Why do they make it so difficult?

Straps, straps, straps, and bracelets!
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Amor Vincit Omnia
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Why do they make it so difficult?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Major rant.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Cartier. And I absolutely adore my Tank.

But trying to get hold of a replacement strap feels like negotiating a labyrinth of Minotaurean proportions.

Firstly, it’s a non-standard strap with a strange lug width (22.5 to 23 mm) tapering to 17 mm at the double deployant buckle end. There are no holes, it’s a friction system (absolutely brilliant) and the two halves of the strap are identical.

A visit to the Cartier website seems to indicate that the only way to get a replacement strap is to send your watch off for about eight weeks. So I sent them an email and received a reply that I could indeed get a replacement strap sent “to your residency” from the Bond Street boutique, and that I would need to send photographs of the case back, strap and deployant with reference numbers for the watch and the strap. I have now done that, and I await their response to see how many assorted limbs this is going to cost me.

What a flippin’ palaver! :roll:

I love Cartier. Honestly, I do. But really...????
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iain
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Re: Why do they make it so difficult?

Post by iain »

Could this be something related to the Richemont ownership I wonder?

The reason I ask is that IWC, another Richemont brand, seems make it a bit of a faff as well. I’ve recently bought an aquatimer which uses the Cartier licensed quick release system on the straps. This means you can only buy them from IWC. At £290, for a rubber strap.

I’ve ordered a bracelet for it and they needed the model reference and serial number in order to order one. I suppose they want to make sure they order the right one though as there would be a lot of finger pointing between the AD and the customer if it didn’t fit on arrival. Maybe that’s also Cartier’s reasoning?
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Re: Why do they make it so difficult?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

^^^Pretty much my thinking, Iain.
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Re: Why do they make it so difficult?

Post by gaf1958 »

Omega ADs and boutiques are much the same. They frequently insist on seeing the watch, unless you can convince them that you actually know what you’re after... but that can be difficult sometimes depending on how much of a “red tape stickler” you’re dealing with.

I guess it ensures that the right part is ordered doesn’t it...
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Re: Why do they make it so difficult?

Post by malvern_man »

I didn't have to much trouble when I emailed Omega about purchasing the DSOTM strap with the fold over clasp, after a couple of email exchanges they asked their London boutique to contact me. They emailed and phoned me and after a few days the strap and clasp were delivered to me, and it's now fitted to my watch. All they asked me for was the watch reference number.
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Re: Why do they make it so difficult?

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

^^^^ "I await their response to see how many assorted limbs this is going to cost me."

Have you heard back from Cartier, Steve, or is this a timely reminder to chase them?

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Re: Why do they make it so difficult?

Post by JAFO »

OEMs seem to make it hard. Raymond Weil had a nice strap I was considering for a non RW watch. I had to send them my watch ID to get a quote. A little bit cheaper than omega, but £190 for the leather, and £75 extra for the closure. (Not hidden like a Bader, either.). Omega alligator is over £500 with based type closure. It puts the CW cordovan straps at £115 into perspective. Tribus are charging £120 for all their straps.
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Re: Why do they make it so difficult?

Post by Maraeburn »

Personally - I'd just go to the strap tailor - he will make exactly what you want to any specification that you want, and if it's not an alligator the cost will probably be about £120. He's also a brilliant strap maker, and the straps are pretty quick to produce. I've bought and had made a few straps.

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Re: Why do they make it so difficult?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

I’ve heard back from them but not had time to contact the boutique recently. It looks as though it won’t be a problem to get a strap, and they are not massively expensive.
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