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I hope it all goes well and there is a successful outcome for you. Sometimes, in my experience at least, it’s not been as easy as replacing one ring to get a good match, so it may take some time. The last time this this happened to me, the subject watch was under warrantee and the local rep sent it back to Switzerland for repair. Not Breitling though. Having one scale replaced may not have fixed the issue anyway, so it was better to be placed back with the maker for assessment and repair. So the watch had a return trip to Switzerland to be refitted.
I think what happens is that during manufacture, each C & D slide rule scale is matched (probably on a sorting bench) and then allocated to a particular watch. I might be wrong on this score, but it would make sense. The two rings are close fitting onto each other, so if they were engraved as one and then spilt, then this would be a very arduous task indeed and require some form of advanced cutting. It is also possible they are ‘a snug fit’ into each other and then engraved as one unit, being separated afterwards. If that were the case, I would suggest the two scales should match. As some scales are definitely made as a single C or D scale (which I have evidence for from other makers), I can only assume that there is matching process after engraving. The angle of each graduation is not by chance, but is determined by Antilogs and then converted to decimal degrees. Each major number is a product of 1/36 division and each minor graduation is //360 or 1/ 720th, so they are mathematically derived and then set by a decimal degrees layout onto the scale face. It’s not rocket science or that intricate, it just needs accurate engraving.
The fact they do not sometimes matchup is beyond me. It’s like putting a movement together and not checking if it works correctly or not regulator timing to see if it meets a certain specification. You would not do it if you were making watch movements, so why do these scale errors occur is any ones guess. I think it’s because there is a lack of understanding of what the scales mean, or there is lax inspection or there is little effort on how to check them for accuracy.
In the end, the user is the one who determines if they are satisfied with the accuracy of their slide rule scales or not, which is a pity. As it should not get to this in the first place, but be picked up in the manufacturing process. It’s not as if it’s hard to see or to test for, as a check demo on the assembly line should put this issue to rest before the watch leaves Switzerland.
As you would know, most members here are concerned by their Breitling COSC accuracy, which is a good thing, but how many of them check the accuracy of their slide rules (for those who have these models) to the extent you are I do? I don’t think the accuracy worries everyone as its not the watches primary function, and perhaps Breitling know this is something not everyone will concern themselves with. Still, IMO it’s not good to see this inaccuracy occur occassionally.
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Jim
"You have Control".
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