The Breitling Watch Source Forums

After having Jomashop.com send me 3, yes 3 flawed Breitling Skyracers, I got my first and only Breitling from an AD (Provident Jewelry) that was recommended to me by a forum member. I didn't go with the Skyracer this time for a number of reasons. I didn't know if there was something wrong with the series or there was someting wrong with the vender I was buying them from. I decided to say good bye to the vender and the Skyracer and fell for a matt Blackbird on the Ocean Racer strap. Man this is a great looking watch!

Jesus - that's terrible, and unlikely to be the vendor’s fault. I’ve always liked the Skyracer, but that sounds like a major QC meltdown. Frankly, Breitling should be ashamed. What were the faults? Cosmetic or functional?

I mean, my Bentley GT has always had a little ding on the back of the case. Generally if cosmetic flaws are of the level the watch will definitely show after a few months of wearing, it’s not such a big deal IMHO. BUT, if you’re talkin’ 3 mechanical faults, that’s a disgrace and I’m amazed you’ve ended up buying a Breitling.

But I just noticed you bought them from a website…well…it is always a bit risky I think.

The faults were:

1st one had part of a number on the dial missing (no bottom of a 5)
2nd one had an issue where the seconds hand would jump 1 or 2 seconds at a time (between 20 and 30 second marker) when held perpendicular to the ground
3rd one had scratches on the dial

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Rob

Blackbird
Avenger (Silver)

Talk about strange having 3 problems so different. I don't blame you a bit for changing, and I think it's actually lucky it happened! (I have a BB too)

I think that it was absolutely the vendor's fault!

Jomashop are grey market - they bought watches cheap from an AD that couldn't sell the watches through regular channels and there's no guarantee that they weren't warranty returns / refurbs.

Yet another reason to stick with an AD

Glad that you finally managed to get a watch that you like, and welcome to BreitlingSource!

I agree - I just wouldn't buy a "new" Breitling on this so called "grey market", BUT these three Skyracers became warranty returns/refurb or whatever because there was a manufacturing defect.

Two dial problems and one mechanical problem. They shouldn’t have left the factory - the root cause of these problems is not a low rent internet business model.

Yeah sure – dodgy vendor. But at the end of the day, in this case, not particularly well made watches either. It’s simply not good enough. One can understand such defects with $200 fashion watches, or vintage & NOS pieces. But not a new watch costing thousands of dollars.

That said, Breitling is no worse than Rolex, Omega & Tag (Tiger Woods golf watch, anyone?) – too much money spent on marketing, and not enough on living up to the Swiss reputation for quality.

Sorry, again I don't agree.

How many posts do we see on here where people use the quick set date in the danger zone, break the date mechanism and then return the watch to Breitling who fix it 'under warranty'. Warranty repairs don't always mean manufacturing problems.

Some of these watches had 'odd' issues, and while I can understand that the occasional defect makes it past Breitling QC, I have a very hard time believing that a watch left the factory with bits missing from the dial! As for dial scratches - well somone clearly worked on that one after the fact. The jumping hands is a not uncommon movement issue and I can see that being a factory problem.

Agreed other than the dial scratches. I think that one could have gone either way to be honest, yes most likely it had been worked on but it def could have came from Breitling that way. The wrong lighting sometimes makes mark/scratches not visable and thats what could have happened at Breitling, unlikely though yes.

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SA-Baton White Dial/ProII
Tissot Le Locle

I don’t know how many Breitlings are returned due to misuse – but people can be stupid, so I accept quite a few.



Fair enough – maybe a non-authorised repair guy did some dodgy work and knocked off of a number on one, scratched the dial on another, but presumably in each case the watch was originally returned due to a problem. Maybe in both instances the watch was originally returned due to the owner improperly setting the date – but maybe not. In absence of further evidence, I’m not sure why one would consider it more likely that the original problem was due to operator error and not a manufacturing defect. And this ties into the next point.



Yeah, there is such a thing as manufacturing defects – and it’s not just Breitling. I’ve heard of serious problems with Omega & Rolex, so it does happen. But I don’t think it’s OK for any watch which costs thousands of dollars to have a “not uncommon movement issue”. That sounds like a design defect, or what may be termed a “latent defect” across the range. A company like Breitling should research and remedy that defect – maybe a change of materials for a key component, slight design change…whatever. There are plenty of movements which don’t have such “not uncommon movement issues” as jumping hands. Sure, a yardstick, like a Rolex Sub may occasionally present with jumping hands – but it will be uncommon.

I had a look at some TW Steel watches for a few hundred bucks the other day. No scratched dials, missing numbers, and if I bought one, I’d still be rightly annoyed if it didn’t work properly and the sales guy said “it’s a not uncommon movement issue”. If I’d just spent five grand, I’d be hostile.

Anyone who gets into mechanical watches needs to appreciate that things can go wrong, but I don’t see why consumers should have much tolerance for it in anything but very rare circumstances.

I think all we can say for sure here is that this reads as a tale of caution concerning the online purchase of Breitling watches. But as for any of these things having a "not uncommon movement issue" - not for my hard earned cash thanks!

It's not a Breitling issue, it's an inherent issue with mechanical watches that 300 plus years of research and design by the greatest minds haven't been able to solve adequately. Some movement designs can minimise the likelihood, but they can never eliminate it.

To suggest that some brands don't have this issue is just plain wrong.

If you don't want the issue buy a quartz.

Look, I think it’s just some confusion – I thought you were saying jumping seconds not an uncommon issue with the Skyracer movement – ie, it is a common problem in that model.

No disagreement that it can happen with any mechanical watch – it might happen with a 300 buck Seagull & it might happen with a 30 grand JLC. At some point on that continuum, a buyer is justified in being most peeved.

Yes this tale of caution is right on Breitling's website! Buy from an AD!

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SA-Baton White Dial/ProII
Tissot Le Locle

I once considered buying a Breitling from a non AD. I wondered how they could warranty the watch. They said they have a service company that takes care of it. But I have to ask myself, do they have a complete set of new hands on every model they service? and all the parts, gaskets, etc.? You might save a few bucks, but considering the investment, I decided against. Better to buy a used B that was purchased from AD and know you can have it properly serviced. I don't know exactly what watches get sold to the grey market dealers, but I suspect some have been mishandled going in an out of inventory, show cases, on and off customers wrists, what have you. I even saw an experienced salesman wiping down a watch with a polishing cloth and even polishing the crystal with it (something that shouldn't be done with any cloth with polishing compound in it) Maybe even dropped and scratched. A diamond ring can easily scratch a crystal and no doubt that has happened before handling watches. At least with an AD you can see the watch and examine it carefully before you spend the money and know also that you can take it back if something is wrong.
Naturally, on a web forum like this, you are going to hear more about "defects" because they are a concern, than you are going to hear about the "perfect" watches that , I suspect, are the norm with Breitlings.

This is why I always say that if you buy from a non-AD source, then just simply assume you don't have a warranty at all. I would never trust the "warranty" provided by grey market companies as you have no way of knowing if their "watchmaker" isn't just some random guy in the back of their warehouse with a case-opening tool................., and zero knowledge/ability.

The way to look at in IMO is that the saving you make on-line could end up being offset against having to pay Breitling for a non-warrantied repair IF something goes wrong. Of course there is every chance that nothing will go wrong and you'll have a saved a few pounds/dollars. But that's the gamble isn't it............

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Driver8

Site Moderator

You can still win in this situation. I've picked up used watches that came with no papers and taken them for official Breitling service and still come out far ahead of what I would have paid to an AD, or even for a similar watch in newer condition with papers. It just requires patience.