The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Huh?

If you run a watch with bad lubrication or broken down oils then you run the risk of damaging more parts, but if the watch is maintaining COSC specs for 7 years then clearly the oil is still doing its job and it will cost no more for a service if the watch loses COSC specs after 7 years, than if it loses COSC specs after 4 years.

That's correct. That is why the service is advised after 4-5 years and not mandatory. The watch can keep going for 10 years without a problem, as it may not. I have a friend with a Navitimer who sent his watch for service after 13 years, well, it cost him $ 1'300 because there were too many parts that needed replacing, plus crystal change and polishing. He was told that if he had brought his watch in after 5 years of use the service fee would have been around $ 500, plus the cost of the crystal.

Final Update:

I got a call from my AD this morning to further explain the high cost of service. She said they had “made a mistake” and quoted me the wrong. She said they inadvertently charged me for parts, which we part actually baked into the overhaul price. The new breakdown was:

Overhaul 680
Parts 100
Polish 100
Total 880

With tax and shipping it would be $913.59 instead of the original quote of $1045. Although this cheaper, it is still more than I was anticipating and not in line with the experience of the folk who have commented on this forum. Sensing my disappointment, the customer service rep at Finks (who was extremely friendly), said she would discuss with her manager and see if any additional discounts were possible. I got a call back about an hour later with news that Finks would further discount my service fee and the new total would be $851.77. this is still higher than I expected, but nearly $200 cheaper than the first price. I guess I have no choice but to pay the man and get the watch fixed. Next time I will just send the watch back myself and deal directly with BUSA or just give up on Breitling all together.

Boogiebot, I purchased the watch second hand about year ago from a local collector in my city. After noticing the issue, I contacted the seller; however, he would not stand behind the watch…..which ultimately I understand. I didn’t expect any special treat from my AD since I didn’t buy the watch from them. I simply just wanted to be treated fairly and not charged more than the $25 they quoted me to send the watch back for me.

Thanks to everyone for the support and information.

That is why the service is advised after 4-5 years and not mandatory. The watch can keep going for 10 years without a problem, as it may not. I have a friend with a Navitimer who sent his watch for service after 13 years, well, it cost him $ 1'300 because there were too many parts that needed replacing, plus crystal change and polishing. He was told that if he had brought his watch in after 5 years of use the service fee would have been around $ 500, plus the cost of the crystal.

Yeah, it's not mandatory, but from your friend's experience we see that Breitling still charged $100 per year.
I think it's a rip-off and the factory have set around $100 per year "service fee".
Believe that it would be $1300 also, if the watch was in the safe for 13 years.

It's all about customer relations. I charge a flat fee for servicing a watch, based on the complexity of the movement. Unless I get a real basket case, I throw in a part here and there just to minimize the adversarial nature of performing services. If the movement is really a disaster, I notify the customer and enter into a discussion to best resolve the problem. Of course, my wife says I give too much away. The difference is I don't sell watches.

Obviously, BUSA, and other Breitling service centers, are following profit driven protocols. Breitling is truly a niche market. While some people collect them, most probably own only one or two. It comes down to a decision about where the money comes from. If you consider that the watch will continue to need service no matter who owns it, alienating the original or current owner is of little consequence to the overall business model of selling watches. Most owners will send the watch in for service. If they are really unhappy, they will sell the watch and let the next owner deal with it. Obviuosly, they will not tell the prospective owner about their dissatisfaction with the service.

My opinion only. Your mileage may vary.

The second part isn't a surprise at all dealers have a markup on service

buk cr example charge the same to a customer direct as they do through a dealer but the dealer paid buk at a dealer price and then markup to the breitling approved price same as any business