Question: Liability

I have a friend who owns some high end watches. I was showing him photos of some of the wonderful watch engraving done by engravers on this site. He asked me who assumes the liability if there is damage to the watch in the engraving process? I have to say, I couldn't answer the question. Who assumes liability if there is damage?

I would or I wouldn't engrave it.

That may sound like an overly simplistic answer but I couldn't expect the owner to assume the risk and wouldn't ask them to. It would be tantamount to saying, "there is a chance I could goof this thing up so if that happens, you buy a new watch and I won't charge you for my time".

The inherent requirement is that the engraver should know what he's getting himself into by doing the homework and this is a good place to start as are watch forums, especially the brand you intend to engrave.

I have engraved things that I knew were plated or made of inferior metals or cast gold rings and in those isolated cases I did warn the customer that these are problematic and if something happens it's their baby. They agreed each time and it all turned out. The one plated item was a jewelry box with an oval space that was to receive a monogram. As soon as I touched it with the graver, the whole oval area peeled up like an onion skin. I polished the pot metal underneath before I engraved it and they loved it.

We learn these lessons sometimes by accident and that is why it is wise to protect yourself. But in the case of a name brand watch, we should know what we are doing enough so that we know what we should and shouldn't attempt to cut. Junk watches with gold plated cases are to be avoided.

We have all heard it said that a good engraver knows how to fix or hide his mistakes. This is true and on that note, it would be wise and darn convenient if the engraver has a buddy with a laser welder… Just sayin'.

What Tim said. There are times when I tell a customer I'll do a job but not be responsible if something happens, like with plated items or something I'm unsure if. But those times are very rare as I simply don't need to put myself though that.

As for watches I'd say the engraver is responsible unless there's an obvious defect which is highly unlikely in good watches. It's best to approach all expensive items slowly and with care. If there's even the slightest doubt about outcome then do the right thing and decline the work.

What Tim and Sam said except I have one recent exception.... I engraved an apple watch and the customer nor I found anyone who would disassemble it before engraving. I told the customer I would only engrave it only if he held me harmless if there was any damage to the workings of the watch. He agreed and I felt pretty confident about it mainly because I got some great advice from another engraver who had done an apple watch. He showed me how to build a special workholding jig that did the trick and everyone was happy in the end. Since then I have probably lost several Apple watch jobs since I am very up front about this with anyone who inquires. Otherwise, all the other watches I have engraved have been disassembled prior to engraving which greatly lessens the chance of damage.

I watched Mike Dubber do the back of an iPhone 3 case at the FEGA show years ago. The owner accepted the risk and he cut it like it was nothing. I had my fingers crossed just in case.

Am I the only one who pays if I do something wrong ?

If I ruin the object during engraving, I buy a new one and give it to the customer.:thinking:

I have also paid for a few items after messing up , but I usually ask before hand what is the value and where they got it in case I need to get another one . but after doing so many engravings that you start to know your limits or in my case the limits of my signature engraver 8080 Plus and I have turned down items that I have not been able to hold correctly for the job.
now that I am learning hand engraving, I will practice quite a bit before I start doing customer jobs. But I am enjoying it very much and hopefully will tackle bigger jobs for customers

It happened to me once during an acid etch job. There was an ingress of acid into the rifle barrel. I basically had to pay for a new barrel or as I seem to remember, the rifle maker went halves with me. I learned my lesson. It was belt and braces when using acid from then on in. But with regards to engraving (as opposed to etching where once things go into the acid it's out of your hands), if you are having to pay for messing up a customers piece then you shouldn't be engraving professionally. It shouldn't happen, sorry.

With regards to high end watches, I work with Kindler & Thorpe who strip down and reassemble the watch and offer their own warranty. Once it's engraved it becomes part of that 'brand'. This is important to know because unless you have the backing of a brand, in some cases you can devalue a watch considerably. And if you need to be able to reassemble an engraved or customised Rolex say, with some of the very expensive tools required, you might find difficulty in finding someone equipped to do so because the Rolex Authorised Dealers won't touch them. So be very careful and make sure a potential customer who wants his or her high end watch engraved is aware of this. Also, are you able to offer warranty on the watch? Is it waterproof and pressure tested? All these things as well as many others need to be considered.