The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Well as some of you are aware my purchase of the much awaited Navitimer Caliber 01 was a less than pleasant experience.

I paid my deposit pretty much the day after it was first announced, many, many months ago and it was finally delivered to me a couple of weeks before Christmas 2010.

All was well for the first few hours, it was as stunning as I imagined and the perfect size. Exactly what I wanted. Then I noticed that the chrono function was working properly. The top pusher was extremely hard to push, so hard in fact it left an indentation in my finger when pressed a few times. The small minute chrono hand would intermittently jump to the 1 or 2 minute position. I then noticed the large red chrono second hand had a nick in the coating.

As bad luck would have it the same day I was wearing my vintage Navitimer Chrono-Matic which had just been returned from a full £1,100 overhaul a few weeks before and I went to use the chrono to time something and after a short while it stuck and stopped the movement.

Obviously not in the best of moods I fired off an email to Breitling UK and very shortly received replies and phone calls. We agreed that I would send both back to Breitling UK as soon as both they and I returned from the Christmas and New Year Holiday.

A few days later a parcel arrived in the post containing the 2010/2011 chocolate box, calendar, pen and a wallet.

I also sent an email to Breitling SA, the reply was simply along the lines of sorry about that, Breitling UK will fix it.

After I returned from New York I sent in both watches and they were duly returned.

The vintage Navitimer fixed and working like it should have done the first time it was returned.

The Navitimer Caliber 01 came back fixed, with a new set of hands and ...................... two scuff marks down the side of the case right by the limited edition number.

At this point as you can imagine I buried my head in my hands and counted quietly to 10.

I turned this time to Banks Lyon and asked them to sort it as I was at the end of my chain with Breitling UK (also bearing in mind I had just sent my Chrono Avenger in for a full overhaul) and no longer wanted to deal direct with them. Banks Lyon were great, several very apologetic emails from both Rodney (the boss) and Aziza and they immediately got on the phone to Breitling UK and a new Navitimer was ordered and I returned 1314/2000 to Banks Lyon (I didn't want to deal with BUK any more).

I've had no contact or apologies from BUK at all regarding the damage.

Today I received the replacement 1632/2000 from Breitling UK which is exactly in the condition the first one should have been complete with a new Deployant Strap upgrade (I mentioned to Rodney that BUK might want to do this as a goodwill gesture).

So, am I happy and delighted with my new Navitimer Caliber 01 that I've waited so long for? In a word, NO. The whole experience has left a very bitter taste and unfortunately has tainted my passion for the brand I once thought so highly of.

The Breitling Navitimer Caliber 01 which from the day I first saw the press releases and realised was my perfect Navitimer has now just become a watch.

I'm angry that a watch of such supposedly high calibre and quality ever left Switzerland like it in the first place, I'm angry that not only did BUK let me down over the overhaul of my vintage Navitimer but they also damaged the Navitimer Caliber 01 whilst repairing it.

It's not the first time I've had servicing issues, in July 2008 my brand new Avenger Skyland Blacksteel (sent in because it leaked) was returned from repair with a mark on one of the sub dial rings, in November 2009 a Chrono Avenger came back from full overhaul and new crystal with two great big scuffs in the crystal and now this. I wouldn't mind if I was paying a few pounds for servicing but in just on 14 months, including the pending cost of my current Chrono Avenger we're talking almost £2,500 in servicing costs alone.

We won't even mention the purchase costs of Breitlings in the last couple of years, you could easily add another zero to those servicing costs and then some. Then there's the postage costs, over £10 each time to return a watch and apart from Banks Lyon offering to refund the cost of returning 1314/2000 to them, I've had to foot the bill!

Will I ever buy another new Breitling? No



Stef

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Wow Stef, I'm sorry you had to deal with those experiences. I knew you had issues when you first received your Navi 01, but even after it was returned? Not good. I'm sure we can all feel your frustration.

I recently had a servicing experience from BUSA, that they did indeed fix. I sent my SA Blacksteel in for a service, and it came back with a small nick in the case. I was pretty sure it didn't leave like that. The AD I sent it through said that BUSA told him it left the servicing just fine. Well now I'm pissed, but I contacted my friend at Govberg (no, not George) and they called BUSA and straightened it out. Within a week or two my SA was back with a new case - the last Blacksteel SA case in the system. But it took Govberg to get it done. The amazing part is that I didn't even buy the watch from them.

I'm sorry you had to go through all that and now feel let down by the whole thing. Understandable though.

Cheers, Don

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An ever changing collection.....

Very very disappointed to hear about this experience especially knowing how excited you were about the Navi B01. You deserve a hand written apology from the President of Breitling UK and a check for the full amount of the watch! I completely understand your frustration, I also had a similar experience with a watch I received back from BUSA service....the chrono's were stuck and off it went for another 4 weeks back to them to get fixed again. I hope you can at least find some enjoyment out of your new piece.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

Completely understandable Stef, and it's a real shame that this ever got anywhere close to this situation.

I hope that you can fall back in love with your Navitimer B01, and I hope that BUK step up to the plate and try to win back your business.

I know you told me about this before Stef, but it's still a shockingly poor situation. It never ceases to amaze me how big watch company's official service centres can actually PUT scratches on watches in the first place, and secondly send them out to the owner without sorting said scratches out.

IWC did the exact same thing on my Big Lemon (sorry I mean my Big Pilot) when it was in for one of it's MULTIPLE regulations. It just shows a total lack of care and attention to customer service.

I just hope this new Navi 01 of yours lives up to expectations this time, Stef.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Stef,

Dave and I were talking the other night, he asked me what would I say to BUK in your situ. My turn of phrase was F.U. to BUK not Dave.

Cool n Calm Clansman...

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Al

“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"

Sorry to hear about your miserable experience. That is really scary. I hope my defective Chronomat 01 Limited comes back from repair in one piece as I, like you, had very high expectations for the in-house movement. It's been three weeks and I'm still waiting with bated breath for my watch to be returned and to work the way it should in the first place. I feel duped in spending several thousand dollars for a dud watch (showed problematic symptoms on the third day of acquisition).

Wow Steff, what a disappointing experience, it is beyond belief.

Although your reaction is totally comprehensible, I do wish you to fall again in love with the brand you used to like. Maybe time, and wearing your Navi 01, will ease the memory of this nightmare you've been through.

It really is scary though because this is not just an "unfortunate incident", it has happened before.

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- This is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by. - Negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.

Stef,

Sorry you had such a horrible experience. Strange as it might seem, there is always a certain amount of pressure in any service department to turn around flat rate items as quickly as possible. That's where the profit is. The cost increases with time on the bench while the revenue does not. All warranty work is pure cost, so the pressure there is even greater. I'm sure the watchmakers are highly skilled, but they are not getting wealthy. Master watchmakers can earn a lot more than Breitling offers and I'm sure there is some turnover.

The real problem is with QA. Again, QA is all cost and no revenue. Those indirect costs are the first thing management looks at when the revenue goes down. Most don't seem to realize that a good QA department will almost, if not completely, pay for itself in the long run. Returns will be significantly reduced and the staff can perform revenue generating work instead of warranty work. Obviously, the bad publicity diminshes and greater sales usually follow. Everybody wins! What a concept.

I remember when a small appliance manufacturer in the US got rid of their QA staff and let the consumer be the QA point. It was a disaster. It took years for the market to regain confidence in their products after they reversed that policy.

I doubt that it would do any good, but a nice letter to Breitling expressing your concerns and explaining that they have lost a customer because of this failure on their part would at least put your dissatifaction on record with them.

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1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger

Stories like this and other similar ones I've read are why I have literally no interest in Breiling in house models. NONE! I'll stick with the reliable workhorse 2824-2 and 7750 based models I have. Moedels which will soon be discontinued, entirely, not just new movements put in.

I will take a tried, true, and hearty movement over a finicky delicate one every day of the week.

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SHARKMAN

Well said, Sharkman. I can get parts for the 2892's and 7750's. They might not be "Breitling" parts, but I know I can make them work. The only problem is getting the chrono parts. I'm sure Breitling gets them from Dubois-Depraz, just not sure if there is a US source.

No chance getting parts for the in house movement, chrono or otherwise. Additionally, Breitling is significantly reducing the number of AD's in the US. They've already cut a lot of service shops by demanding they also carry a showcase full of different models. Eventually, they will have complete control over sales and service. Someday generic parts for the workhorses will dry up too. By then, I'll be out of the game.

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1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger