Was servicing a brand new ARF Daytona Ghost last week and this is exactly why I always say QC alone is not enough.
Opened up the caseback expecting the usual and immediately saw something off. The factory installed the wrong caseback gasket. It didn’t even sit properly in the channel. No compression, no seal, nothing.
On top of that, every critical gasket for water resistance was completely dry. No lubrication on the caseback gasket, crown gasket, or pushers.
This isn’t a minor issue. This watch would have failed a pressure test instantly.
Realistically, this thing was one hand wash away from moisture getting in. Even sweat over time could’ve caused problems.
That’s the part people don’t think about. You can have a perfect dial, perfect rehaut, great timegrapher numbers, and still have something like this lurking underneath.
Factories like ARF, VSF, Clean, etc are solid, but they’re still assembly line operations. Stuff slips through more often than people think.
QC photos will never catch this. You only see it once the case is opened.
This is why servicing isn’t just about regulation or making it run better. It’s about catching issues that can actually kill the watch long term.
At a minimum, you want:
• movement check
• gasket inspection and lubrication
• pressure testing
Without that, you’re basically trusting factory assembly blindly.
Just wanted to share because this one was pretty bad and would have 100% caused issues down the line.