Tudor GMT date wheel issue 2nd time

[Guppydriver]

Originally Posted by Kinnakeet

A friend was WELL taken care of with a potential problem on his GT3. Enough so that I won’t go into as to be told it’s not factual.

Anyway, this date issue has kept me from purchasing this watch. Too many other GMT’s on the market than to take a chance. I’ll stick with my Rolex and GS for tracking time zones.

I actually think it's a underserved complication compared to others. I am referring to a travelers GMT with a rotating bezel. I have been thinking of buying a Tudor despite the date issue, because it seems like I don't have a lot of options. Obviously an office GMT changes everything, but for me, it's not the same class or complication, I need a jumping hour.

1. Rolex- much more expensive and can be difficult to acquire at retail.
2. GS- Not a lot of rotating bezel options that are less than 44mm (although
I have my eye on a few)
3. Omega- The PO is hockey puck thick
4. Seiko- Sharp edge Presage- I owned one, but sold it. Great value, but I couldn't get over the cheapness of the bracelet.
5. Mido or Certina- No idea, I've never seen one

So again, IMHO, I don't see a lot of competition which I think is why this watch has sold so well.

[andrewjb88]

Well fingers crossed the new movement this time is good.

[JP(Canada)]

The reality is movement/ parts / procedure updates are not uncommon and can even be expected. This is not exclusive to Tudor, and I suspect this second fix is somehwat different than the first, given the time that has passed.

I don't buy the narrative that Tudor just accepts that these watches will fail in this way sometimes, just as I don’t believe that Rolex is okay with poor timekeeping on their latest calibre movements.

[Lu..]

I'm planning to acquire this ref next year after a major milestone......looks like the OP bought his back in 2018....I haven't seen any threads (in here & other forums) of this issue with ones that were purchased recently, so my guess is the new ones don't have the issue.....

Wish I can get a Master-II, but you all know the deal with that (I refuse to buy grey)....but like the BBGMT with its modern vintage vibe......an excellent alternative....plus less worries on wearing it in some sketchy areas when traveling....

[worldofoyster]

i would ask for a new watch

[andrewjb88]

Just a bump the dealer called me today to say Tudor (Rolex SC) have called to say do I want a new mechanism (with the fix) or a new watch, as a nice as a new watch sounds.

I have made marks on the watch and memories so have decided to go for the new mechanism, I did say to them ill have a new Panda Chronograph instead but the offer was only a GMT.

When they called was kinda hoping they were gonna say it was done already. I suspect ill be lucky if I see it before Jan.

[absoluteczech]

Wow I would have taken a new watch which should have the new improved movement with the fix in it. Plus a new 5 year warranty to boot probably.

[andrewjb88]

New Mechanism will get a warranty anyway and will include the "fix".

The mechanism they fitted in 2019 was prior to the fix.

[Oxfordian]

Seems odd that this issue cannot be sorted and fixed once and for all, the complications isn’t a new one as all watch brands have watches with a date complication, it makes you wonder why it happened in the first place.

Let’s hope it is just an isolated issue and the OP gets it sorted permanently.

[airchitect]

Reality is there’s a manufacturing/design issue here that rears it’s head on a percentage of units. Tudor will fix it in the next movement and bandaid it until then. It’s the reason Ive held off from picking one up. Nice watch with one issue….and an odd case back.. still dig it though. Tudor aren’t watch nerds, they’re manufacturers. This is about $. It will get fixed during a redesign.

[karwath]

Originally Posted by airchitect

Reality is there’s a manufacturing/design issue here that rears it’s head on a percentage of units. Tudor will fix it in the next movement and bandaid it until then. It’s the reason Ive held off from picking one up. Nice watch with one issue….and an odd case back.. still dig it though. Tudor aren’t watch nerds, they’re manufacturers. This is about $. It will get fixed during a redesign.

I agree with this - I will likely pick one up, but only after it is clear that the problem has been fixed, and when it is certain I am not picking up some older stock made before the fix.

In fact, perhaps it will soon be time for some new colorways, or even perhaps a redesigned case that is not so tall.

As much as I like the Tudor GMT, and want one, patience is a virtue given the date wheel issue.

[peterp]

I spoken with Rolex RSC one day on the GMT issue and they told me Tudor service usually change entire movement. They are not allowed to repair it loclally. I could't believe because this equals this movement with powermatic etc. The Tudor value droped in my eyes and comparing with Rolex would be a joke.

[Koolpep]

Originally Posted by peterp

I spoken with Rolex RSC one day on the GMT issue and they told me Tudor service usually change entire movement. They are not allowed to repair it loclally. I could't believe because this equals this movement with powermatic etc. The Tudor value droped in my eyes and comparing with Rolex would be a joke.

They swap the movements and send them to Switzerland. Maybe they rework then and send them back. The repair cannot be done at the local RSCs. The HQ can then examine the movements in detail to find root causes etc. it’s not a bad thing. They don’t throw away these movements.

[andrewjb88]

Originally Posted by Koolpep

They swap the movements and send them to Switzerland. Maybe they rework then and send them back. The repair cannot be done at the local RSCs. The HQ can then examine the movements in detail to find root causes etc. it’s not a bad thing. They don’t throw away these movements.

Yeh to speed it up, the watch that is waiting get a "new" movement, I bet the new movement is just an old one that has been fixed.

[B2 Stealth]

Had mine two years before the date issue appeared out of nowhere. Tudor fixed it under warranty of course. Once was enough. Just sold and shipped it off yesterday. I have two Rolex GMTs and rarely wore the Tudor. I did like the watch but this recurring date problem tainted it. Guess I'm just too much of a Rolex guy. Honored to wear a watch popular with pilots in Vietnam and astronauts.

[nyc10ken]

i got an update from RSC on my date issue and they said they will only service the movement, not change it unless absolutely necessary. Also I asked them for a free polish but they refused saying theres a charge. Took about 6 weeks to get the estimate and I guess at least another 6 weeks for me the watch back. Ho hum I still like the watch but bit disapppointed in the service.

[michaelodonnell123]

I bought my Tudor GMT when it first came out and it had the date wheel issue a month after ownership. I sent it in three times to be repaired and it was never fixed right. My two year warranty was coming to an end, and the watch was still not fixed right. I asked my AD what happens then?

If Rolex could not fix it right while under warranty, what happens when the warranty expires? He said, once the warranty is up, I will have to pay out of pocket. I then realized that I was taken for a ride. Rolex was unable to fix their watch and unwilling to honor their warranty.

Stupid me fell for the hype and bought a watch endorsed by Lady Gaga. Never again. I sold it for a loss to somebody who did not mind a broken date wheel.

I then bought myself a Ball GMT and yes, the date wheel works. My advice: stay away from the Tudor GMT.

[minute_man]

Originally Posted by michaelodonnell123

My two year warranty was coming to an end, and the watch was still not fixed right. I asked my AD what happens then?

If Rolex could not fix it right while under warranty, what happens when the warranty expires? He said, once the warranty is up, I will have to pay out of pocket. I then realized that I was taken for a ride. Rolex was unable to fix their watch and unwilling to honor their warranty.

.

Originally Posted by Swearengen

RSC called to say my GMT is ready and I collected it today. The was no charge. I will wear it and see if the date issue is truly fixed. They were pretty vague when I asked what had been changed.

It seems that Rolex is indeed honoring the warranty and willing to foot the bill even when outside of it.
Once more, it's worth pointing out that ADs have a mild reputation for speaking from where the sun doesn't shine...

I can't argue about the (not) fixing though.

[michaelodonnell123]

Originally Posted by minute_man

It seems that Rolex is indeed honoring the warranty and willing to foot the bill even when outside of it.
Once more, it's worth pointing out that ADs have a mild reputation for speaking from where the sun doesn't shine...

I can't argue about the (not) fixing though.

At this point it wouldn't matter anyway, Rolex still does not have the ability to fix a simple date wheel. They should have used an ETA movement.

[michaelodonnell123]

↑ Guarantee is worthless since Rolex can't figure out how to fix their own in-house movement. ↑

[XZACM102]

This whole GMT date thing is one big fiasco. I was lucky that my AD bought the watch back from me after it came back from Tudor service with scratches on the case back. I had it less than one month.
On a separate note not only GMT related it seems Tudor is swapping movements in general as part of regular service which is purely cost savings driven model. That bothers me a lot knowing that with Tudor you can get random refurbished movement each time you need to have your piece serviced. Thoughts ?

[nollie85]

Originally Posted by XZACM1001

This whole GMT date thing is one big fiasco. I was lucky that my AD bought the watch back from me after it came back from Tudor service with scratches on the case back. I had it less than one month.
On a separate note not only GMT related it seems Tudor is swapping movements in general as part of regular service which is purely cost savings driven model. That bothers me a lot knowing that with Tudor you can get random refurbished movement each time you need to have your piece serviced. Thoughts ?

Being the so called "Budget" arm of Rolex (I know ppl wont like it but lets face it Tudor was introduced to be "more" affordable than Rolex)

So with that they probably determined that the time for a watchmaker to disassemble, clean and re-assemble the watch its 100x faster to just swap the movement and they probably have a process to refurb the old ones.

This makes service times much faster, faster turnaround for the end user and most likely huge cost savings. Its like a Japanese Miyota movement what cost $30 for a new one. There is no point in servicing it. Just throw the old one out and put a new one in.

[michaelodonnell123]

Originally Posted by nollie85

Being the so called "Budget" arm of Rolex (I know ppl wont like it but lets face it Tudor was introduced to be "more" affordable than Rolex)

So with that they probably determined that the time for a watchmaker to disassemble, clean and re-assemble the watch its 100x faster to just swap the movement and they probably have a process to refurb the old ones.

This makes service times much faster, faster turnaround for the end user and most likely huge cost savings. Its like a Japanese Miyota movement what cost $30 for a new one. There is no point in servicing it. Just throw the old one out and put a new one in.

What's the point of swapping out one defective movement for another defective movement. Mine was swapped out 3x and it still did not work.

[B2 Stealth]

I bought my Tudor GMT as a placeholder until I acquired a BLRO. After two years the date wheel issue appeared. After getting it "fixed" I immediately sold the watch. I enjoy my BLRO and BLNR and wasn't wearing the Tudor much. If I buy another GMT BALL has some great color combinations I would consider.

[Driver8]

To me this date issue is exactly the same as the 32xx movement issue - some tiny design flaw that rears its head on a percentage of movements whilst others escape it.

Given the elapsed time that both issues have been occurring (with apparently no permanent fix even years down the line), I agree with 'airchitect's' earlier post that not very much will be done until there's either a new movement, or at least a major revision to the existing one.

For this reason alone, I avoid the Tudor GMT, and currently any 32xx powered Rolex.

[Ascari_2]

Does anyone have insight into exactly what causes this issue?

[andrewjb88]

AD called yesterday mine is back so took from 11th October - 2nd December to get it in, take apart, send old movement off, return new movement and ship back to AD. Not a bad turn around.

[Rori]

3rd time with mine. Today skipped a day and got stuck between 3 and 4. will send in for repair... Love it so much I don't want to part with it no matter if it will keep doing it ad infinitum :-)

[minute_man]

Originally Posted by Rori

3rd time with mine. Today skipped a day and got stuck between 3 and 4. will send in for repair... Love it so much I don't want to part with it no matter if it will keep doing it ad infinitum :-)

I'm with you on this one.

Mine is still with the RSC for randomly stopping.

Hope you get yours back soon.

It seems that Rolex has been unable to pinpoint and eradicate the root cause though... Go figure...

Anyhow, that's still no big deal because even if I had to foot the bill at some point, well, if you spend 4K on a watch, you can definitely afford 400 for a service, right?

[dpt.calvin]

Originally Posted by minute_man

I'm with you on this one.

Mine is still with the RSC for randomly stopping.

Hope you get yours back soon.

It seems that Rolex has been unable to pinpoint and eradicate the root cause though... Go figure...

Anyhow, that's still no big deal because even if I had to foot the bill at some point, well, if you spend 4K on a watch, you can definitely afford 400 for a service, right?

It’s not a matter of affording a $400 service. It’s the principle. And how many times are you willing to foot a $400 service to fix the same problem?