Watch Journalist Yasuhito Shibuya's Useful Watch Industry Chat
For some reason, it hasn't received much attention, but it's the topic that has been on my radar in the watch industry for the past few years: "extending the quality guarantee period." Why are watch manufacturers and watch brands working to "extend the quality guarantee period"? I'll explain based on answers from major watch brands.
(Article published on October 9, 2022)
2 years, 5 years, 8 years, and 10 years!
For the past few years, I have been thinking, "Why aren't they promoting this more? It's good news for everyone." About three years ago, in November 2018, the quality warranty period for watches was significantly extended from two years to five years, then eight years, and finally ten years.
In my 25+ years of covering watches, I can't think of any better news for consumers, and I applaud the watchmakers and brands who have made this happen.
Omega was at the forefront of this trend. In November 2018, it extended its warranty period from two years to five years, a 2.5-fold increase, for products released after July 2018, four months earlier. Longines, also part of the Swatch Group, has also extended its warranty period from two years to five years for models purchased after January 2021.
Grand Seiko, the top Japanese watch brand, also announced in October 2021 that it would extend its quality guarantee period from three years to five years, retroactive to January 2021. At the same time, it also eliminated the "limited repair period" that had previously been limited to "10 years after release" in line with national standards.
Prior to this, Jaeger-LeCoultre announced in the spring of 2019, followed by IWC in the fall, that they would offer a total of eight years of quality guarantees and service programs to purchasers who register online, including owners who still have two years of their warranty remaining.
Then, in the spring of 2021, at the online event "WATCHES & WONDERS 2021," Tudor announced that in addition to its "5-year warranty," it would be OK to have its watches overhauled after 10 years. Furthermore, Oris announced a 10-year warranty for its in-house "Caliber 400" movement series, which has a power reserve of approximately 120 hours (approximately 5 days), provided that users register online.
I've been covering watches for over 25 years, but I never thought the warranty period would be extended to this extent. I think this is groundbreaking.
The reason for the extension of quality assurance is technological innovation
By the way, why was this "significant extension of the quality guarantee period" possible?
The reason for this is the rapid technological innovation in mechanical movements and their manufacturing and inspection techniques, as symbolized by the "new generation movements" that have been introduced into new watches in recent years.
This time, I asked Omega, Grand Seiko, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Oris about the reasons for extending their quality guarantee periods.
As expected, the answers from all four brands were basically the same: the reason was "technological innovation in the movement itself, as well as in quality control and service systems."
So what exactly is this "technological innovation" in the movement? Specifically, it is the adoption of silicon balance springs and escapements (pallet fork and escape wheel) that offer dimensional precision and quality that is orders of magnitude more stable than conventional parts, as well as non-magnetic parts that do not become magnetized, which is the biggest cause of watch repair problems.
Omega has been at the forefront of this technological innovation, offering a five-year quality guarantee since the models released in July 2018. The symbol of this is the Master Co-Axial movement, which boasts high precision, durability, and magnetic resistance and is now installed in almost all of its products, including the hand-wound Speedmaster Moonwatch.
It uses a unique "Co-Axial" escapement, which has a completely different structure from conventional Swiss lever escapements. Furthermore, by using a silicon balance spring and the anti-magnetic alloy "Nivagauss" in the parts, it has achieved a durability that is said to be about twice as long as conventional models, precision that exceeds that of COSC-certified chronometers, and magnetic resistance of 15,000 gauss, an unprecedented level.
