Signor Pitti, we all hope nothing ever goes wrong with a luxury watch, so what do you recommend to clients who wish to maintain their watch collection in the best possible condition? First of all, just to remind you that every new Cartier watch comes with a full two-year guarantee. It is, however, very important to keep the watch in good health, as with any complex piece of mechanics. I like to describe a timepiece as a magical instrument; it is essentially a machine, though, let’s not forget that – so just as we take regular care of our cars, by changing their oil, for example – we should take care of our watches. The same logic applies.
How does Cartier deal with requests for watch repairs from clients in Southern Africa? One of the first strategic decisions we made many years ago was to establish a central service centre for all Richemont group brands in SA; this is a highly specialised repair centre with dedicated watch makers for Cartier jewellery and watches. From that base, we also provide repairs for our watch retailers in Mozambique, Angola – and the entire region, in fact.
What are the advantages of having a regional hub like that rather than sending the watches back to Switzerland for repair? Presumably it is a lot quicker? Yes, this approach definitely saves on time for the customer and generally makes the whole process of sending your watch away for a service much more efficient. It is one of our missions at Cartier to provide the best possible after-sales service, so we did not want to compromise on anything.
OK, let’s get into the specifics: can you describe a typical situation of how something might go wrong with a luxury timepiece, given your experience over the years? Clients often come to me and say, “This watch has been working without any problems for 10 years, I don’t know why it has stopped working now.” Let me ask you, what other kind of technical instrument can work non-stop, 24 hours a day for that length of time? Every now and then, depending on how you use it, a watch needs to be maintained, it’s very simple. If you regularly scuba dive, you’ll need to replace the gasket every year. Every three years or so I recommend sending your watch for a complete service – that is standard. Our guarantee will then cover the watch for the following 12 months.
Would you distinguish between sports watches and complicated mechanical watches in terms of maintenance and repairs? The basic principle is that all automatic watches, especially those with complications, should always be in motion, so wear them as much as possible! For sports, it may be stating the obvious but you need a sports watch – please don’t wear a mechanical complication. If you go skiing in sub-zero temperatures and then visit the sauna wearing a mechanical timepiece, the gasket is going to be badly affected by the extreme change in temperature. That’s an extreme example but even a very hot shower can create that kind of effect, by the way – so it’s always best to take a watch off beforehand. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
October 2015
Alessandro Pitti views watches as magical machines
The MD of Cartier Africa warns that timepieces need to be kept in good health
Alessandro Pitti has been with Cartier for 10 years and previously worked in Italy, Turkey and Greece before taking on the role of MD for Africa and the Middle East. A charismatic and vivacious Italian, he sat down with Wanted at this year’s BaselWorld watch fair to discuss watch maintenance.
Signor Pitti, we all hope nothing ever goes wrong with a luxury watch, so what do you recommend to clients who wish to maintain their watch collection in the best possible condition? First of all, just to remind you that every new Cartier watch comes with a full two-year guarantee. It is, however, very important to keep the watch in good health, as with any complex piece of mechanics. I like to describe a timepiece as a magical instrument; it is essentially a machine, though, let’s not forget that – so just as we take regular care of our cars, by changing their oil, for example – we should take care of our watches. The same logic applies.
How does Cartier deal with requests for watch repairs from clients in Southern Africa? One of the first strategic decisions we made many years ago was to establish a central service centre for all Richemont group brands in SA; this is a highly specialised repair centre with dedicated watch makers for Cartier jewellery and watches. From that base, we also provide repairs for our watch retailers in Mozambique, Angola – and the entire region, in fact.
What are the advantages of having a regional hub like that rather than sending the watches back to Switzerland for repair? Presumably it is a lot quicker? Yes, this approach definitely saves on time for the customer and generally makes the whole process of sending your watch away for a service much more efficient. It is one of our missions at Cartier to provide the best possible after-sales service, so we did not want to compromise on anything.
OK, let’s get into the specifics: can you describe a typical situation of how something might go wrong with a luxury timepiece, given your experience over the years? Clients often come to me and say, “This watch has been working without any problems for 10 years, I don’t know why it has stopped working now.” Let me ask you, what other kind of technical instrument can work non-stop, 24 hours a day for that length of time? Every now and then, depending on how you use it, a watch needs to be maintained, it’s very simple. If you regularly scuba dive, you’ll need to replace the gasket every year. Every three years or so I recommend sending your watch for a complete service – that is standard. Our guarantee will then cover the watch for the following 12 months.
Would you distinguish between sports watches and complicated mechanical watches in terms of maintenance and repairs? The basic principle is that all automatic watches, especially those with complications, should always be in motion, so wear them as much as possible! For sports, it may be stating the obvious but you need a sports watch – please don’t wear a mechanical complication. If you go skiing in sub-zero temperatures and then visit the sauna wearing a mechanical timepiece, the gasket is going to be badly affected by the extreme change in temperature. That’s an extreme example but even a very hot shower can create that kind of effect, by the way – so it’s always best to take a watch off beforehand. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!