The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I bought a BlackBird about 9 months ago from a certified dealer and just absolutely love(d) the watch. After 7 months, the watch started running fast. I took it to the dealer I bought it from and they said it got "magnetized" and they did lord knows what and demagnetized it I guess. It worked fine for about a week and then went completely kaplooey - just stopped working altogether. I took it back, they sent it to Connecticut to some Breitling authorized repair center (6 damn weeks ago) and gave me the same bit about it getting magnetized.

I only wear the watch for work (I'm a desk-jockey), but I travel by plane about once per week and they said it's probably getting magnetized by going through the Xray.

I have friends who have Rolexes and Carties who travel often that don't have this problem.........?

So here's my question.

Did I pay $5,500 for a watch by a "prestigious" watchmaker renowned by PILOTS that I can't even use to go on business trips?

I'm not very happy right now - so any insight would be great

Thanks.

Sorry to hear that but it sounds a little strange these watches are made for flying and it has the Blackbird name and all i would ask BUSA what would they suggest i do before taking it on another business trip. Sorry that im not much help.

_________________
Navitimer World

I think that some of the stronger scaners can magnetise the watch.
Storys about other brands not being magnetised are bull, they are not magnetised only if they are antimagnetic.

If a watch becomes magnetized then it will usually run fast (very fast), it's highly unlikely that it will stop running altogether, so that may be something different.

I wrote an article on magnetized watches a little while ago - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8877

As bnewbie says, any mechanical watch can become magnetized, some watches use metal 'shields' around the balance and some use specialist materials (though most can still be magnetized to some degree).

If you wear a watch through an airport scanner then there is definitely the possibility of it becoming magnetized, as is use of a self scan checkout, or even putting it next to your cell phone. That's not a Breitling problem though, it's an inherent challenge with mechanical watches.

Thanks for the replies guys. The watch was running fast.....and then extremely fast before it went kaplooey. I have to wait until they ship it back before I get a full report and they said it's taking longer than usual to get it back because they had to order a part for it.

I guess I'm just really disappointed now more than anything. I've never had a really "nice" watch and due to the encouragement of my wife, she thought this was a good watch that I could use for work to dress up or down. Now that I can't travel with the damn thing for fear that this will happen again........well, I'm not very happy

Again, thank you for your replies.

If the report comes back indicating the culprit is magnetism then you need to try and identify the source of it. As Roff said there are multiple sources including the airport scanners which might do this. If you have excluded all other causes then simply take it off before going through the scanner and place it in the security tray.

But an airport x-ray won't do it.

Take it off and put it in the tray and it won't get magnetised (at least not by the scanner).

I don't see what part they would have had to order for a magnetised watch either, so suspect something else.

Just to test Roff's aforementioned article ans well as to add some meat to this thread (yes, this is what Trauma Surgeons do when they are bored) I decided to run some tests in the MRI suite with my SA. Now, as all here know, the SA is one gigantic hunk of steel!! More metal than in my car I think?!
I was trying to see what I could expose the watch to in terms of magnetism before the mechanism sped up. I shoul say, I spoke to my AD first thing this morning (well, actually one of the sales people who's brother works in the MRI department, but the point remains he agreed to take care of whatever problem came up . He was interested too) so do not try this at home (for any of you with an MRI machine at home!!)
First strapped the wacth to a wooden table (heavy one!!) Then ran the tests. Each exam was about 15 minutes of magnet time, waited 1 hour after each test to judge change in timekeeping.
1. Outside the MRI suite = no change (as one might assume)
2. In the control room where the techs sit = no change
3. Now it got fun; at the back wall of the MRI room as far from the magnet as possible (about 30o feet) -- surprisingly no change an hour after the test!!!! I was shocked!!!!
4. In the middle of the MRI room about 15 feet from the magnet. The watch went ape-shit!!!! The second hand started spinning like a propeller (exageration, but it was impressive!)
Stopped that man's exam, grabbed the now out of power SA (ran dry in 30 minutes!!!!) and off to the AD.
Degaussed, regulated (for good measure) and 6 hours later it is still running like nothing ever happened.
Like I said though, I would not try this -- seeing the second hand of my beloved SA spinning like Linda Blair's head in "The Exorcist" really made my heart sink. Cool to watch though

_________________
Chronomat, Steel/Gold, MOP Dial, 2-tone band (2008)
Super Avenger Black Baton Dial (2009)
Bentley B04 GMT Silver Dial (2013)
Avenger Blacksteel Baton Dial (2014)

That made me laugh (though I do worry about you).

If you think the second hand was going crazy can you imagine what the balance wheel was doing!!!!!!

Bonedoc all I can say is you must have one heck of a relationship with your AD!

I fly out of O'hare airport all the time and the guys make me put it through the machine...they won't let me put it in a security tray...so it's either some new rule or they're just jerks. Folks think it may be the new machines they're using (post 9/11 machines) to scan the luggage.

Again, I work in an office and cannot think of anything that is in my office or at home that has a magnet that would cause this.

Obviously, I'll wait for the full report, but it was acting up as was mentioned above.

I'll also call the FAA and airport security and see if I can get documentation about avoiding the darn scanner if I can. If these guys are just jerks, maybe I can hand them a document telling them I know they don't have to scan it.

Many thanks......again

_________________
************* ************************ **********
PAM359, Omega PO Big Size, 1951 Omega Seamaster, Rolex Sea Dweller

Sounds like a good plan. I Hope it turns out ok with the repair.
I would be interested in what Breitling says. Please let us know.

Cheers

Boney, great test you've made and you really deserve your crackpot status!!

Hard earned title, my friend, hard-earned. This is the type of things Trauma Surgeons do when people are not currently breaking stuff -- we get bored and tinker with things to see how they work, and break.

_________________
Chronomat, Steel/Gold, MOP Dial, 2-tone band (2008)
Super Avenger Black Baton Dial (2009)
Bentley B04 GMT Silver Dial (2013)
Avenger Blacksteel Baton Dial (2014)

UPDATE:

So my AD is obviously worthless. I contacted Breitling's repair center in CT. They told me the watch's main spring/center spring(?) had wrapped around another part due to an impact. I explained that I'm a desk jockey and am completely confused as to what kind of impact this could have been. The repair guy told me that if I hit my hand hard enough on the desk or clapped my hands hard enough, this could happen.

The worst part? Breitling contacted my AD on April 15th with the repair estimate and my AD AUTHORIZED the repair on April 28th....yet even up until a week ago, the AD said they didn't know what was wrong with the watch.

Sooooooooooo, not sure what the process is to become an AD, but their "standards" are obviously lacking.

So now I own a $6,000 watch that I can't clap my hands at sporting events.

For a watch that's made for "professionals" in the marine and airline industries, I am definitely not impressed.