Yes, the warranty starts on the original purchase date. So a 2012 could be a year old while the calendar still reads the same as the model year of 2012 if the original owner bought it Nov/Dec of 2011. Similarly it could still be under a year old if they bought it Jan/Feb of 2013 even though the model year is the previous year on the calendar.
As for the work. Assuming the warranty is still within the covered time/mileage, I doubt they'll give you any trouble over the bezel. I suspect they won't cover the rim though. They'll fault that to wear/tear (road damage) or user damage while removing the lug nuts. I don't want to be negative, but I also don't want to give you false hope. The warranty covers manufacturer defects, so if it looks like it was damaged rather than defective they'll likely decline it. I don't know though, I could be wrong. Just trying to be objective.
As for the work. Assuming the warranty is still within the covered time/mileage, I doubt they'll give you any trouble over the bezel. I suspect they won't cover the rim though. They'll fault that to wear/tear (road damage) or user damage while removing the lug nuts. I don't want to be negative, but I also don't want to give you false hope. The warranty covers manufacturer defects, so if it looks like it was damaged rather than defective they'll likely decline it. I don't know though, I could be wrong. Just trying to be objective.