The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Wow! I can't believe that it's 4 years since I posted on here!

Anyway, to business.

Do BUK keep service records, ideally (in this case) logs of problems or faults?

My Avenger Seawolf Chrono went in for its 2nd battery change and I got a call from the jeweller to advise that Breitling had said that there was a problem with the movement so a simple battery change wouldn't get the watch working again and that it had to have a complete service at about £500. I (I expect mistakenly) though this would be them replacing the movement.

As the Avenger isn't being worn much at the moment, I decided not to have the work done just yet and asked for the watch to be returned.

Having paid £45 (!) to have the watch returned without the work being done, I splashed out £1.07 to buy a Renata 394 and changed the battery myself. As Breitling had advised that the movement was faulty and needed £500 of work, I obviously had nothing to lose.

Imagine my surprise when the watch started immediately and is apparently functioning perfectly!

OK, I wasn't surprised at all...

Now, considering that a simple battery change wasn't offered (why would it be if the watch was faulty?) will Breitling have kept a record of what they thought the fault was? If so, who should I contact to find out?

If the watch has a genuine fault then it will need to be fixed, but if it's simply that they wish to do the recommended service as the watch is 7 years old then that's a very different matter.

I think your first port of call would be enquiries@breitling-uk.com. That should get the ball rolling.

Good luck with your enquiry. I’d ask how they established that the movement was faulty, did they pop in a new battery to check or did they just decide you should fork out for an overhaul? Whilst an overhaul may be justified as quartz watches do have moving parts that require intervention they should be upfront with customers as to exactly why a movement is deemed to be faulty. BUK appear to keep records as I have had ‘loyalty discounts’ for work I wasn’t convinced needed doing.

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Breitling B-1 1999
Breitling Chrono Superocean 2004
Casio G Shock
Citizen Eco Drive AT4000-02E (for gardening)
Seiko 5 SNZG15J1
Hamilton X Wind LE

I’ve just picked up this thread ... I had a very similar issue to the OP.

2 years ago, my Aerospace Avantage with Co-Pilot went in for a full overhaul at BUK. It cost in total about £800 or so and the watch hadn’t actually been worn more than 2 or 3 times since the overhaul, just when flying.

So I was a bit miffed when I came to wear it to find that the co-pilot display was showing a depleted battery ... contacted BUK who said to send it in. I asked for both batteries to be replaced. Roll forward a week and a letter drops through the door from BUK with a works estimate for over £900 for another full overhaul due to ‘water damage’! WTF? The watch has never been worn anywhere wet ... I now only fly when the sun shines. But the list of stuff was eye watering, new crystal, dial face, etc etc ...

So called them up. They had no record anywhere that my watch had been in for an overhaul. However fortunately I had sent in both warranty/service books and both had the stamps and date in. I also still had the invoice for the overhaul. So they concurred they had made an ‘administrative error’ but still insisted the work was required.

I argued the toss, said that clearly then the previous overhaul hadn’t been carried out or hadn’t been carried out according to their quality standards and unless they could send me proof, then I’d have no alternative but to take them to court. I stated a ‘letter before action’ would follow my phone call.

The following day, the service department supervisor called to say they would carry out a full overhaul at no charge as a matter of goodwill as they could find no records for my watch, yet as they had seen a copy of my books and invoice that I emailed in, they had no other option really.

My view of BUK is that it is a ‘money printing scam’ for Breitling ... they will always over estimate the amount of work required, and put on the works estimate that it is required. If you call and challenge, they will quite often revisit the works estimate and remove much of what is on there. They claim they want to bring the watch back to ‘factory fresh standard’ so a new crystal will be specified if there is even the tiniest mark.... clearly they have people with more money than sense who will just pay the estimate because they don’t know any better.

I have given up with the quartz watches that require a battery change every 2 or 3 years. I love the Aerospace so have gone for a B55 Exospace against all of the recommendations ... and it seems to work ok for me ... when I’m not using it, I put it into soft or deep sleep mode to preserve the charge, but like the fact I CAN recharge it, and the flight time logging is better than the Co-Pilot by a mile.

BUK need to be taken to court by a few people to shake them up, but I’d always suggest to fight your corner if they try it on.

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Have
2019 B55 Exospace on Titanium bracelet
2014 SuperAvenger II Military LE
Had
2013 Avenger Seawolf SS yellow Arabic dial
2010 Aerospace Avantage black dial & Co-pilot
2007 Aerospace Repetition Minutes
2003 Superocean
2001 Chronospace

I agree with this. BUK alas now lag behind their rivals - service at Swatch/Omega's Southampton centre, for example, is hugely improved, with online monitoring of the service process and easy communication - but the quotes for quartz servicing in particular are daft. I bought my Aerospace from an AD; when the battery ran out after about three years it went to BUK who then insisted that it had a full service since it was six years old, never mind that it had sat in a safe for the first three. They therefore charged full whack essentially for changing the battery (though see below) in an occasionally worn mint watch; about a month after it came back the battery EOL indicator came on, it stopped, and had to go straight back to them (which allowed them to rectify the fact that it was keeping less good time than when it went in). I love the concept of ana-digi in general and the look of the Aero in particular, but the service prices and BUK's recent deterioration make it a difficult watch to have.