The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I took my Aerospace in for a new battery last week to the dealer where I bought it, and was told they'd have to send it back to the factory for a new battery. When they told me they'd call me with a quote, I wondered why and how much can it cost for a new battery, even at the factory!

The watch is 4 years old, and was running perfectly with no problems when the battery died. When the dealer called and told me it had to be "overhauled" at a cost of $375, I wasn't happy at all. I've never had a problem with a quartz watch like this, and have had Seiko's and other cheaper quartz watches that are still running perfectly after in excess of 10-15 years. When I told them that all I wanted was a new battery, I was informed that they wouldn't do just a battery, and that they'd send it back untouched (with me paying the shipping) if that's what I wanted to do.

Great! Then I have a watch that doesn't run at all again. Talk about having you bent over a barrel. When I complained about the cost for that questionable service, I was told that "oh, that's nothing. For an automatic watch like your chronomat they're charging $800+ for that watch"!

Is this normal for what you guys are seeing, or is the dealer ripping me off?

Thanks in advance for responding.

Tom

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New 2 Tone Chronomat EVO w/MOP Face
Titanium/Gold Aerospace
Rolex 2 Tone Datejust
Gold Ebel/blk. Alligator band
3 Tag-Heuer's

I´d say your being ripped off. Go to another AD.

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Blue Baton Super Avenger
Black Avenger Seawolf

I'm in rip off Britain and my 3 yr old Aerospace was about $180 to $200 - I think.

That included the battery & service of course but also for changing one of the screws on the bezel. I seem to remember this was about £30 - 35 extra for the screw!

$375 sounds alot (sounds about double what I'd expect you to be quoted for that model and age) but then so does $200 for a battery and a tiny screw.

I guess it's the price we pay for having that on the wrist - not looking forward to putting my Monty in for it's first service

Maybe try a Rolex dealer - they seem helpful!

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Aerospace Titanium & Gold - Grey Face
B-1 on Fighter/Blue Shark - Blue Face
Emergency on Pro - Yellow Face

To complete the collection:
Navi 01 46/Black leather - Black/white
Montbrillant Datora/Navi - White face


LEARNING.......EVERY DAY

I think a lot of the time official after-sales work (servicing etc) for prestige watches is a bit like main dealer servicing for you car - you just know that you're going have to bend over and take it! I won't relay the entire tale again, but I was told that to get my Steelfish regulated, it would need a full service back at Breitling. Now THAT is plainly not true. A regulation is a 5 min job and movements are even designed to allow regulation to be done quickly and simply. Just a money-making scheme IMO.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

The service videos that have been posted on here a few times demonstrate the value of a service, but I agree with others, that the prices that you have been quoted seem high. I would expect a regular quartz service to be in the $250 range, but not getting on for $400.

My local watchsmith changes the battery in my quartz Shark for £10.

If you want a full service, then you have to pay the going rate but if you only want the battery changed, don't believe any AD BS that only Breitling can do it.

Can you provide a general location of where you are located?

My other battery replacements in my Tag and Longines has been around $30 each time. Those were done at AD, although I did not purchase my watches from the AD.

I just bought my Aerospace in August, I would hate to have to start a savings fund just for a battery replacement.

Not to change the topic, but should the Aerospace need a service? I don't think I've ever 'serviced' my Tag over 18 years.

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There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count and those that can't.

1 - Aerospace blue dial
2 - ?

The AD here is Finks jewelers, and they're the only game in town for Breitling. This is not the first time I've felt like I was being taken advantage of with them, and if there was anywhere else to go, believe me, I would!

In the last couple of days, one of my Tag chronographs has started acting up, stopping, restarting, etc., and now I need to have it checked as well. It's about 12-14 years old, and it's the first trouble I've had with it. I dread taking it in to Finks, who are the only ones here that sell Tag-Heuer as well, because I know they're going to stick it to me on that as well!

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New 2 Tone Chronomat EVO w/MOP Face
Titanium/Gold Aerospace
Rolex 2 Tone Datejust
Gold Ebel/blk. Alligator band
3 Tag-Heuer's

After paying the big bucks to have my Aerospace sent out for the first battery replacement and then years of having a local shop change the batteries at a moderate cost, I eventually realized that if I invested in a quality case knife (Bergeon) and went to Walmart for a battery, I could change the battery myself.

As long as the "O" ring seal is serviceable, I've had no problems or worries; then again I don't get the Aerospace near water (any good watch for that matter). I have had my Aerospace for 15 years and am wearing it right now.

So, for a $10 knife and a $3.00 battery along with carefull hands, this is one job you can do yourself. It is not rocket science.

Hi guys.

I have a Hercules that I adore and wear each and every day. I live in the UK and a couple of weeks ago our clocks went back an hour. I unscrewed the crown - in a completely normal fashion I might add, I wasn't heavy-handed or rough with it - and the crown came off in my hand. I took it back to where I got it (Watches of Switzerland in London) and as it was 'only' 2 months outside the original 2 year warranty, the chap in there was fairly confident that it may well be fixed for nothing. I walked out of there a happy chap and have been wearing my frankly tiny Tag since.

I got a letter from the WoS Repair Department last week and I was looking forward to getting my beloved watch back. I nearly fell over when I opened the letter and this is what it told me......



Now, I went in there to get the crown replaced, and would have been happy (albeit a tiny bit miffed as it's only just over 2 years old) to pay the £47.00 for the new crown and P&P. It's the other £482.50 that has been making my blood boil.

1) I didn't ask for any of it, they have 'deemed' it 'necessary'
2) New hands? What the hell? Why would it need new hands?

I am smelling a bit of a rat here, if I'm honest. The watch itself was only around the £2K mark and after only 2 and a bit years, I'm expected to stump up 1/4 of that to have some 'necessary' work on it? I've not had the time to yet, but I shall be going in to see someone at WoS and have it out with them. I bought my Herc with a view to it lasting me a very long time and can't help but think that this whole situation is a bit iffy.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

The saga continues.

Popped back to WoS today and informed them in no uncertain terms of my displeasure at the cost. The lady was fairly helpful and seemed sympathetic. I explained that it was 2 tiny months outside of the warranty and that I didn't expect bits to start falling off of it after such a short time and that I was frankly not amused with the £500+ that they were quoting me that came as a direct result of something falling off after such a small time.

She went off to speak to her manager and phoned me back. She asked me if I could drop the warranty information in to her. I remember when I took the watch in to them initially, that I had the warranty booklet with me, and I am sure that they sent it away with the watch (why would they do anything else?) She said that according to their records the watch went without the warranty information.

I will double-check at home but I am getting more and more annoyed with WoS and this whole farce. I paid good money for my Breitling in good faith and I am appalled that the crown has fallen off after 2 years and even more appalled at the palaver that I've gone through.

I'm having to wear my old Tag which is an older version of the Aquaracer and is tiny compared to my bad boy Hercules.

I just want my watch back!

Not sure that this is going to make you feel any better, but.........

The crown isn't covered by warranty.

Is it not? Is there a reason for that? Sorry if I sound like I'm being stupid there. Is that because the watches are so shoddy that this happens a lot?

The guy at the shop mentioned nothing about this either, not a sausage.

EDIT - Apologies if I sound a bit rude, but my girlfriend quite rightly tells me that I'm prone to faffing and this is getting on my nerves a bit.

Jeez Sav, that's a nightmare about the price mate!

Although I feel that Breitling UK do a truly fantastic job when you send a watch in to them, I also feel that it's very similar to main dealer servicing on your car - i.e. you're a "captive audience" so to speak, so they shaft you for all they can.

Don't get me wrong here - if your watch actually NEEDS a service, then Breitling give a brilliant..er... service, and there are no complaints from me about that at all. The videos of the service procedure doing teh rounds on here more than justify the expense in my opinion. HOWEVER, all this nonsense that they can't do a thing to a watch without the ubiquitous "full service" is just pure profiteering. Plain and simple.

For example, my Steelfish needed regulating -

AD: "Yes sir, we'll have to send your watch back to Breitling for that, oh and it'll only be done as part of a full service".
Me: "Why can't you regulate it now? It's a 5 minute job, and it doesn't need a service".
AD: "We can't reseal it sir, so Breitling will have to do it and they insist on a full service in these circumstance".


Example 2 - I made enquiries the other day about a dial change on a Monty Legende -

BUK: "Yes sir, we can do that for you. It'll be £617, oh and it'll have to have a full service at the same time, which will be another £310".
Me: "Why would it need a full service if it's only a year old? If I was to keep the current dial it wouldn't conceivably need a service for 3 or 4 more years".
BUK: "It's the policy sir".


Annoying to say the least. To be honest, it's a wonder we can get links removed from bracelets without someone there saying, "OH MY GOD!!! We've HANDLED this watch!!! We can't POSSIBLY hand it back without it having a FULL SERVICE done!!!!!"

<Call me Mr Cynical>

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Atleast he was polite