The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Ok I've been looking for a Super Avenger for a while now, and saw one at Costco for a pretty decent price, around 4300.00 Now what does the forum think about buying from Costco?

I was thinking once I get it I wanted to have a diamond bezel put on, but know Breitling won't work on it as it is not factory. What do you suggest, and it this a double wammy? I mean buying from Costco and then doing the afted market bezel?

I've looked on a lot of these Breitling sights where people go diamond crazy, well what do they do when the watch needs service, since Breitling won't work on it?

Hummm what to do.

Lastly, I know people buy high-end watches from Costco as they have a great return policy, I guess that is a plus.

Thanks for your input.

Well, I guess it’s up to you where you buy from. Not sure about in your neck of the woods, but Costco is a Supermarket in Australia. Are we talking about the same thing? It would be like buying a watch from Tesco in Britain or Aldi in Germany, if so. Are Costco a registered Breitling AD? Do they have a service agreement somewhere? Can they provide an excellent level of service for your watch, especially during the warrantee period? Or do you intend to go elsewhere for that?

As far as the Bling goes, each to their own. I don’t personally like that sort treatment, unless it is authorised by the designer and the company concerned. But that’s my opinion. To me, it dilutes the design intent and changes the purpose or message such watches convey. I think they also restrict the resale value and market coverage to those only who believe this is a definite advantage in buying a watch. So you could be restricting the interest in this watch later on.

There is a message in every watch design, provided the designer was conscious of it, that is. I believe Breitling would fall into that category as they do things purposefully. The fact this is all aftermarket stuff and not authorised is ringing bells in my ear. Brietling watches stand alone and should be enjoyed for what they are. Great watches with particular cool tool features or tech aspects that transcends adornment.

But, if you like it, what’s stopping you?

Regards

Jim

_________________
Jim

"You have Control".

Costco sells greymarket Breitlings in the US/Canada.

Personally I'd:
a) Buy from an AD... they can give you a pretty good discount. Try one of the forum sponsors
b) Not do the diamonds... only because personally I think it looks silly on a mens watch.

If you have to buy grey market then I guess Costco is better than most because you can just walk in to return it rather than deal with a faceless website, but it's not going to have any warranty from Breitling so return will be the only option and forum AD sponsors are going to be able to get you a darn good deal with a factory warranty.

Diamond bezel is up to you, some people here do it, but to me they look hideous at the best of times and worse when they aren't factory. Breitling are getting a little more tolerant of modifications that are largely just cosmetic, but if you do go that route just buy a bezel with diamonds rather than having your bezel drilled and set. That way you can keep your original bezel so that you can put it back on when sending for service.

The AD forum sponsors here as already mentioned give very competitive deals, and I bet you could get close to that $4300 price. Always better to buy from an AD for peace of mind, even if it may cost $100 or $200 more.

I had a diamond bezel on my SA, but after a couple of months of wearing it, I realized how tacky it made it look (like those D&G and other fashion watches iced out in CZs).

In the end I sold the diamond bezel and much prefer the original look.

I think Costco will be a better approach than these websites. If the Costco in NJ sold them, I'd pick one up from there but you sure will be paying tax on it. Which will jack the price up a little.

My Costco (Orlando) had a White Face Super Avenger for $3900 yesterday. I also though that was a good deal for new in the box.

Personally, I'd rather buy a used Breitling from an Authorized Dealer than a 'new' one from a dealer that is not authorized. That's me personally, but here is why I feel that way...
1) you don't get a warranty with a non-authorized dealer.
2) you may not know the history of the watch (as stated previously, you can return anything to Costco, so the watch could have been sold multiple times, handled by billions of people, and possibly abused [idiot at the counter sets the date at 9pm, for example]).
3) if the watch ever needed service (even some new watches occasionally do, sometimes due to customer damage or acts of God, etc), it may have been sent to a repair facility that doesn't use Breitling parts nor is Breitling certified for that matter.
4) the ADs on this forum will give you pricing that is about the same as Costco. Buying a used Breitling from an AD after it has been overhauled is essentially like buying a new Breitling. To give you an idea, IIRC my AD had a SA that is almost new for around 3k...you can't tell the difference between it and a new one.
5) if you ever have an issue, a Costco employee is not going to be any help, where as a long-established Breitling dealer will be...a full overhaul service can cost as much as $1,000 when it is all said and done, and repairs can get even pricier; having a warranty and a relationship with an AD is always better IMO and worth a little extra money. Your AD will go above and beyond where I doubt anyone cares at Costco. My AD has done tons of little favors for me that makes the entire experience better and has saved me money along the way. All the ADs on this forum regularly go above and beyond for customers, and a good AD like those on this forum, are, IMHO, an integral part of the Breitling experience. You'll like the watch more from it.

As far as diamonds, I do not like them but that is me...I also prefer brushed finishes over polished and matte black dials over reflective ones, so perhaps I am just a little too low profile! The bezel is for function and I use it daily. With that said, a few members have some diamond bezels that look pretty cool (one guy here has alternating white and black diamonds, which is really cool looking).

Thanks for everyone's input. I did find out Costco had all the paperwork in the box along with a warranty card. Now I'm wondering will that warrenty be valid because of the warrenty card, or does the fact it's sold by Costco void things?

I guess as everyone knows costco return policy is the greatest that's why we all buy things from there. But lastly I'll look more into AD here or if someone can refer me to one that would be great, I guess for as long as I've been looking for the Super Adverger I'll be keeping it but it's always nice to know you can return it if something majorly goes wrong with it. I'm sure you all agree.

Quick question, As far as getting a diamond bezel I was wondering 'is it a big deal swaping out the bezels?' Because from what I hear Breitling will not touch the watch,Is that true?
I do know there are AD that have jewelers that service watches with original parts, now is that as good as sending your watch to Breitling or Rolex?

Thanks again all.

look up forum sponsor govberg jewlers. for a super avenger.

costco has a "warranty" per say, just not thru breitling. thats the whole thing about costco or internet dealers being grey market....

swapping the bezel is not a big deal, to do.

No, if it isn't from an AD, it doesn't have any sort of warranty from Breitling. It may be through the individual company but if so, that usually means non-OEM. Swapping bezels is simple. As far as ADs go, Breitling is very strict with parts. An AD will not necessarily have parts if they are not an authorized service center in addition to being an AD.

Is that fact that Breitling wont work on a grey market watch ? Would have thought that just stands for warranty work and they will just charge and work on any Breitling.

From what I have read from here, Breitling will work on grey market watches, but for normal costs provided they have not been altered/serviced by someone who is not Breitling-authorized. If you send a watch to BUSA for service and it has been serviced by a third party, there is a good chance they won't touch it. If they do, you are looking at a fortune.

If we go by most stories here, it seems that buying a new watch from a grey seller (with established credentials) is usually pretty safe. There is good chance the watch is brand new, has never been opened up, and is presumably in decent functional condition. But if it is a display model at Costco, I think the chances of there being issues with it will increase dramatically as certain things can damage a mechanical watch and general people don't know this. If during the first two years anything happens, or even a minor tune up is needed, you're on your own, or you may have Costco's service that is probably not through BUSA. My main point is that a grey market sale will never have the same margin of safety as buying from an AD and that, in my opinion, the few extra bucks for a warranty and peace of mind is worth it. I personally would never buy a grey market Breitling given how much can be saved buying pre-owned LNIB from an AD, but again, that's just me and my personal preference.

If the serial number is intact then as a general rule Breitling will work on it. A few years ago it was common practice for grey market sellers to remove the serial number but that's pretty rare now. However, without the original warranty (which is virtually never provided by grey market) then all costs are at owner's expense.

If the watch has been serviced by a non Breitling authorised watchmaker then it is at a minimum going to have non Breitling parts and potentially have other issues. Breitling will assess the piece and will either say that the damage done is so severe that they won't touch it or they will quote you for the cost of undoing the unauthorised work plus the cost of the servicing that the watch needs anyway - can very easily get over $1,000.

By the way, I called Costco and Sam's club for the Super Avenger they were selling. They both said they have a warranty of 90 days on the watch and then you have 1 year from the manufacturer. That explains why the watch is marked down a few hundred dollars. I went also went to Mayor's Jewelers in Orlando yesterday. The lady told me the importance of warranty on these high end watches which makes me change my mind about finding an inexpensive way out of this.