Review: Nixon “The Duke” watch (and some impressive customer service)

OK, this has nothing to do with climbing whatsoever, but it’s something I want to share with you.

My girlfriend, Emma bought me my Nixon watch 2 Christmases ago, and it has been a fantastic gift. It’s very stylish (without being too bling) and if you’re into snowboarding like me, you’ll love the brand.

Unfortunately, I am a bit clumsy and I started to wear the watch for climbing which resulted in:

• Deep scratches and chips on the face
• The leather strap being totally wrecked and falling apart

With most products, I would have resigned myself at this point to chucking it in the bin and buying a new one. However, I love the watch, and we often visit a Nixon dealer, called Tea Tree Bay in nearby Beverley. So I decided to see if they could get the watch repaired for me.

Tea Tree Bay told me that the watch would need to be sent to Nixon in France and that it would take a a couple of weeks to come back (it took about 5 actually but who’s counting). It cost me around £45 with postage to get a new strap and face.

When the shop called me to collect, I called in to find that Nixon had done a truly amazing job with it. I’m still to be 100% convinced they didn’t just give me a new watch. It was returned in a new box, and it looks 100% brand new. Aside from the damage to the face and strap, the watch had scuffs and scratches on the metal when I sent it away… not any more! It looks absolutely spot on!

So, although this post has little or nothing to do with climbing, I wanted to share with you because you don’t often hear about good service. Thanks Tea Tree Bay and thanks Nixon, keep up the good work!