recently bought a new mark xvii. wore it out the following night only to come home and notice a ding on the case. honestly cannot recall hitting it against anything and with a ding this size i'm sure i would remember or feel it.
are these watches that delicate and easy damaged?
They are steel and depending on the hardness they are still prone to scratches and dings as I found out when I brushed against a brick wall. Steel which is hard can also be brittle and likewise not necessarily stainless. Tempered steel would be harder but a nightmare to machine and finish, production rates would slow to a crawl and machining the case would require frequent cutter changes as well.
i bought a 377701 from an iwc boutique,only to find some scratches on the case.i sent it back to the iwc centre in sydney,eight months later it was replaced with a brand new watch. if you don't think that you caused the damage,and you would remember it happening at the time,i'd argue the point for a replacement.watches do get mistreated by staff-there is a lot of movement with handling watches that are on display.sure it's the customers responsibility to inspect the watch before purchase,but one expects the retailer to be forthcoming with it's own responsibilities regarding the stock it keeps.
good luck.
kenneth.