diff --git a/operator/redisfailover/factory.go b/operator/redisfailover/factory.go
index da80503a2..13c7382fc 100644
--- a/operator/redisfailover/factory.go
+++ b/operator/redisfailover/factory.go
@@ -90,14 +90,29 @@ func NewRedisFailoverRetriever(cfg Config, cli k8s.Services) controller.Retrieve
 		},
 		WatchFunc: func(options metav1.ListOptions) (watch.Interface, error) {
 			watcher, err := cli.WatchRedisFailovers(context.Background(), "", options)
-			watcher = watch.Filter(watcher, func(event watch.Event) (watch.Event, bool) {
+			if err != nil {
+				// Do not wrap a nil watcher: watch.Filter starts a goroutine
+				// that dereferences the source watcher's ResultChan, so passing
+				// the nil returned alongside an error panics the operator. The
+				// reflector retries the watch on a returned error instead.
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			return watch.Filter(watcher, func(event watch.Event) (watch.Event, bool) {
+				// Always propagate watch.Error events. Their Object is a
+				// *metav1.Status, not a *RedisFailover, so they would otherwise
+				// be dropped by the type assertion below. The reflector relies
+				// on these events to learn the watch has failed (e.g. an expired
+				// resource version) and to restart it promptly instead of
+				// waiting for a connection timeout.
+				if event.Type == watch.Error {
+					return event, true
+				}
 				rf, ok := event.Object.(*redisfailoverv1.RedisFailover)
 				if !ok {
 					return event, false
 				}
 				return event, isNamespaceSupported(*rf)
-			})
-			return watcher, err
+			}), nil
 		},
 	})
 }
diff --git a/operator/redisfailover/factory_test.go b/operator/redisfailover/factory_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5ca58a393
--- /dev/null
+++ b/operator/redisfailover/factory_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+package redisfailover_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/mock"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/watch"
+
+	mK8SService "github.com/spotahome/redis-operator/mocks/service/k8s"
+	rfOperator "github.com/spotahome/redis-operator/operator/redisfailover"
+)
+
+// TestRetrieverWatchPropagatesErrorWithoutWrapping is a regression test for the
+// operator crashing with a nil pointer dereference when the RedisFailover watch
+// could not be established.
+//
+// The retriever's WatchFunc used to call watch.Filter unconditionally on the
+// result of WatchRedisFailovers. On a watch error the typed client returns a
+// nil watch.Interface, and watch.Filter immediately spawns a goroutine whose
+// loop dereferences the source watcher's ResultChan, panicking the whole
+// operator process (SIGSEGV) instead of letting the reflector retry the watch.
+//
+// The fix returns (nil, err) before wrapping. This test asserts the error is
+// propagated and that no filtered watcher is returned (which is what would
+// otherwise carry the panicking goroutine).
+func TestRetrieverWatchPropagatesErrorWithoutWrapping(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	watchErr := errors.New("the server could not establish the watch")
+	ms := &mK8SService.Services{}
+	ms.On("WatchRedisFailovers", mock.Anything, mock.Anything, mock.Anything).
+		Return(nil, watchErr)
+
+	retriever := rfOperator.NewRedisFailoverRetriever(
+		rfOperator.Config{SupportedNamespacesRegex: ".*"},
+		ms,
+	)
+
+	var (
+		w   watch.Interface
+		err error
+	)
+	assert.NotPanics(func() {
+		w, err = retriever.Watch(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
+	})
+	assert.Equal(watchErr, err)
+	assert.Nil(w, "a nil watcher must not be wrapped by watch.Filter")
+	ms.AssertExpectations(t)
+}
+
+// TestRetrieverWatchWrapsWatcherOnSuccess verifies the happy path still wraps
+// the underlying watcher (so namespace filtering stays in effect).
+func TestRetrieverWatchWrapsWatcherOnSuccess(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	fake := watch.NewFake()
+	defer fake.Stop()
+	ms := &mK8SService.Services{}
+	ms.On("WatchRedisFailovers", mock.Anything, mock.Anything, mock.Anything).
+		Return(fake, nil)
+
+	retriever := rfOperator.NewRedisFailoverRetriever(
+		rfOperator.Config{SupportedNamespacesRegex: ".*"},
+		ms,
+	)
+
+	w, err := retriever.Watch(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
+	assert.NoError(err)
+	assert.NotNil(w)
+	ms.AssertExpectations(t)
+}
+
+// TestRetrieverWatchPropagatesWatchErrorEvents verifies that watch.Error events
+// are not swallowed by the namespace filter. Their Object is a *metav1.Status
+// (not a *RedisFailover), so without an explicit passthrough the filter would
+// drop them and the reflector would never learn the watch must be restarted.
+func TestRetrieverWatchPropagatesWatchErrorEvents(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	fake := watch.NewFake()
+	defer fake.Stop()
+	ms := &mK8SService.Services{}
+	ms.On("WatchRedisFailovers", mock.Anything, mock.Anything, mock.Anything).
+		Return(fake, nil)
+
+	retriever := rfOperator.NewRedisFailoverRetriever(
+		rfOperator.Config{SupportedNamespacesRegex: ".*"},
+		ms,
+	)
+
+	w, err := retriever.Watch(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
+	assert.NoError(err)
+	assert.NotNil(w)
+
+	errStatus := &metav1.Status{Status: metav1.StatusFailure, Reason: metav1.StatusReasonExpired}
+	go fake.Error(errStatus)
+
+	select {
+	case event, ok := <-w.ResultChan():
+		assert.True(ok, "result channel must stay open for watch.Error events")
+		assert.Equal(watch.Error, event.Type, "watch.Error events must pass through the filter")
+		assert.Equal(errStatus, event.Object)
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		assert.Fail("timed out waiting for the watch.Error event to be propagated")
+	}
+
+	ms.AssertExpectations(t)
+}