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- Jul 17, 2014
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Still waiting to hear from their "service" department.
Thanks guys.
I’ve been paying attention to the interaction with you and Armida customer service and was wonder what’s your honest opinion with Armida and Helson? I’m convinced their both from the same factory for sure. Been eyeballing a Helson and I’ve seen both positive and negative reviews with photographic evidence of leaky watches. I’m 50/50 on snagging one on the next sale they offer.Status:
Date: Mon, Oct 14, 2019 5:33 am
Hello,
We need 1-2 more weeks to send you back.
Best regards
Service Center – Armida Watches
I’ve been paying attention to the interaction with you and Armida customer service and was wonder what’s your honest opinion with Armida and Helson? I’m convinced their both from the same factory for sure. Been eyeballing a Helson and I’ve seen both positive and negative reviews with photographic evidence of leaky watches. I’m 50/50 on snagging one on the next sale they offer.
Helson have been very professional about this issue. When notified of the problem, sent email to buyers with solutions. He is a stand up dude and I’m happy with the mitigation. It’s hard enough to manage a micro without this hassle. I will still be a Helson customer and supporter in the future. S#*t happens, he offered to fix it, enough for me!
Helson has been upfront about the problem and offered me several solutions which I think is solid of them
I was super excited when I heard about the pre order and ordered two of the pieces! I had always wanted to get one of them.
Upon arrival I noticed he finishing on one of my pieces was uneven on surface of the case around the bezel. There were concentric circles on the case 0f the black dial version around the bezel which were faint but clearly visible in the correct light and other faint irregularities in the finish visible in certain lighting which I found unusual.
(There are a few posts earlier in this thread concerning the crown which I also posted about. I thought the crown was very fragile. I do not have the Omega version so maybe this is just how the crown "feels" au naturale and there is nothing to be concerned about with the crown assembly or fragility.
Between my concern for the finishing of surface of the case and the concern for the crown; I then started hearing about the water resistance issues and decided to call it a day and returned my watches.
When I contacted Helson they were extremely attentive to my concerns and offered an immediate offer to return watches for water resistance repair as well as case examination and correction as well as pay for shipping both from me and to me. So, their customer service and offer were exceptional.
I applaud Helson footing the bill for my return and would purchase another Helson product. I have a Sharkmaster 1000, a skindiver (which I just sold), and probably have purchase a few other Helson pieces in the past.
I have no remorse on returning an expensive watch(s) which had some minor issues. The crown may be normal ploprof crown; but the irregular finishing on the case (doesnt bother functionality of the watch!) and potential water resistance issue just was too much for me to feel comfortable in keeping them)
I am also happy for all those who went thru the return process or received parts and are happy with the results. It is a fantastic looking homage and I still love it!
Helson identified a problem, came up with, and implemented a solution, and yet people are still skeptical. From what I gather, Helson has/had a good reputation prior to this.
I have no vested interest in Helson, the owner, sister brands, etc..., and my opinion of them hasn't changed.
I personally have been very satisfied with the level of Helson's responsiveness to a QC issue and their willingness to stand behind their product.
I believe Armida and Helson are brands sharing the same factory. I own several watches from both brands and this is the first issue I've ever had with the Armida. So far, I'm satisfied the way it has been handled once the factory contacted me. The jury is still out on this one until I receive the replacement back, but I'm optimistic that the final outcome will be positive. As far as the Helson leaking issue, I never purchased the model in question. The Shakmaster 600 from most accounts I've read, the majority seem to be happy with how it was handled. I know WIT Stan (Pacco17) purchased a few of the Sharkmaster 600 models and was very happy with customer service. (maybe if he sees this Stan will chime in) My honest answer is I wouldn't hesitate dealing with either company. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything if it should happen in the future, but that's my honest opinion on both brands. Good luck with your own decision bigbasshunter. If you have your sights set on something I think you will be happy with the outcome and also have a very nice watch for the money.
Below is some of the feedback from another site about the HELSON issue.
I fully trust Helson in having corrected the problem and have no interest or desire in checking on their fix. Its gold for me. ................... Pacco17 aka Stan ↓↓↓↓
https://watchintyme.com/forum/genera...go-sharkmaster
https://watchintyme.com/forum/genera...me-sharkmaster