The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hello everyone, new to the board.

I've lusted after a Breitling for some time and finally pulled the trigger on a beautiful new SuperOcean 44. Love the watch, not hugely impressed with the dealer but you can't have everything. I was very happy with the watch until it stopped after (aaarrrggg) 5 days!! I would have expected better performance from a Mickey Mouse watch, let alone a supposedly quality timepiece.

I dropped the watch off under warranty a few days ago. I live in Toronto so I was able to go directly to Breitling Canada rather than having to go through the dealer. I called Breitling today for an update and prognosis. Their explanation was a bit vague but from what I could gather there was a problem with the jewel holding the balance wheel and the balance wheel dislodged itself. I'm guessing that the resulting damage might be fairly extensive as the watch will take "at least" 3 weeks to repair.

I've asked for a replacement because I've paid (admittedly discounted) retail for what would effectively be a reconditioned watch. Clearly, this watch escaped Breitling's QA process or had some problems during shipping/handling. What other issues could this watch have in the future? This is where I ran into a brick wall with Breitling, it was polite and pleasant but a brick wall all the same.

I have an appointment to talk with someone higher up the food chain on Monday but I wonder what your expert views are. Am I being unreasonable? In your experience what are the chances of Breitling agreeing to a replacement?

Apologies for this rambling post but I'm pretty ticked and disappointed. Any and all opinions appreciated.

Sorry to hear of your problems and welcome to Breitlingsource.

To be honest, you can always try for a replacement, and depending on who you speak to in the food chain then you may get lucky, but I wouldn't hold out too much hope : after-all, that's why Breitling provide a warranty - to allow any issues to be fixed free of charge. With all due respect, after it's been repaired it won't be a reconditioned watch, it'll be a watch that's had a warranty repair, that's all.

I often use a "watches are like cars" analogy, and that would seem apt here. If you purchased a new car, you would basically never get them to replace it if it needed a component fixing : it would simply be fixed under warranty. (The only time you may get a new car is if the entire engine needed replacing...and even then it wouldn't be guaranteed). In that respect watches and cars are very similar as both are mechanical things that can (and do) unfortunately occasionally go wrong, but both can be fixed entirely free of charge under warranty.

PS - It's not likely to be extensive damage - the 3 week lead time you have been quoted is pretty normal for warranty work. They certainly won't be working on your watch for 3 weeks continuously!

Hope it gets sorted for you.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

A balance jewel is not a major fix and given that the balance complete is a service part that is routinely replaced at servicing I certainly wouldn't expect Breitling to replace the watch, but it never hurts to ask......

Maybe I'm just being a bit too optimistic, but my take on it is kinda positive. When your watch comes back, you'll know that it received a level of individual attention and scrutiny that it may not have seen originally. This isn't meant as a slight on Breitling's Quality organization, but your watch will have had an individual set of eyes and hands focused on it.

Thanks for the feedback guys.
I had no idea that the balance wheel was a routine service part. I'll still try for a replacement but now I won't feel TOO bad if (when) they insist on repairing it. I've waited a long time for this watch, another 3 weeks isn't a disaster.

Driver8 - as you brought up the car analogy, I have a friend who bought a new BMW several years ago. The tranny suffered a catastrophic failure after less than a 1000 miles and the dealership didn't even suggest a fix, they just exchanged the car without a quibble. Needless to say, that dealership has him as a customer for life.

A lot depends on your statutory rights as a consumer, and of course, which may be different than in the UK, but generally (in the UK) my understanding is that your contract of purchase is with the retailer, not the manufacturer, and might be worth looking into. I had a similar issue with an Omega a few years ago, and I got the AD to replace the watch rather than go back to Omega. Having said that, it sounds like your watch will come back in new condition with the remaining warranty anyway, so all will be good.

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Regards

Steve

A quick update. Breitling agreed to "consider" an exchange but offered an alternative - to extend the warranty by 2 yrs for a total of 4 yrs from date of purchase. They confirmed that fixing the watch is a routine procedure so I decided to go with the offer rather than have a possible prolonged negotiation. The watch should be ready during the first week in Sept.

Thanks again for your input.

I would have gone for the double warranty offer as well.
Your watch will get special attention as balance wheel issue is being addressed plus you get four years warranty over just another watch from a box with half the warranty.
Worth the wait in my opinion.

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"It is just a matter of time!"

Agreed. That's a pretty good outcome IMO.

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Driver8

Site Moderator