The Breitling Watch Source Forums

New here, but been a happy Breitling owner since 1997. So hello, and sorry I've only just joined up cos I now have an issue!!

Annoyingly, both my hardly ever worn Chronospace (1997 vintage) and Aerospace (2005 vintage) batteries died a couple of weeks ago. The Chronospace has no indication, it just stops, but the Aerospace was flashing the displays as expected.

Took both into the nearest dealer who have dealt with my battery replacements before (probably 5 in the Chronospace and just one in the Aerospace). They do the biz of looking over each watch for damage, they photograph each side etc etc. The assistant commented on the immaculate condition of both, I think there was one tiny scratch on the back of the Aerospace. Anyhow, they duly get sent off to Breitling UK for a new battery in each.

So this morning I get a call ... the Chronospace is back, battery replaced, all good. The Aerospace evidently needs a full service at £220, a new crown at £10 and optionally a new Crystal - for the grand sum of £275 The chap at the dealer couldn't understand it, and Breitling UK haven't supplied them with any info other than the required work. He can't currently get any info out of them, but thinks that the service may be needed because the battery is running down to fast - to which I replied that the previous battery had lasted 26 months as they sit in my safe when not being worn with the displays and alarms all off.

He sort of implied that perhaps Breitling UK were 'being over cautious' to which I read into his tone on a work/cash generation scheme. Is it really likely that a watch that looks in almost brand new condition with no scratches to the case/crystal and only ran it's battery down a couple of weeks ago after 26 months of keeping perfect time, that is worn probably no more than a couple of times a month will require all this work?

Oddly enough, when I phoned Breitling UK before taking it to the dealer, the person I spoke too said that all their watches required a service every couple of years, and they never just replaced batteries. It was a full service or nothing! Now, perhaps on a heavily worn watch, but the really odd thing is that with my 1997 vintage Chronospace, they happily just replaced the battery - surely that would be more of a candidate for a full service?

So, am I being 'had over' as a captive customer, for work that probably doesn't need doing, but because we are all in a recession it seems a good way of keeping the profit coming in? I mean, how many people, after being told their £1200 watch needed a service would even question it?

Contact BUK service centre and ask them they are really good and will give you a full brakedown, I think they would replce the movemnet on the Aerospace as thats somethinh they often do as well as replacing hands as well.

BREITLING UK & EIRE
PO Box 309
Tunbridge Wells
Kent
TN2 3YB
UNITED KINGDOM
Registered in England: Number 2192055

Phone: +44 (0) 1892 553 620

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I just had the same experience here in Canada. I asked for a quick polish/clean and the estimate came back with a $600 + tax (12%) =$672can. I declined and it will cost me $50 to get it back unserviced. Sean at watchfinder.ca says he can do it for $300. Comments?

Watchfinder.ca will have to use generic ETA / Valjoux parts, not Breitling. Will also have to reuse the Breitling hands which are designed to be single use.

Non authorised services (in my opinion) cost way too much money - resale impact, having to pay to have it corrected by Breitling if there is ever a problem and the risk that Breitling may refuse to touch the watch claiming that it has a non original movement.

Update on my original issue - this may be of interest to UK Breitling owners in dealing with Breitling or an authorised agent:

I have just been contacted by my approved dealer regarding the issue with my Aerospace, and the fact that Breitling Service UK want me to have the watch serviced and parts replaced. Evidently, when a watch goes to BUK, it is initially checked in by an 'estimator'. The estimator looks up the watch serial number and any records that Breitling Service hold. If they have "never seen the watch before", then they will automatically require a full service - it is important to note that at this point, the watch hasn't even been before a technician or the back opened. It is just at the opinion of this estimator. It seems that they want to check the movement is within parameters and that the battery will last.

Regarding the parts, the comment was that "due to the age of the watch, it is likely that there are scratches to the anti-glare coating on the crystal so it is recommended it is replaced"! I didn't get to the bottom of why the crown needed to be replaced, other than it possibly had a tiny scratch.

So, it would seem that Breitling are on a bit of a work creation scheme. My dealer has told them to just do the battery change and reseal as Breitling are unable to give good reason for the £275 worth of work to be completed. The really odd thing here is that the 1997 Chronospace has never been back to Breitling for either warranty or service, so I can't believe their records on that would be any different than for the Aerospace. Surely if either of them required a service, it was the Chronospace, but evidently not. Only thing is it was possibly a different estimator who booked, or they just randomly select a few that require this additional work.

Perhaps I'm being a real cheap-skate here and fully acknowlege that this is a high-end timepiece, but for a watch that has worked flawlessly for >2 years, is in near mint condition and only required a battery as it flashed at me to tell me so, to 'require' nearly £300 of work seems just plain crazy. I paid a lot of money for both watches as I wanted a reliable timepiece, not a money pit. My daily watch which is a knocked about titanium Seiko seems to need a new battery every 4 years or so, and costs just £10 each time.

So, UK Breitling owners beware. Don't necessarily take what Breitling tell you as gospel, and query the detail of any work they claim needs doing. It may be that they have just selected you for 'special treatment'

It is also an eight to ten week turnaround which I find a little excessive. If they are that busy, would it not be prudent to hire and train more staff?

I think that because the chronospace is a old time piece they might not have all the parts for it so they just let that one go the aerospace they have plenty parts for so they choose to drain some cash out of you.. The same goes when you bring your car to the dealer for a oil change and the guy comes back with a whole bunch of stuff you need done, thats how they get you, i've done it myself working for VW of Manhattan and Staten Island Toyota. So i think you are doing the right thing.. Just my opinion, in car terms i can state facts, but in watch terms I'm not an expert. Cheers.... Hope everything works ou

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Navitimer World

There is a shortage of qualified watchmakers globally because of the fact that no one studied during the quartz period and the mechanical renaissance has made demand outstrip supply.

You can't just hire someone and train them to be a watchmaker in a couple of months.

In the US I'd suggest using JD Watchworks instead of BUSA. He's great to deal with, usually charges less that BUSA's published prices, and promises the work more quickly. And they're fully authorized by Breitling.

No, but you can certainly hire a watchmaker/smith and train him on Breitling.

Before getting to deep into the discussion service center vs regular watchmaker, I have a question. As you wrote polish and clean together, I assumed that you where talking about the outside of the watch. Is that so? If you just want a outside refinish and get a crazy quote from the service center I'd take it straight somewhere else.

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

I asked for a quote for both procedures, but was only offered the "full service" option. I'm guessing by a previous reply, that because they have never seen the watch, that they take for granted that it had never been serviced.

I don't get that argument. If I would hand them my watch for a polish only there's no need to open thw watch and can therefore not be a need for a service. I completely understand that you can't do part work inside the watch without a full service, but if it's only on the outside...

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

I believe so.
They started to be imperious, acting like the watch is their property.

imperious....good word