The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi, Just brought a new SuperOcean Chrono from the US (I am in the UK), and have a couple of questions which I hope you chaps can help me with. Does the watch really need servicing every two years, and as I purchased it from an online dealer does that restrict where I can get the servicing done??

Also it’s a lovely looking watch, but how robust are they, I am almost scared to put it on in case I damage it.

Thanks.

I think the 2 years is more of guide that anything else. Generally the rule of thumb tends to be that if it still keeps good time, then less frequent servicing is fine - maybe every 5 years. However if you noticed a marked change in it's timekeeping, then it could be time for a service.

However as the SuperOcean Chrono is a water resistant watch it IS worth getting it's water resistancy checked every 2 to 3 years as the gaskets can degrade over time depending on how the watch is used. If you use it for salt-water activities (diving, water-skiing, windsurfing, etc) then you would be well advised to check the water resistancy every year as salt water will degrade the gaskets faster than normal. This checking is a lot cheaper than a full service.

As far as servicing a non-AD watch goes then I'm not 100% sure as I've not personally bought outside of the AD network. I'm guessing here (and I'm sure others here can confirm one way or the other) but as long as the serial number is intact then Breitling UK will probably service it OK. If the serial number has been removed then you may have more of an issue with the official route - in which case you may have to get a specialist watch-maker to service it for you. As I say, others on here will know more about servicing watches with the serial number removed.

Lastly - robustness-wise it's fair to say you have to be slightly more careful with autos than with quartz, but the SOC is a well-built watch, so provided you don't try driving your car over it (!) it should be more than up to the task.

Hope this helps.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

i bought my B2 online and it needed fixed and the lovely people in the AD where i live said they couldn't take it.
But I brought it to a watch repair shop who sent it to Breitling who sorted out the problem. £180 later and it was good as new!

Patrick

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Previous watches: B2, Superocean, Super Avenger, Colt, Skyland.

Current: Yellow Emergency.