IWC Big Pilot Crown broken from axle... HELP?!

Hi all,

Since one month i am the proud owner of a IWC Big Pilot 5004(01). It is a one year old watch, bought by an official IWC dealer. It is my second "high-end" watch and i am very proud of and careful with them. I only wear my Big Pilot in the weekend, so i had it on for some five days now. This Sunday i had to adjust the time because it was off two minutes. For me it was the second time i opened the crown...

I unwound the crown and it came of the axle! Having just bought the watch I was of course very disappointed with the fact that the crown is broken. I returned the BP to my official IWC Dealer and they checked the crown/axle with their watchmaker and consulted with IWC. Conclusion: the damage was consistent with dropping or impact of the crown. Therefore, it is not a warranty repair. Having just bought the watch and being really careful with it, I am very sure that the watch was not dropped, neither did I bump into something. It was a big investment and after just one month I am now faced with a possible very expensive repair to my beautiful watch, not mentioning the fact that I will have to go without it for a couple of months probably...

I have a few questions:
• Are other BP owners familiar with damage to the crown and how did their IWC dealer handle this?
• Is this story ringing any bells? I mean; does someone recognizes the fact that you did not wear the watch often, are super careful with it but are still faced with damage to the crown?
• Does it help for me to contact IWC directly to discuss my disappointment with them of should I leave this to my AD?

I really loved the BP for the short time I had it, so I can only hope for a speedy repair with help from IWC. I am sure i have been very careful with the watch, as it is very special to me. Any help would be highly appreciatie!

JD

No one with comments/help?

It should be a very simple and easy repair.

I was confused: was it a one year old watch that you bought a month ago? Was it used or did the dealer just have it unsold for the prior 11 months? If the former, a prior owner might have really caused the damage.

In all events, it should be a fast and inexpensive fix.

This is a tough one for us to armchair quarterback, simply because we have no perspective on the watch or the situation as a whole. While I do believe you when you say that you did nothing wrong, and yes, I've seen this sort of thing happen on other watches before (i.e. the watch wasn't abused, yet the crown just popped out), ultimately it's the IWC watchmaker's word against yours.

Now, if I were a trained watchmaker and I was able to inspect the watch myself, then I'd be able to give you an informed opinion, but as it stands, there's not a whole lot that I, or anyone else here can do. Personally, I don't see why they wouldn't "goodwill" this repair -- I would -- but it ain't up to me. Hopefully someone with a similar experience dealing with a service issue of this nature can chime in here.

No matter what happens, the BP is a terrific watch, so good luck getting it repaired and back on your wrist where it belongs.

Regards,
Adam

Well, the only thing I can tell you is that the new 5009 BP has a redesigned crown mechanism to increase the robustness of the assembly.
This issue pops up from time to time. The problem with these big watches is that as you walk about there are numerous opportunities to bang the crown against a door frame or other fixed object. Sometimes you are not even aware of how much force is applied on a hit to the crown.
It might be worth pressing the issue but it depends how much your AD is willing to fight for you.

Thanks, it helps just reading some replies!

It is a previously owned watch, now 14 months old and I bought it a monh ago from the IWC AD. I also asked if it is possible that the previous owner caused the damage to the mechanism, but the AD assured me that they check the watch in detail before selling it to me...

I hope that my AD comes thru and fixes it. Or perhaps someone at IWC could be helpful if it is not an expensive fix, especially when this is a weak point for the watch?

Thanks for the kind replies, it is nice to read!

JD

Hi John
The same happened to my white gold BP some time ago. It was sent to IWC Schaffhauen and within a few days it was repaired for free out of warranty with a very nice apology letter. I am not the only one who has had this nice experience. I hope it works out for you as well since there is precedent.

Interesting!

If this is a weak spot for this watch, should IWC not recall them and make sure this mechanism is of the same high standard as one could expect from IWC?

JD

Well, a watch is not a car, where the life of several people is at stake when the break paddle breaks off in a spontaneous way. I wonder if the repair in effect is a kind of upgrade to a 5009. Good luck anyway!

Kind regards,
Paul

@Sunflower: you make a good point!

I was more focused on the quality aspect of the IWC brand. I just bought the watch, so people keep asking me to wear it so they can admire the BP. When I explain to them that I do not have it, I get some strange faces and remarks that I already had to send it in for repairs... I then try to explain that a big crown posses some risk in the construction, but it is kind of hard to grasp on a premium brand watch.

It mostly ends with people laughing about it, that surely does not amuse me!

JD

The crown is the weakest spot on ANY watch, not just the Big Pilot. Now, given that the crown on the Big Pilot is so large by design, naturally this is going to be even more of a target for potential damage than it is on an average timepiece.

Can it be made stronger? Not really. Unless they build the stem out of tungsten, it is what it is. By design, the crown is extra-large so that it can be easily gripped by a pilot wearing thick gloves, with the downside being that it's more vulnerable to damage. This has absolutely nothing to do with quality, and everything to do with intent and purpose of design.

Hope this makes sense to you.

Regards,
Adam

@Adam,

Thanks for your reply! I know why they designed the crown as it is, I did my research before buying it. And I love the watch a lot!

Having said this, i still feel uncomfortable that it is now damaged without my knowledge of a bumb of the crown! I already am very cautious when I wear one of my watches and still this happened whiteout me knowing about it. For a pilot, sitting in a cramped cockpit, it would probably be really nice if the watch is not only easy to use with thick gloves, but also durable and sturdy!

For now I am uncertain if this will happen more often, can I just wear it normally? If it is a costly repair, etc... This is all besides the fact that I am still waiting on the watch I bought to wear!

Anyone with experience on this top pick?

JD

Dear JohnDoe (kind of anonymous, no?),

With respect to the prior comments, the watch had a pocket watch styled crown, not because of military use, but because it was a converted pocket watch movement. The original model also was produced with a more typical crown.

I can appreciate you're upset, but also with respect you bought a used watch. You have no idea how the original owner, or possibly even owners, treated the watch. I know, the dealer said he examined it, but could they have made a mistake or, even if not, missed a hidden problem? That's why used watches are cheaper.

@Michael; thanks for you reply!

You are right, it is a second hand watch. For me it is not so much about the money; it was an offer from my AD, watch looking as new, no scratches, markings, wear (and just 1 year old), so I accepted his offer. He did say they checked it in and out and judging (I know, superficial) from the state the watch was/is in, I saw no problems.

Being new to IWC and the Big Pilot, I probably could have asked my AD to show me the crown and axle before buying it. So what I am "hoping" is that the previous owner did bump it causing the damage and my AD missed it in the check before they sold it to me. Why I am hoping this is that otherwise I do not have a clue what I did to cause the damage and what I should do different in the future to prevent it happening again!

So basically I am asking other BP owners if they have problems with the crown and what caused it? And is it possible to get this damage without the wearer of the watch being aware of bumping/dropping the watch?

JD