[HONT] Repair of a watch faulty on arrival

[Cprhawkeye94]

I purchased a BPF 39 Explorer 1 from HONT and it arrived into the UK a couple of days ago.

When I unpacked the watch all initially appeared well. I wound the watch fully (Wound 30-40 times) and put it on only to find it losing 3-4 minutes after only 15 mins. I then looked down to find the watch completely stopped. I wound the watch again and it then ran for a short while before stopping again. I repeated this test a couple of times to no change.

I’ve been in touch with HONT and the resolution he has offered to me is to send the watch back to Macau (China) and he will repair the watch free of charge & then send it back. I do not want to send the watch to china but am currently not being given any other option by him.

HONT is currently unwilling to give me any form of refund to go some way to allowing me to repair my watch in the UK.

Any advice is appreciated thanks.

Note: I have purchased 2 watches from HONT before so am a regular customer of his but this is the first time I have ran into any issues with him. I also posted an initial review on Reddit and a lot of posters on there have even questioned whether the model I have received is actually even a BPF factory model and some have stated it is from other factories which is another issue. I have attached images for your information.

I have returned the watch as instructed to HONT’s friend in Germany. I have dispatched the item & provided him with a tracking number. I will track the shipment till it arrives in Germany and is delivered and then update once HONT issues me with a refund.

 

[Cprhawkeye94]

AFAIK BP or partner GMF have never made a 214270 Explorer with a dial like that one.

JF, ARF, Noob, and some lesser factories like maybe UBF, etc. all have the dial number 3 wrong like yours. The right side outer curves are too accentuated - this has long been the Achilles heel of non BP models and widely discussed.

The gen number 3 has a straighter "backbone" like the BP and is one reason why the BP is a NWBIG. Also the numbers and other hour markers are thicker.

JF models and IIRC early ARFs also had the
E XPLORER text "flaw" that yours has. If you want definite proof, post a movement pic. If it's an SH3132 it's absolutely not a BP.

Here is mine, which I put a gen 2824 in.

Posted an update on here: https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/hont-return-assistance-required.10930487/

 

[MontreDeLune]

Wow that’s a shame

 

[domiffm]

I'm surprised that you (in the UK, i.e. outside the EU) should send a watch to Germany? There is a very high risk that goods from outside the EU will end up in customs. Before Brexit, this was not a problem with UK. Even after Brexit, I have occasionally had something sent from UK to Germany. At the beginning it went well. But after more and more parcels ended up in German customs and I lost money because of it, I consider the UK to be like any other non-EU country from an EU/German perspective.

 

[Cprhawkeye94]

I'm surprised that you (in the UK, i.e. outside the EU) should send a watch to Germany? There is a very high risk that goods from outside the EU will end up in customs. Before Brexit, this was not a problem with UK. Even after Brexit, I have occasionally had something sent from UK to Germany. At the beginning it went well. But after more and more parcels ended up in German customs and I lost money because of it, I consider the UK to be like any other non-EU country from an EU/German perspective.

Yeah. That appears to have been the case for me. After being in customs for about a month it’s now been released but the person who I’ve sent the watch to now has to pay customs on the watch for some reason. Don’t know why as I didn’t declare a value on the package as far as I can remember.

 

[Cprhawkeye94]

I purchased a BPF 39 Explorer 1 from HONT and it arrived into the UK a couple of days ago.

When I unpacked the watch all initially appeared well. I wound the watch fully (Wound 30-40 times) and put it on only to find it losing 3-4 minutes after only 15 mins. I then looked down to find the watch completely stopped. I wound the watch again and it then ran for a short while before stopping again. I repeated this test a couple of times to no change.

I’ve been in touch with HONT and the resolution he has offered to me is to send the watch back to Macau (China) and he will repair the watch free of charge & then send it back. I do not want to send the watch to china but am currently not being given any other option by him.

HONT is currently unwilling to give me any form of refund to go some way to allowing me to repair my watch in the UK.

Any advice is appreciated thanks.

Note: I have purchased 2 watches from HONT before so am a regular customer of his but this is the first time I have ran into any issues with him. I also posted an initial review on Reddit and a lot of posters on there have even questioned whether the model I have received is actually even a BPF factory model and some have stated it is from other factories which is another issue. I have attached images for your information.

After waiting and waiting I have finally received my refund from HONT. I assume that the watch has arrived safely with his friend and that’s why he has refunded me. Overall the process has been less than easy and ideal but I’m glad to finally have it resolved. Thanks to everyone on this forum for their help and comments.

 

[Cprhawkeye94]

Update: After receiving my refund I was later messaged by HONT who stated that the watch was being returned back to me in the UK. I can only assume this is due to his friend not collecting it as when I last checked the tracking it was waiting to be collected. I informed HONT of this and for his friend to collect it but it never happened. Due to this the watch returned to me in the UK and at this point HONT contacted me and threatened to expose me as a scammer on here as the watch had been returned back to me and somehow this was my fault. In order to rectify this I agreed to send the watch back again but not to Germany or China and to an address in the UK. I was then provided with details for someone to send the watch to in the UK. I Have since done that and HONT has confirmed the watch has arrived safely to his friend. I am now waiting on HONT to refund me back some of the postage cost as I have had to pay to send the watch off twice now.

 

[Cprhawkeye94]

I get it, please keep this updated.
Wanted to order more but I‘ll wait and see if I get my BP and you the refund.

Update on.

 

[Cprhawkeye94]

AFAIK BP or partner GMF have never made a 214270 Explorer with a dial like that one.

JF, ARF, Noob, and some lesser factories like maybe UBF, etc. all have the dial number 3 wrong like yours. The right side outer curves are too accentuated - this has long been the Achilles heel of non BP models and widely discussed.

The gen number 3 has a straighter "backbone" like the BP and is one reason why the BP is a NWBIG. Also the numbers and other hour markers are thicker.

JF models and IIRC early ARFs also had the
E XPLORER text "flaw" that yours has. If you want definite proof, post a movement pic. If it's an SH3132 it's absolutely not a BP.

Here is mine, which I put a gen 2824 in.

Please see the latest update. HONT never admitted that he sent me the wrong watch.

 

[EisEiche]

Update on.

That’s the one he sent me, should be BP.

 

[Cprhawkeye94]

That’s the one he sent me, should be BP.

That looks like it is.