I have two Montres Allison's, one being the Slaaterhaug. The watch failed to work about 6 months into owning it: hour hand stopped and two push buttons failed. The company said they didn't build them but gave me a number to a guy in New York who would handle it. I called him and it was clear to me that this was just some "joe" and not a professional business. He did ask for me to send him the watch, but it was too suspicious.
I contacted Montres Allison and they offered to fix the watch. I never sent it to them. I paid about a grand for it, maybe more I don't remember. I thought something might be smelly about the offering, claiming it was worth $20,000 and selling it so cheap. And, the laughing limited edition hook I didn't go for. But, I liked the watch, liked the way it looked so I took a risk.
Recently, and I live in Orange County, California, I took to be repaired by a local watch repair shop. I didn't say a thing to him, just asked him to give me an estimate. He not only opened the watch and found a ton of Chinese parts, but they were poor quality. The movement was strange to him so he took to another place. They found it to be an usually cheap movement in a nice body of a watch. But, the essence of a watch is its movement and its ability to keep time. This one didn't do it very well and its reliablity sucks.
I had to laugh when they said the parts were a cheap Chinese movement, having read this before about the Montres Allison watches. So, I don't feel too victimized, but they did misrepresent the quality and finess of the watch. It's a edsel motor in a ferrari body. I have no axe to grind, just know that if you pay what I did, or more than a Fossil watch, you are not getting the value for your money. So my repair guy is replacing the entire movement with something that will work with the intended complications. He did not think he could get parts.
I believe the Montres Allison watches are grossly oversold and definitely a "buyer beware" item. The junk inside is belied by the pretty exterior. Definitely a good con job and certainly a nice money maker for cheap chinese movements. I say a good con job, because a good one is where you get ripped off and don't feel too terrible about it. I honestly like the outside of the watch. A good con, the victim doesn't feel conned. I guess that's me. But conned, nevertheless.
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