The Breitling Watch Source Forums

That last picture is the back of a brand new one that the store had for sale. I took a picture of it to compare the case back to the one of mine. You can no longer see the serial number on my watch. He said it was apparently polished off when it was serviced.

Just heard from the watch store a moment ago. They said that Breitling will not officially authenticate a watch. However, if they send it to them they will look at it and give a repair sheet for cleaning/fixing anything that is wrong with it. With that being said if it's not authentic they will not give a repair sheet estimate and they will say it is fake and say that it should be thrown away. Does this sound correct to you guys? I haven't ever dealt with anything like this before so this is new ground. I told them to go ahead with sending the watch. What do you guys think?

feel sorry for the owner of this watch, but the thread is very good reading, very informative

You really need to find a new, reputable shop. Any dealer that can't recognize this watch is counterfeit is either flat out lying or totally incompetent.

Breitling won't recommend it be destroyed, they'll destroy it. Doesn't matter who does / doesn't or will / won't say what, the watch is a clear fake.

I agree but that's not the point now you see. The watch maker that serviced it at that store is supposed to be Breitlinh certified. When it comes to light that it is in fact not real, I'm going to do everything I can to hold them accountable for the watch being as he had it completely apart. If I were to take the watch away from the store now, they could just easily say that it isn't the watch I brought in. Therefore, I have to have them send it away so they are in possession of it the entire time.

I would definitely hold them accountable. You should be entitled to receive a reimbursement of the appraisal fees that you paid. I would also contact BUSA directly to make them aware of the situation. I'm sure they would like to know if one of their authorized dealers is selling/authenticating knock offs.

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I hope you can convince them to make it right. Their behavior thus far makes that less than a certainty, though. Any reputable dealer would be sick they let a fake get past them and into a customer's hands. They would bend over backwards to make it right. I don't believe for a minute that a certified watch maker wouldn't know this watch was a knockoff. It sounds like they're just trying to placate you and hoping you'll go away. I feel for you. A number of years ago I got taken to the tune of 5 grand by a dishonest contractor. It really stings. It can happen to anybody no matter how savvy you are. It sure made me be a lot more careful whom I did business with. Good luck.

I hope you can convince them to make it right. Their behavior thus far makes that less than a certainty, though. Any reputable dealer would be sick they let a fake get past them and into a customer's hands. They would bend over backwards to make it right. I don't believe for a minute that a certified watch maker wouldn't know this watch was a knockoff. It sounds like they're just trying to placate you and hoping you'll go away. I feel for you. A number of years ago I got taken to the tune of 5 grand by a dishonest contractor. It really stings. It can happen to anybody no matter how savvy you are. It sure made me be a lot more careful whom I did business with. Good luck.[/quote]

It's the worst feeling ever! There just isn't much I can do about it though, this is really my only play at the moment.

I just don't understand how this happened or is happening. I had it checked out by both (the only authorized Breitling store in LA that serviced the watch, and TimeTec which is the most reputable watch maker in LA). With that being said, I don't understand how both of them agree that it is authentic when it is on or something isn't right. I mean this watch store is inside the Beverly Hilton, it's not a second rate low end store, you would think the would know what they are servicing or selling. I'm not going away though, there is no way at this point.

What do you think they should do once it comes back verified fake?

Just to throw something in the mix, they obviously know it's a fake by now, and have at some point made an error - intentional or not,

When they send it off, how do you Know they have sent it off?

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Would they send it off in the first place?

If it is sent to Breitling and it's fake what evidence do you have if Breitling destroy it ???

Both of these are concerns of mine as well. I just called Breitling USA to verify that it is the true story because it just doesn't make sense. I don't see why someone can't officially authenticate the thing. Without that, I don't have an argument either way.

Hello everyone,

I feel as though it is my duty to update you. The watch store received the watch yesterday from Breitling and it is in fact fake. You are were right and I apologize for coming off so arrogant about the situation in the beginning. I kinda had a feeling that was how it was going to turn out.

I spoke to the owner of the store and he says it was a mistake that his watchmaker serviced the watch and provided a warranty on the movement once he did. He stated that everyone makes mistakes and he should have never told me that it was authentic because he is not in the authenticating business. He then said that I can come to pick up the watch and pay the fee for shipping to Breitling but our business if now done. Of course I feel terrible. I notified the original owner and he called the store owner via three way conversation and had a very long conversation about how he could charge 600 dollars to service a watch that wasn't authentic and he again said that it was just a mistake. I don't really know what to do at this point, I guess going to court is really the only option but I don't know how liable they really are under these circumstances.

My question for all of you is, is it really possible for a certified watchmaker to really make a mistake like that? Can you completely service a fake watch and not realize that it is authentic? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated at this point.

No competent watchmaker would have been ignorant to the difference between a Swiss movement and a Chinese clone.

That's what I though. The new story is that he says it is an authentic Swiss movement, just not the right one.