The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I just purchased my first Breitling, a new Blackbird from my favorite dealer. I've worn Rolex's for many years, including a Daytona (which I really didn't like at all and eventually sold), and still wear a Yaughtmaster (which is about 3 years old), which I love.
Always liked the look of the big Breitlings and finally decided the time was right to buy. I've got a winder, and will switch off with the Rolex...both watches are all SS.

My question: Any particular break-in precedures for the Blackbird that I should follow, and can I expect accurate times over the first month or so? I've never seen my Rolex's to be more accurate than about a minute a month, can I expect better from the Blackbird?

Thanks, and good luck to all.

Welcome to BreitlingSource and the world of Breitling ownership!

Your watch is COSC certified so should be accurate to -4 / +6 seconds per day. Duringthe first 4 - 6 weeks you may see performance out of those specs as it settles to regular operation. It should have settled to within those specs within a few weeks.

rolex are not well know for accurate time keeping (fact) so no need to worry, ive had sea dwellers and subs, i found they are pretty poor.

Welcome to the dark side!!

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Currently:
Avenger Skyland(Black)
Super Avenger(White)

Moved on:
Montbrillant Legende(Silver)
Panerai 312
SOHC 125th Ann. LE(Silver)
Navitimer World(Pearl)
Panerai 441

One minute per month = 2 sec per day. That is pretty good for a COSC mechanical watch. Try the search functions for how to manage the "storage" position to either speed up or slow down the movement.

R/

X2 on the suggestion about learning how the storage position impacts the loss/gain. It takes a bit of work at first to learn your watch's tendencies, but it's possible to average the daily gains/losses out so that, over time, it stays pretty close to correct. Over the 2+ years that I've had my Blackbird, I only set the time when daylight saving time started/stopped, and it was never more than 2 seconds off at the end of each daylight saving periods.

This technique works best if you wear the watch regularly and check it with a reference clock each day. I recently bought an Aerospace, so for the past month my BB hasn't been worn much. Consequently, I haven't been trying to keep it accurate. After 33 days, its 64 seconds slow - still well within the COSC specs.

Managing the gain or loss by positioning the watch willhave to wait for a while to be reliable for the OP though. Until the watch settles the gain / loss will be less predictable, so while it will work, it's not going to change the 'break in' period.

i agree

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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

you could post some pics of the beauty in question

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Breitling Chrono Avenger Black Dial whit Pro II Ti, Diver Pro I
Breitling BlackBird Big Date brushed whit SS Bracelet, brown croco
Breitling BlackBird Blacksteel 528/2000 Whit Dp2 Deployment
Omega Planet Ocean Chrono 9300 Co-axial Ceramic on SS bracelet

Forgot where I read it, but one of the Rolex calibres is supposedly consistently the most accurate of all movements tested by the COSC. Im not a Rolex fan in the slightest, but generally speaking, the are very accurate.

@ OP: Ive had Breitlings that have ranged anywhere from a few seconds off per day to less than a second per week. Your 1 minute per month request is not unreasonable imo.

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-RJ