the brand…
@@BAF605 some are but some state they do not do sponsored videos.
Love the Bluejays Hat!!
Your A. Lange & Söhne pronunciation was a 10/10 🤓
I heard once more a story of this by ALS as i had a talk in the ALS boutique in Munich.
Reason of the expensive service was that somebody else had opened the watch before.
En once they she somebody else has opened the watch they gonna make big issues of it.
I bought my ALS also preowned last year true Chrono. Called ALS several times en had great help from Oliver Siegle. Explained me a lot of how things would go.
En was also clear in prices en service.
After that bought it en true there website i registered it that i owned it. En even got a cleaning cloth with the Number ID in of the watch in.
Unpopular opinion - don’t buy a 40,000 euro watch and think a service won’t cost 2% of the purchase price…. Just saying, the horror stories do not surprise me. Fun video, thanks!
Love the cap - I live in Hamilton. Cheers
Why do you need a Lange? Look at different high horology brands. Personally I will pick a Breguet.
haha $1190 for a G-shock ridiculous.
love your work shirt, love the video. looks good on you
Oris, Fears and CW can’t exactly afford to pull the wool over your eyes to anyone who cares, with minimal knowledge, it’s rather obvious.
Look at a typical entry level Big Crown Pointer Date. There’s no disguising it’s a Plain Jane SW200. I’d I were calling the shots at Oris, I’d have them create a better finished solid caseback and advertise it as an SW200. Subjectively that’s would be a better value.