The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Morning all - I've got a problem and would appreciate any input:

I've had a Chrono Evo for about a year now and I noticed that it seemed to occasionally lose a lot of time (despite being mostly pretty accurate) so I started monitoring it closely*. From then on I noted the daily deviation on a spreadsheet and the following figures are cumulative averages -

17 Aug - 31 Aug = +2.79 sec/day

31 Aug - 1 Sep = -390.97 sec

1 Sep - 18 Sep = +4.66 sec/day

18 Sep - 21 Sep = -48.71 sec/day

21 Sep - 11 Dec = +1.04 sec/day

15 Dec = watch had stopped

15 Dec - 29 Dec = +3.61 sec/day

29 Dec = watch had stopped, rotor span when shaken and watch started again after manual winding

30 Dec - 4 Jan = +4.09 sec/day

14 Jan = watch had stopped


So, you can see that, while it is nicely within COSC specs most of the time, it seems to occasionally lose time or stop and this seems to be getting more frequent. Now, I suspect that the response will be to bring it to my AD as it is well within warranty and I will do that asap (much as it pains me because the AD from where I bought it is a 2hr round trip and I don't want to be without my watch for 6 weeks or more) but I just wanted to know if any of you experts had seen such behaviour before?

Could it simply be that the power reserve is running out? I have a desk job so I'm not that active but I wear the watch on my right wrist so it does move a fair bit and I wear it for about 15 hrs every day of the week as it's my only watch. Does the power reserve normally last or am I just so sedentary that my Evo thinks I'm dead?

Any advice would be great as I love this watch and I really don't want to send it away...



*Using a spreadsheet I found online

First thing that comes to my mind is the question, have you tried giving it a good wind? Sometimes to start things off a good 40 turn wind will take care of an intermittent running down problem. However, as you say, you wear your watch a good bit so I doubt that's the problem but one I wouldn't overlook.

Just a beginner's opinion here, but why not try manually winding it every day or every other day and see how long you can go without the watch losing time or stopping? Or just make a habit of winding it on Sunday mornings.

I had a similar problem on my watch. I actually had it stop a few times while I was wearing it! (last time was about 4 hrs into the work day after not wearing it all night) (I guess typing doesn't charge it much). Might just be your habits, the movement was design before people spent all day on computers at work so it's probably not charging much when you are typing and using the mouse since it wasn't designed to charge with those type of movements.

One AD told me the watch can be magnetized by being laid close to a cell phone or by frequent trips through the airport security equipment. I was told this causes the watch to run erratically.

If it's that accurate now and the above suggestions keep it that way for several months....I would advise not to take it in for service, it might come back with a normal time further out from 0 which is more annoying than having to manually wind it once a week.

A problem that stops at random is usually suffering from a lubrication issue if there are no issues with the power reserve. As others suggested give the watch a few winds and see if that changes anything.

The thing that bugs me is the losing time part - it's not losing enough to be indicative of a stop unless the watch is at very low poer reserve and stops for a few seconds and then restarts when you move your wrist.

Definitely try winding first to see if that improves things.

For a novice with a new Ling how accurate are these Lings supposed to be?
Are there tollerences to work with, or just guidelines...........mine gains 4 seconds in 24 hrs
Not too worried but their reputation is quite high..........

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SUPER AVENGER 563
BLUE DIAL
SILVER SUBS
PRO 2 BRACELET
]

Thanks for your helpful responses (as always) guys - every time it stopped I wound it the full 40 turns clockwise so it should be fully charged. It's the increasing frequency of problems that's worrying me.

I phoned the AD today to find out that the bloke who sold it to me doesn't work there any more so I'll probably take it to a more local AD as it was his helpfulness that convinced me to buy from them anyway. I'll pop in tomorrow and see what they say and I'll report back.

I could easily live with the idea of manually winding it once a week as long as I knew there was nothing actually wrong. I wonder if anyone else has found they don't move enough to wind their auto?



Oh, and joejag: All Breitlings are COSC certified so the autos should all be -4/+6 sec/day, sounds like yours is just fine.

many thanks for that.........no worries but i was interested....

_________________
SUPER AVENGER 563
BLUE DIAL
SILVER SUBS
PRO 2 BRACELET
]

I thought of one more possibility. As I mentioned I had a similar problem of the watch stopping with normal wearing per day. I just had it in for service. BUSA reported the crown stem threads were stripped causing a problem with the winding. (I hope I remembered that correctly). They said it was related to a shock to the watch.

I thought the watch was winding fine because when I turned the crown I could hear the little "clicking". The watch would start up again, but I can't say if it was from my gentle rotation of the watch or the manual winding. I didn't do any tests to confirm this because I didn't know there was a problem till BUSA mentioned it.

Perhaps let it die. Wind it 40 times (keeping the watch as still as possible). Set it on the desk and wait for it to die. See if it makes it 42 hrs, this should confirm if the manual wind is working correctly.

That's a great suggestion javasko - I should have thought of that.

Unfortunately, I have already been to the local AD and they've decided to send it off to Tunbridge Wells (BUK). They were glad that I'd monitored the watch's performance and sent that off with it so it might be an idea for anyone else who's experiencing problems.

Now I've just got to suffer through 4-6 weeks without my watch. This is not going to be fun.

Thanks for your help and advice all: I'll report back when the watch returns.

Hi, mister mustard. I'm not sure if BUK practices are similar to BUSA in terms of warranty queing but if so, you will be a happy camper very soon. BUSA seems to prioritize warranty service in my experience. I have had pieces returned to me in less than three weeks a couple of times and never more than four weeks total when the service was warranty related. At a miniumum, you will have peace of mind when the watch is returned to you after being analyzed and corrected if necessary. Be patient and wear the beauty in good health when it returns.
Best,
Ron

_________________
"The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea"...

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Cheers Ron - that's good to know and kind of you to say.

It is a struggle being without the Evo; I was mightily tempted to just buy an Avenger Seawolf they had in stock as a temporary replacement but then figured it would be like spending £50-£100 a day just to stave-off missing the Chronomat. I think they should give out courtesy watches like they do with cars when yours is in for a service... So, if anyone wants to send me a spare Breitling I'll happily keep it warm for them for the next couple of weeks

The upside (apart from, as Ron says, the watch being analysed and corrected) is that I got a good chance to look at the new B01 and the Diver Pro II strap while I was in the AD:

B01 is nicer in the flesh than in photos. Still not a massive fan of the bezel but I think it's perhaps been treated more harshly than it deserves. The bezel seems to have a slightly different action that the existing Chronomat (more notches)? I tried on the Gold with Black face and it's a definite grower...

Diver Pro II - definitely getting one for the summer, I think it suits the less-sporty models, like the Evo, perfectly.

Thanks All.

I'm sure you're all as excited as I am ( ) to hear that my watch is back - looks like you were right about the quick turn around Ron. 18-day turnaround!

Now, predictably, I have a couple of questions:

1) The watch was returned in a Breitling zip-up travel case so I don't doubt it had been to BUK but (aside from swapping the 15 and 45 rider tabs back - I'd previously swapped them to make a countdown bezel) the watch looked untouched: i.e. it hadn't been polished or anything. Is this normal?

2) There was no accompanying paperwork. The AD were just closing and I was in a rush so I didn't get to clarify exactly what had happened. The lady I had originally dealt with had gone home so I'll call her today, but should there have been a diagnostic report or something?

3) The Maintenance pages of the Warranty Booklet (Service 1, Service 2 etc.) hadn't been filled-in. Is this because it was a warranty repair check rather than a 'service'?

I'm not complaining at all here because getting it back quickly was the priority: I'm just checking if all of this is normal. Having never sent anything to BUK before I'm hoping you helpful folk can inform me of what usually happens in these situations...

Huh I thought they always filled out the paperwork at least

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SA-Baton White Dial/ProII
Tissot Le Locle

The last two watches I had in for service returned lightly polished. Significant scratches were still there, but they had been lightly polished.

There were plenty of paperwork explaining what they had done, which parts they replaced and the condition of the different parts. And, the maintanance pages were completely filled in.

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Collection: http://s540.photobucket.com/albums/gg32 ... mview=grid

Thanks for the input guys.

Just to bring this to a close, and for information to anyone else who ever wonders this about BUK, here is the email response to my query from their ever-excellent After Sales Service Rep in Tunbridge Wells:

"Dear [mister_mustard],

Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding your Breitling Chronomat Evolution and I am sorry to hear of the problems that you had been experiencing with your watch.

I have checked our system and can confirm that your watch was returned to us for a repair under the International Warranty. The watchmaker has completed a full and thorough checking of the movement and replaced a number of components as a precautionary measure. A new escapement wheel and reverser were fitted – these are responsible for regulating the timekeeping of your watch. Additionally a bearing wheel was replaced, which controls the automatic winding of your watch. If this component was faulty then this may explain the stopping that you have mentioned. Following completion of the above repair your watch entered quality control and was placed under test conditions. Our records confirm that your watch is operating to the specification required by Breitling SA and the COSC (Control Officiel Suisse des Chronometres).

I am sorry that no report was returned with your watch, we generally only do this if it is specifically asked for. However your watch would have been returned with a free of charge invoice, explaining that a repair was completed under guarantee. [The AD] should have a Customer Copy of this, however I am happy to pop something in the post to you if you wish?

For repairs under warranty the case and bracelet are not polished. It is only during a complete overhaul that a complimentary refinish is carried out. Additionally the International Warranty is only completed and stamped for servicing.

I hope that the above information puts your mind at ease a little and that now your watch has been returned to you, you shall once again be wearing your Breitling Chronomat Evolution with delight and pleasure for many years to come.

If however you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kindest regards &c"

Can't fault their service - absolutely brilliant.

Thanks again everyone,