The Breitling Watch Source Forums

recently purchased a navitimer through watchfinder.co.uk.

Very pleased with the watch and the service. Question is around the timekeeping of the watch. It seems to be gaining around 10 secs per day, which is just outside COSC specs. From what i have read this would not be a cause for concern for many of the members here, but i'm just looking for some re-assurance from the community.

The watch is 5 yrs old and has a years guarantee from watchfinder who also serviced it prior to shipping.

What are your thoughts?

Many thanks

that it is not true that they serviced all the watches they sell, sure.

_________________
Breitling Antares B10047
Breitling Chronomat B13050
Breitling Chronomat A13050.1 - pilot bracelet
Breitling Chronomat Blackbird A13050.1 - serie spéciale
Breitling Avenger Seawolf E17370
Breitling Chronomat EVO A13356 - pilot bracelet

sorry, what do you mean. i'm not sure that i'm maybe missing something in translaion here.

Are you having a dig over the statement they have serviced the watch or am i wide of the mark here?

i meant that they have thousands of watches and it is impossible that they serviced accurately every watch, the will just check if it run but i doubts they make a deep service with lubrifications of all parts, regulate time, etc...
but maybe i'm wrong

d

p.s: i don't use any translator

_________________
Breitling Antares B10047
Breitling Chronomat B13050
Breitling Chronomat A13050.1 - pilot bracelet
Breitling Chronomat Blackbird A13050.1 - serie spéciale
Breitling Avenger Seawolf E17370
Breitling Chronomat EVO A13356 - pilot bracelet

no worries, i thought thats what you meant.

Having spoken to them a number of times about the watch they assure me it has been given the once over. Alas i'll never know.

Judging on the visual condition, it has certainly been polished at the very least as there is literally not a mark on the bracelet of the crystal.

Question still stands though, i'm not going to loose too much sleep over 10 secs per day but just looking for others thoughts. The plan is to see how it settles down (now gained 25 secs over nearly 3 days) then get a full BUK service for peace of mind in the next year.

10 secs a day woul not be indicative to me of any impending serious mechanical nasties looming.

You had better hope that they didn't service it!

They are grey market and have no access to Breitling parts so will have used generic parts.

The problem could be one of three things:

1) The watch is adjusting to you having not been run for a while. In this case it will just take a few weeks to 'settle'

2) The watch needs regulating and will then be fine. In the UK regulation seems to be against AD's policy - they want to send it away, but you may be lucky as the water resistance testing isn't an issue.

3) The watch needs a service. After 5 years that would be my default assumption, but I would be terrified of what Breitling would tell me when I sent the watch to them knowing that it has been in the hands of a grey market dealer who claims to have 'serviced' it.

I am thinking along the settlement lines at the moment.

Watch 5 years old and there is no Breitling service in the book and I also don’t know how often it was run before hand. Like I said, the 1 year guarantee will give me peace of mind and then I’ll get a BUK service done in the next year.

If it’s in for a service anyway I assume the main cost is labour. If any non standard parts are present and need replaced with originals, or if any originals need replaced I wouldn’t have thought it would add too much to the overall cost (relatively speaking).

All the talk of servicing (did watchfinder do it or not) is largely a moot point, for one I’ll never know for sure – at least until BUK do a service, and second I’d have been buying privately anyway with no recourse if I had a problem, now I do - for 1 year. I always factored in the cost of a service in buying a pre-owned watch and I will get it done in good time, what I’m asking is would 10 secs fast running set alarm bells off for any of you because I’m inclined not to be too bothered by it.

Original question though, are you going to loose too much sleep over 10 secs?

Personally I'd ALWAYS have Breitling service a second-hand watch that is 5 or more years old, irrespective of whatever random claims companies/individuals make regarding their own alleged servicing. Unless there's a recent BUK (or BUSA) service stamp in the warranty book, then I just assume that a service will be required as a matter of course. It's just a natural assumption (and cost) that I load up onto any second-hand watch by default.

With regards to tolerating +10 seconds a day, then I 100% would not (and do not) tolerate it. Personally I don't understand it when people DO accept it, because at the end of the day, you have paid a lot of money for something that is sold with a very big deal made about being COSC certified. The very fact that the movement IS certified means that even when it's cased up, the movement is totally capable of running to COSC specs. Thus I personally think a company is failing if they can't regulate a watch to within -4/+6 seconds. If they can't do better than +10 secs, then they should market it as such! (I've personally got a real issue with IWC and my Big Pilot on this very subject, so I tend to get a bit hot under the collar about it!)

So in summary, I personally would definitely send it in for a service (being as it is 5 years old and not keeping good time) and make a special point on your covering letter about the +10 secs issue. BUK are very good, so I'm sure they'll be able to sort it out for you.

_________________
Driver8

Site Moderator

i agree

d

_________________
Breitling Antares B10047
Breitling Chronomat B13050
Breitling Chronomat A13050.1 - pilot bracelet
Breitling Chronomat Blackbird A13050.1 - serie spéciale
Breitling Avenger Seawolf E17370
Breitling Chronomat EVO A13356 - pilot bracelet

Thanks driver 8, thats the sort of response i was expecting. I agree on all points you have mentioned. As stated the watch will be getting serviced due to the lack of BUK history as this is something i had factored into my sums.