The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi I bought myself the Breitling Bentley GT from Beaverbrooks in Febuary this year, 4 weeks later I had a fault with the watch where kindly they replaced the head. A few weeks later the main screw attaching the head of the watch to the strap came loose causing me nearly to lose a 5k watch. Now a few weeks back at 1430hrs i noticed that the day indicator had not fallen fully into its correct position. I altered the day slightly and it went in to its correct position ok. I then decided I best take it back to the jewlers as there was obviously a fault. Before taking it back I changed the time all the way throught to midnight to see if the same thing would happen again with the day, when doing this the watch mechanisms all jammed up. I have sent it back to Breitling where from lots of dicussions they are saying that the cause of the fault is down to me changing the date at the wrong time, and not a fault with the watch. I know that the fault on the watch is not from me, as I know how to opperate the watch and would never change the date between 9pm and 3am. I can not beleive I have spent all this money on a watch and that they are trying to point the finger at me! Please can anyone tell me if I had changed the date at the wrong time would it cause this problem, I find it hard to beleive that if you do change the date at the wrong time (not that I have) by acccident once that this causes a £5000 watch to break.

These symptoms will indicate misuse of the quick set date or winding time backwards on the great majority of occasions, especially in new watches.

The date change mechanism is powered by the running train of the watch and needs to move to engage with that train in order to change the date and then move back out again. It generally occurs between about 10pm and 2am but Breitling always advises in their manual 8pm and 3am.

If you use the quick set date, or wind time backwards when the mechanism is partially engaged you will cause the teeth to clash and it is very easy to bend or break one.

From the experience of other members on here Breitling generally address it as a warranty issue but they don't have to.

I am not suggesting that is what you did, but I completely understand Breitling's position because it's very difficult for it to happen any other way.