Luxury Watch Repair Lab, Not Seller, Ordered to Pay Consumer
Translated & summarized from Bizportal by baba
A consumer was awarded 5,237 shekels by a Beersheba small claims court after a luxury watch he bought for 7,100 shekels had its outer ring detach four times. The court ruled the repair lab, not the selling store, was responsible for the payment. The judge found the watch likely had an initial defect and awarded two-thirds of its value plus damages. The repair lab must pay the consumer within 30 days.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- A consumer was awarded 5,237 shekels after a luxury watch detached its outer ring four times.
- The Beersheba small claims court ordered the repair lab, not the seller, to pay the consumer.
- The watch, purchased for 7,100 shekels in 2021, had its outer ring detach multiple times between April 2022 and April 2025.
- The judge ruled the watch likely had an initial defect, making the repair inadequate.
- The consumer received two-thirds of the watch's value plus damages for inconvenience.
A consumer who purchased a luxury watch for 7,100 shekels in 2021 was awarded 5,237 shekels by a small claims court in Beersheba after its outer ring detached four times. The court ruled that the repair laboratory, not the store where the watch was purchased, would be responsible for the payment. The consumer, Max Yofa, had initially sought 28,000 shekels from the store, D.H. Titanium.
Senior Judge Orr Adam found Yofa's claim for compensation valid but deemed the requested amount excessive. The watch, bought in late July 2021, experienced its first detachment in April 2022, followed by subsequent incidents in August 2022, January 2024, and April 2025. Each time, the watch was repaired, but the problem recurred.
The store argued that it had sent the watch to an external laboratory for each repair. The laboratory, joined as a third party to the lawsuit, claimed the detachments were due to external damage not covered by warranty. They also contended that by the third repair, the two-year warranty had expired and that the intervals between repairs were longer than alleged by the consumer.
Judge Adam accepted Yofa's testimony that he used the watch reasonably and that it was not damaged externally. He noted that a luxury watch purchased for 7,100 shekels should not malfunction after nine months, suggesting an initial defect. The judge also dismissed the dispute over the time between repairs, stating that the recurrence of the exact same fault indicated the initial repair was inadequate.
The judge awarded Yofa two-thirds of the watch's value, approximately 4,733 shekels, plus about 500 shekels for inconvenience, wasted time, and emotional distress, totaling 5,237 shekels. This was based on the consumer having used the watch for a significant period before the first malfunction. The court ordered the laboratory to pay Yofa the awarded sum plus 450 shekels in legal expenses within 30 days.