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Hi Everyone,
I have had my Breitling Chrono Avenger on my wrist every day since my wife gave it to me for Christmas in 2002. Over the past 7 years it has kept perfect time and given me no problems whatsoever, until last month when I unscrewed the crown to reset the date for the November to December roll-over. With that done, I found that the crown would no longer engage threads with the case tube. The crown could be manually pushed flush with the case, but the threads in the crown itself were completely worn down to the point they would no longer engage and hold with the threads in the case tube. Closer inspection revealed the threads on both halves of the interface were full of a black residue, and I presumed that this was what was left of the titanium crown threads.
I returned the watch to Breitling USA with a letter explaining what happened. I was careful to note that I had barely used the crown (basically twice a year for daylight savings time, and as required for date rollovers – maybe 75 times total). I am a mechanical engineer, and I understand the delicacy of titanium threads and their propensity for galling; I was always careful to keep the interace clean, properly start the threads and not overtighten them. In the letter I simply asked if this was a common failure, and if there had been any design or operating changes in the Chrono Avenger line over the past seven years that may have improved the reliability of the crown. I made sure that I did not come off as a disgruntled customer wanting something for free. I was fully expecting them to quote the $300-$500 for a full service, but I was secretly hoping that they would waive any charges for a new crown. Yes, I know I am probably irresponsible for going this long without ever having the watch serviced, but it is also a testament to the design of the Valjoux 7750 movement used by Breitling; after seven years of constant use it was still keeping time well within COSC specs.
A week later I get the standard ‘required’ repair punch list back via email:
- $490 for a complete overhaul (I was expecting that).
- $98.23 for a new crown ( I was hoping not to pay that).
- $65.31 for new hands. (I was really not expecting that).
The email did not include any response to the questions raised in my letter.
I emailed them back another letter again questioning the failure of my crown.
Here is the response from Breitling:
-After checking with our technical staff it was determined that the crown on your watch must be replaced because of an external impact.
Attached were some pics of my rather beat up crown.
Here is my email response:
-Thank you for your prompt response and attached photos. While I agree that the crown (and the entire watch for that matter) certainly has experienced plenty of external impacts, I respectfully disagree with the proposed mode of failure. The crown was un-threaded to correct the date on the November to December rollover, and the threads simply would not re-engage when I attempted to screw the crown back down. The mating threads on the case appear to still be in good condition, but the internal threads on the crown appear to be completely worn down (I couldn't perform a very detailed inspection without removing the crown). Impact damage on a screwed down crown would certainly damage both sets of threads. I can see how the crown alone could be damaged if the watch were dropped or impacted while the crown was un-screwed and in the released condition, but that is not the case here.
And Breitling USA’s reply:
-The internal threads on this crown are made of titanium while the case tube (the mating threads on the case) is made out of steel to ensure water resistance in an event of heavy impact to the crown while screwed down.
After an examination of the internal crown threads it is confirmed that the first starting thread crests had been damaged and will not correctly thread into the case. This has been caused by a change in pitch of the crown threads from the external impact.
A new crown is required for this service as originally estimated.
If I can be of further assistance please let me know.
My question to the experts here are:
1) Has anyone else experienced this sort of failure?
2) I fully understand that this watch is well out of warranty, and that the manufacturer is well within their rights to charge for a new crown, but am I being unreasonable in expecting some leeway in this case? I’m a little frustrated that the only response insinuates that the crown failed because of poor handling on my part.
3) Lastly, why would new hands be listed as a ‘required’ service item? I can see no justification for this, unless they are swaged in place or otherwise designed for a one time installation.
My thanks and appreciation in advance for any input you may have.
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