When it comes to buy a watch, the overall experience includes also the customer support. Here you can read my weird experience with the official support at Timefactors after getting, in my second try after a cancellation, a watch that I had been saving for a long time.

I will soon post a video review soon that will include an analysis of the watch and the buying process and the customer «support». Edit: Here the video:

Long story short, after having the first time my order cancelled, and not getting the information that from Timefactors I was supposed to have received, I finally got the watch.

While the buying experience is weird, I understand that it can be cumbersome because of the nature of a compony of a single person.

The problems started when I noticed that it was far from easy to be able to attach the bracelet to the watch again. After much testing I realized that one of the end links was possibly deffective. Maybe by a very small margin, it had different tolerances. It was not impossible to fit it back but very difficult and even painful sometimes. Seemed that the end link, with the bracelet on, would set one of the sprinbars extremes a bit off of the hole in the case.

I decided to kindly inform the official support of Timefactors, which was the direct email of the owner and designer of the company, Mr. Eddie Platts.

I wanted to know if he could give some advice or know of any solution. He replied with a very brief sentence just saying that what I said was not possible as the watch was delivered with the bracelet on, thus the end link had to be alright.

I later provide some images showing what I saw, hoping to maybe get a recommendation or a spare end link. I even offered to buy another one if possible.

The answers from then on were specially rude saying, in short, that why would people play with the watches. Why removing the bracelet (the watch came also with a leather strap I wanted to try) and that all I was was an incompetent bitter man unable to fit a bracelet in a watch.

He wouldn’t reply to my simple direct questions and will not honor the warranty nor give any other option. Still to this day I don’t understand his irate reaction which is completely unacceptable.

I like watches, and photography. I’ve recommended these watches. I have taken pictures of them for people to appreciate. But now, after this experience by a rude customer non existing support, I can’t not but associate the watches with the rudeness and mocking of the one who designs and sell them new.

That’s the reason I will most probably sell both to fund another field watch. Meanwhile I have one of the real things. Similar design, pure story. Caravelle Sea Hunter Devils Diver 666 from 1970.

Watches from Timefactors are good ones, don’t get me wrong, and if you can find a reasonably priced second hand one, you could consider buying it. However be aware that the bracelet is not that good, it doesn’t match the quality the watch itself has. And of course on the ugly side, don’t expect to have great customer care from Timefactors should something go wrong or would you need any advice from him.

Because even if he was right, which I truly believe was not, the way he writes in such a disrespectful manner, the lack of care to a client, the absence of empathy, makes me not want to recommend buying from his store at all. There are many other places where you can put your money, sellers that will respect you the way you deserve and not be treated like a poor bitter man unable to put a defective end link in a watch.

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If you want to read the whole email exchange you can do so under this line:

He didn’t reply to this last email, so I sent another with more information:

And haven’t received any reply to this last email so far.