The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I recently completed a 5 day timing test on my 2005 SuperOcean. After 7 years of ownership it is running at +4.5 seconds per 24 hours. When it was new, after about 3 months it settled in at a fairly constant +3 seconds a day. The power reserve was 45 hours and tested last week it is now running at 40 hours. I used my watch winder to determine accuracy because for me, wearing the watch never seems to bring it to a full wind. I hand wound the watch to determine the power reserve. I think all the numbers show that it is a good time to have it serviced.
A couple years ago, I began storing a few nice pocket knives in the same drawer with the watches I had in rotation. At some point later I noticed that the SO was running at +1 second even at rest. So I tried regulating the watch and found a position where it went to 0 seconds when left over night and 1 second a day in use. I was very pleased. How cool. One day I left a good quality compass on the night stand and when I opened the drawer to pick out a watch, I just happened to notice that the needle moved on the compass. By process of elimination I discovered one of my beautiful hand made pocket knives had a blade that is for all intents a permanent magnet. I removed the pocket knives and the watch was back running as before within a few weeks. Interestingly, I emailed the company that makes the knives, described the discovery of the effect their knives had on my Breitling Chronometer wrist watch. In the first response they were incredulous and a bit defensive but in the very next email a few days later, the representative described how someone had brought their kids compass to the factory and discovered that most all their knife blades are highly magnetic due to the manufacturing process. They had no idea and they have been making knives for a 100 + years The SO went right back to keeping great time apparently not needing degaussed. - no other problems.

This a really informative and fun group. The fellow who just bought the same watch again that he sold a while ago - and admitted it - I will NEVER do that. (admit it). My latest acquisition is displayed in the watch gallery.

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Time after time ~

That’s interesting. You should have claimed something from them for bringing it their attention.

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Jim

"You have Control".

Magnetism has been a contentious subject here over the years, it's interesting to have a real world example. I don't think that this is a case of a watch being truly magnetised as the variation was so low and because the watch returned to normal when the knife was removed (so the hairspring hadn't been permanently affected), but it is another example of how many variables can affect the accuracy - great story!