The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I have a '97 Chrono Cockpit and about two weeks ago it started running extremely fast. When I sync'd the second hand to an atomic alarm clock, it was picking up 4.5 second per 1-minute (almost 2 hrs per day!!)

When I releazed it was running fast, it was 15 minutes ahead. I did the math and that put it sometime overnight when it got screwed up. Bingo.....I left it next to my Braun eletric toothbrush that was sitting in its [inductive] charging cradle.

So, I'm 99% sure it's magentized. I called the local AD and they said the only they they could do is send it back to Breitling. Not happening.

I bought one of the cheapy $18 demagnetizers just to see if it would work. http://www.frostle.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=44363 Worked fine with screwdrivers and little parts, but no luck with the Breitling.

Any ideas on a next step?? I have heard of people holding them up to older computer monitors and hitting the degause button--but if the demagetizer didn't work, I doubt that will. Do I need to remove the case back? If so, where's the best place to find the spanner wrench (6 holes spaced 24mm apart.)

There's a few other places I could drop it off too, but they're kind of a pain to get to and they'll sit on it for a week+ before doing anything.

Thanks in advance for the help.

The easiest. safest, and quckest way is to leave it with a Breitling shop with a good watch maker. A couple weeks is nothing compared to how long and expensive a trip to Breitling could be after a disasterous in home attempt.

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SHARKMAN

If it's magnetised, a watchmaker with a proper demagnetiser will fix it for you in 5 seconds.

There is a reason why those Chinese ones sell on eBay for $18 while the 50 year old watchmaker ones are $50+ - the old ones work!

If that doesn't solve the problem then it will need service attention.

I would recommend trying another degausser if you can find one, watch shop or computer/electronics repair shop that works with magnetic recording media.

I borrowed a hand degausser from work (don't remember the strength) and used it on a watch that was running about two minutes fast per day, worked great. Didn't need to remove case back, took a few seconds.

(The right one may be hard to find though, my local watch service shop didn't even have one on hand.)

Sorry, not much more help, good luck.

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Chrono Jetstream
Montbrilliant 1903
Aerospace E79362

There is a 50 year old one in my mothers garage with cloth braided wire that I must get. (father repaired clocks and watches/Antique Dealer)

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Al

“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"

If there are any other watch tools there I'm interested if you want to sell!

I will likely be driving up there this week so I will ask and let you know.

It's about time I got rid of that flask of nitric acid before it falls on the Nasties (My Niece's).

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Al

“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"

Thank you sir!

How does one magnitize a watch in the first place?

Oh boy - this became a heated debate last time.

Suffice it to say that if the watch is exposed to a magnetic field then some of the components inside the movement can become magnetised. The biggest problem is with the hairspring as that will affect the rate significantly. Although modern hairsprings are made from material that is 'magnetism resistant' very few hairspring materials are totally immune to being magnetised and because they are so fine they are by nature susceptible.

If a hairspring becomes magnetised then the spiral tends to 'stick' to itself effectively shortening the hairspring considerably which dramatically increases the rate.

Thanks so much for the response & sorry if I've brought up "old wounds". I understand a magnetic field = not good. I guess my question as a "lay person", how might I expose my watch that I might not think of as a magnetic field. The only thing that comes to mind is moving around a stereo speaker with my watch on.

And that's what I was trying to avoid.

Speakers are the obvious ones, although there have been reports of self scan checkouts causing problems (don't know if that's true or not) and obviously some medical imaging equipment can do it. The contention was around cell phones - they have magnets in them and the debate was as to whether it was a practical problem or just a theoretical one (i.e. were the magnets strong enough / shielding weak enough). I'll just say that cell phones have magnets in them.

Ah, thank you. I'll shut up now.

No worries, you didn't know.

Roff summarized the issue very well but the "debate" in question came up in a magnetisim primer I wrote up here:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=21664&view=previous

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“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” - Albert Einstein