Crepas Engelsfisch On Kickstarter

[tattoo chef]

I’m not sure what is up with the brand. I’ve only reviewed one of their watches, a divers fb group collab, and getting answers to questions during that process was somewhat difficult.
I heard the owner, Ana is having some health issues I believe, but her husband is still there along with a few employees (could be Wrong on that).
It seems the factory making them makes some strange choices and nobody is QC’ing the watches from the factory.
No response to customer emails is a quick way to really put your brand in the dirt.
This is the second big issue for the brand-not good.


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[Ryeguy]

^^^ Absolutely. It is the QC thing that gets me.

From what I’ve seen online and been able to surmise from photographs, it looks like their factory not only manufacturers and assembles the watch, but they also package it for final distribution to the end customer. No one at CREPAS actually looks at your watch prior to you receiving and inspecting it. All they do is ship it.

I’m guessing this process is he same for most micro brands with only a handful of exceptions.

As a brand owner, if the overseas contract manufacturer sends you a prototype that you inspect and approve (or you don’t notice the shortcuts taken), then they make the production batch to a slightly different specification, you are screwed.

CREPAS will likely lose significant revenue if they have to pay for return shipping and replacement of the crown / crown tube assembly on these watches. Assuming new tubes and crowns are with a slightly different design to prevent bread stripping, and assuming the crown tube is screwed into the case (such as done in he Rolex Sub) so the replacement can be easily done, the process to perform the swap is likely a couple hours per watch for a skilled watchmaker. This is probably tens of thousands of dollars in repair costs if done in bulk.

This is why I put micros who perform local assembly and QC inspection apart and above these “fire and forget” type brands.

[Dogmann]

Hi all,

Maybe Crepas should contact Yao to QC the watches for them only downside is delivery would slip to 2022

Marc

[CGSshorty]

Have you ever noticed that it’s always “health problems” when these micro brands shit the bed?

[hoppyjr]

I’m surprised they’re still in business after the Anko shitfest.
Anyway, if one gives them money after seeing how they handled that issue, it’s in them.

Agreed. While the couple Crepas pieces I’ve owned were nicely done, no way I’d buy another.

A good rule of thumb is don’t buy any micro brand watch unless you are willing to consider it disposable.

[toxicavenger]

From what I’ve seen online and been able to surmise from photographs, it looks like their factory not only manufacturers and assembles the watch, but they also package it for final distribution to the end customer. No one at CREPAS actually looks at your watch prior to you receiving and inspecting it. All they do is ship it.

This is starting to be common place. Luckily there are a lot of watch companies who do not do this. They actually have qc measures in place to lower the chances of this happening. Some of those qc measures are in the US, and some are in HK as a middleman/qc guy who does all the work for you. Unfortunately I do not believe the crown/tube issue would be noticed until after the watch has been in use. Unless the middleman/qc guy has some history in the watch world to understand that TI has not always been a good solution.

I really think this is a super sweet watch. I would love to see one in person one day. I have seen some other models from Crepas and I was really impressed.

[toxicavenger]

Have you ever noticed that it’s always “health problems” when these micro brands shit the bed?

or delay orders, slowing down on assembly etc

[toxicavenger]

Hi all,

Maybe Crepas should contact Yao to QC the watches for them only downside is delivery would slip to 2022

Marc

Marc, and the scrap pile would be huge in left over parts.

[Ryeguy]

From what I’ve seen online and been able to surmise from photographs, it looks like their factory not only manufacturers and assembles the watch, but they also package it for final distribution to the end customer. No one at CREPAS actually looks at your watch prior to you receiving and inspecting it. All they do is ship it.

This is starting to be common place. Luckily there are a lot of watch companies who do not do this. They actually have qc measures in place to lower the chances of this happening. Some of those qc measures are in the US, and some are in HK as a middleman/qc guy who does all the work for you. Unfortunately I do not believe the crown/tube issue would be noticed until after the watch has been in use. Unless the middleman/qc guy has some history in the watch world to understand that TI has not always been a good solution.

I really think this is a super sweet watch. I would love to see one in person one day. I have seen some other models from Crepas and I was really impressed.

I think the only way this could’ve been caught is actually in the design phase.

You would need to work with a manufacturer who was used to working with Ti as a material. They should advise on the material’s strengths and weaknesses. It is a brittle material so I could see shallow threads stripping with Ti.

Just checking the materials chart and it seems 316L will play well with Ti, so a 316L pendant and crown on a Ti case would work fine. No galvanic corrosion (like seen with Aluminum and Stainless).

The real kick in the balls would be if CREPAS replaces the stripped crowns with non-modified replacements causing folks to be stung twice.

Bottom line is this seems less of a QC flaw and more of a materials / design flaw.

[Axelay2003]

Does anyone know if they resolved the Anko movement holder fiasco? What was the resolution?

[tattoo chef]

Does anyone know if they resolved the Anko movement holder fiasco? What was the resolution?

It was a ckusterfuck.
They had people send in for repairs, took a long time and some had the same issues once they received the watch back. They also promised people $10 sunglasses or some stupid shit which no one ever received.


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[toxicavenger]

Does anyone know if they resolved the Anko movement holder fiasco? What was the resolution?

It was a ckusterfuck.
They had people send in for repairs, took a long time and some had the same issues once they received the watch back. They also promised people $10 sunglasses or some stupid shit which no one ever received.


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Like Don said only a few got a resolution. It seemed others were stuck holding the bag and Crepas moved on to their next model of watch.

[Ryeguy]

Does anyone know if they resolved the Anko movement holder fiasco? What was the resolution?

It was a ckusterfuck.
They had people send in for repairs, took a long time and some had the same issues once they received the watch back. They also promised people $10 sunglasses or some stupid shit which no one ever received.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Like Don said only a few got a resolution. It seemed others were stuck holding the bag and Crepas moved on to their next model of watch.

This event is actually what turned me off from the brand.

I really liked my TC-2 and ScubaPro. Both had excellent fit and finish, with precise bezel action and good features such as anti-magnetic shielding, etc.

My Cayman was a bit of a beast size wise, but again, it looked great with the domed sapphire, gloss dial, and nicely done BOR bracelet. Packaging on that one was outstanding too, with a polished wood case, extra straps, tools, etc. It just looked like a class package.

The Anko fiasco was the first hint that something was not right. The second hint was the reports from owners that CREPAS could not supply replacement parts on retired designs.

Again, CREPAS is not alone in either of these types of issues, but as Hop stated above, I now look at most micros as temporary or disposable. I'll still buy one that catches my interest, but I'll likely move it down the line relatively quickly.

[toxicavenger]

I now look at most micros as temporary or disposable

I totally get this way of thinking. I just do not limit it to micro brands. There are quite a few big brands out there that will leave you high and dry in a NYC second.

[Ryeguy]

I now look at most micros as temporary or disposable

I totally get this way of thinking. I just do not limit it to micro brands. There are quite a few big brands out there that will leave you high and dry in a NYC second.

I'm sure there are, but I would hope any major brand worth the title ought to be able to service their models for at least a number of years after the design has been retired.

For example, if I remember correctly, Seiko supplies spares for up to 10 years post model retirement (or at least this is what I've heard).

I guess limited editions could be an issue (such as my SLA017 with only 2,000 made), but I would hope Seiko would still support the future service of that watch in case I needed a bezel or something a few years from now.

[toxicavenger]

I now look at most micros as temporary or disposable

I totally get this way of thinking. I just do not limit it to micro brands. There are quite a few big brands out there that will leave you high and dry in a NYC second.

I'm sure there are, but I would hope any major brand worth the title ought to be able to service their models for at least a number of years after the design has been retired.

For example, if I remember correctly, Seiko supplies spares for up to 10 years post model retirement (or at least this is what I've heard).

I guess limited editions could be an issue (such as my SLA017 with only 2,000 made), but I would hope Seiko would still support the future service of that watch in case I needed a bezel or something a few years from now.

You are using Seiko as one of the examples? They are one of the biggest companies in the world.

Them supplying parts 10 years after production date is a rumor as far as I know. Seiko puts out as much info Rolex on production, inventory and supply.

Lets talk about other brands. Try getting parts for Luminox, Longiness, Eterna are a few off the top my head I can think of we have personally dealt with. That is why I said do not limited that train of thought to just microbrands. There are a shit ton of larger brands that will leave you in the dust.

[logan2z]

Lets talk about other brands. Try getting parts for Luminox, Longiness, Eterna are a few off the top my head I can think of we have personally dealt with. That is why I said do not limited that train of thought to just microbrands. There are a shit ton of larger brands that will leave you in the dust.

Just to be clear, are you saying that companies like Longines, Eterna etc. do not stock parts at all for older models, or are you saying that you, as a third-party watch repairer, were not allowed to buy parts from these companies? The issue raised about Crepas and other microbrands in this thread is that there were no parts available at all - through any channels. I'd be very surprised if Swatch Group brands like Longines did not have parts on hand to repair watches when sent to their factory repair center, even years after the watches are out of production.

[Ryeguy]

^^^ Exactly, Andrew. I'm sorry if I didn't make myself clear in my prior post.

I think the discussion regarding the availability of parts outside Swatch Group, etc. to third party watch repairers is a separate conversation from the availability of service from within the brand's own customer service department.

I would expect Swatch Group brands to be able to support their customer's requests for service for a period of time (i.e. years) after the watch has ceased being produced.

FWIW, I just searched servicing an old Longines and found a thread on WUS from last year where Longines was willing to accept in a 5 Star Admiral model from the '70's / early '80's. Longines wanted $550 for the service and repair of worn / damaged parts. Not bad for an almost 50 year old watch.

[toxicavenger]

Lets talk about other brands. Try getting parts for Luminox, Longiness, Eterna are a few off the top my head I can think of we have personally dealt with. That is why I said do not limited that train of thought to just microbrands. There are a shit ton of larger brands that will leave you in the dust.

Just to be clear, are you saying that companies like Longines, Eterna etc. do not stock parts at all for older models, or are you saying that you, as a third-party watch repairer, were not allowed to buy parts from these companies? The issue raised about Crepas and other microbrands in this thread is that there were no parts available at all - through any channels. I'd be very surprised if Swatch Group brands like Longines did not have parts on hand to repair watches when sent to their factory repair center, even years after the watches are out of production.

I am saying as 3rd party repair shop that has a parts account some parts are not available from the companies I mentioned above. I also left Alpina out of the list, they are another. Whether or not Swatch group has them I do not know. Only they know that. In my experience the last few years dealing with those companies they do not make them available to me, they replied with "parts are not available for this watch".

[toxicavenger]

^^^ Exactly, Andrew. I'm sorry if I didn't make myself clear in my prior post.

I think the discussion regarding the availability of parts outside Swatch Group, etc. to third party watch repairers is a separate conversation from the availability of service from within the brand's own customer service department.

I would expect Swatch Group brands to be able to support their customer's requests for service for a period of time (i.e. years) after the watch has ceased being produced.

FWIW, I just searched servicing an old Longines and found a thread on WUS from last year where Longines was willing to accept in a 5 Star Admiral model from the '70's / early '80's. Longines wanted $550 for the service and repair of worn / damaged parts. Not bad for an almost 50 year old watch.

Did they send it in and get it done? I had a customer do that and Logines took the watch in for repair then told the customer parts are not available. But they offered to sell a newer model at a disconnected rate.

Either way I am replying what I have had issues with since we started servicing watches. This experience might be different for others.

I think that sometimes people try to talk about microbrands with blanket statements or ideas that are should broken up by case by case. Especially when these same issues can happen with any company regardless of size. There are a few microbrands that I personally know of that allocate parts for their watches for few years just to ensure their customers are covered if there are any warranty issues. They are others that sell every last one they have and then discontinue the model.

[toxicavenger]

I guess limited editions could be an issue (such as my SLA017 with only 2,000 made), but I would hope Seiko would still support the future service of that watch in case I needed a bezel or something a few years from now.

The production number of this LE is almost 6 times more than most small brands make of one model.

[Ryeguy]

I'm sure you are right, Terry and I don't mean to disparage all micros or hold all majors on a pedestal.

Just in general terms, I can think of at least a couple micros off the top of my head who are still in business today who cannot supply spare parts (crowns, etc.) for models that are just a few years old. Timefactors, Kobold, and CREPAS spring to mind. They may have stocked a few spare parts at one time, but once those spares are gone, any future requests are SOL.

I can also think of at least a few more brands who are closed with no possibility of getting a replacement part (Zixen, Korsbek, etc.).

On the other hand, I'm not certain I can think of any thread where an owner of a "major" brand watch was told their watch could not be serviced due to lack of parts, and especially not in the case of a watch that was less than 10 years old.

I'm certain there are exceptions for either camp, but this has just been my experience in reading forum posts over the years.

[Ryeguy]

I guess limited editions could be an issue (such as my SLA017 with only 2,000 made), but I would hope Seiko would still support the future service of that watch in case I needed a bezel or something a few years from now.

The production number of this LE is almost 6 times more than most small brands make of one model.

Exactly my point.

If a micro makes a production run of 300 watches (as per usual), how many spares do you think they purchase to keep on hand for warranty work? Maybe 10% on wear items such as crowns and bezels? That means only 30 extra crowns, and 30 extra bezels, etc. Once those are gone, they are gone.

Chances are, if you flip the watch within a couple years of ownership, the spare part concern will never be an issue. Past that, however, I think you are assuming the risk of potentially irreparable watch.

[gamecock111]

I have had a few and loved them but none of the designs recently speak to me. I have that issue with a bunch the micros I used to like.

Their presale system always bugged me, but I got the vibe that American customers were a small part of their sales.

I had this fantasy that they didn’t respond to my emails (or calls) cause they were out deep wreck diving.

Never had a quality issue. I was pissed when they made a design change on a watch I had on order and loved the hashed the design in the input thread.

Wish them well, but doubt I buy anything unless they change their inspirations