The Breitling Watch Source Forums

No, if I replace the belt in my car I have an original car with a new belt. However, if I buy an engine from one place, a chassis from somewhere else, body panels from a third source glass from somewhere else and an interior from yet another place then the law in most countries will not allow me to sell that car as an original - because it isn't. In Canada at least I wouldn't even be able to drive that car if I promised never to sell it because I couldn't get a clean title for it.

Good analogy that you started - it applies very well.

There is a huge difference between servicing a watch, repairing a broken part and what you are doing. You are buying the engine and accessory parts for a Ford and finding out that the chassis you thought was a Ford is now a Chevy and the engine won't fit. You buy a Ford chassis and get it all to fit, now is it a Ford when you drive it to the dealer when it breaks down or better yet for the NEXT guy who buys it. The dealer says, "Wow, we don't assemble it like this!! This was not built by us, it might be our parts but it is not our car"!!!

Wayne

I am guilty of the Omega builds. And while I will never sell them, those that inherit them may seek to sell them to unsuspecting parties.
OP - I suspect you are coming from the same place, but the fact remains you are seeking to build a complete watch from a spare parts bin. Look to the sheer volume of incorrect watches for sale now, that confuse buyers trying to buy legitimate factory built watches, and realise your proposal isn't going to help fix this problem.
With the amount of (deserved) derision that is reserved for Maerz, it should be little surprise that your project is not supported here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet) - a waste of your time!

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S. Craig Bergsma

That is a fair point on those that might inherit my watches when i pass on.
I get what you are all saying aboutvfranken watches and a complete mishmash of parts In my case all i am seeking to do is recase an otherwise complete and correct movement, dial, hands and crown set. The original case was damaged and is now gone, should the restof the watch be discarded as useless because its not possible to talk of it as being factory original?

Would you just toss out one of your prize breitlings because the case alone got wrecked?

ok, so I'll chime in again.

If you knew a little about vintage Breitling you would understand that you can't just put a fitting Breitling dial into a case - there were different dial designs and different hands for specific model references. Chances you'll miraculously find the "correct" combo are like winning the lottery; yes, you might.

We've discussed this long enough, I think - you will end up with a FrankenLing, most propably a rather ridiculous and pathetic one. Have fun, but do not expect our support or applause.

in my case its an issue of trust. i bought the hands, dial, movement and crown as a package from a legit vintage breitling dealer who assured me they all came out of the same watch. so if I trust the seller and he is legit then this shouldn't be an issue right?

and ill do my best to have fun with this project and if the results do ridiculous I'll probably bit the watch out and sell the parts along for someone else to try and win that lottery you refer to. I've already decided to return the 1188 case and hunt for a proper 178 case that matches the 170 movement.

I really did come in here to find out more info about how vintage breitlings are put together (the challenge is a lack of documentation) and Ive learned a lot from you guys about the expectations and standards of serious collectors and this is good stuff for me to understand. I've had a few assumptions of my mine destroyed but hey thats what education and learning are all about

thanks for all your input and help me wrap my mind around the issues with frankenwatches. it was never my intention to offend and I am sorry because it does appear that i have frustrated some of you (looking at you chronodeco)
as for discussing this long enough - c'mon this is a web forum . you're all here because secretly deep down you like talking about these watches ad nauseum and I'm just doing my part to give you content.
as far as my future on this forum goes - i think its pretty obvious that i dont really fit in here. so I probably wont stick around to annoy you guys further. i might lurk from time to time because learning from experts is one of the great things about the internet but really i dont have much positive to add to this forum.

cheerio and i wish you all the best with your watch collecting hobbies

and maybe ill post the finished watch the frankenwatch forum so you can all tut tut and laugh at it

Just a followup
I decided not to build this watch after all. Now I'm using the 170 movement in a generic venus 170 case with a beautiful BWC dial and its looks spectacular. Now I just need to match the hands properly as some are blued steel and some are golden. I'm keeping the breitling case and hands for the moment but I may just sell them along to someone who can use them for a proper matching project and has a correct dial in their possession.

My decision was moved along when i realized the dial i had which purported to be a breitling cadette dial doesnt actually fit in a 178 case type. which is suspicious and made me think i had an early fake dial - a repainted chrono suisse which is the larger 33.95mm across . so if i dont have the right dial what the heck is the point? Having a movement, case crown and hands doesnt mean much without a proper dial and made me realize i woudlnt be able to complete this project without resorting to one of those brand new uruguayan dials sold on ebay. so i abandoned it as i didnt want to be one of those frankenwatchers

Thanks for all your input - it helped clarify frankenwatching for me.