The Breitling Watch Source Forums

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Regarding this whole "B01 is the best movement ever" thing, my gut feeling is that someone in Marketing thought it sounded good and no one caught it before it went out the door. It's not uncommon to have marketing folks entirely detached from and uneducated to the technical side of a business. I see it every day in my biotech company.

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Chronomat 01- Sierra Silver/Steel
Navitimer 01- Limited Edition #1337/2000

In another post Titled 'My BO1 has a problem' I detailed how I actually went to a Breitling Boutique in Manhattan and proved to the sales person and manager that the chrono minute hand did indeed have a major problem by jumping a whole minute immediately when the pusher was pressed and before the sweep second hand even had a chance to pass two seconds around the dial. And when the chrono was stopped, the chrono minute hand jumped BACK one minute. I so wanted this watch and even had the full amount in CASH in my pocket. It is such a sporty watch, perhaps the ultimate chrono with all it's other features, that it just spoils everything with this chrono related issue that others and myself have faced/seen. Don't know what to make of this whole thing now cause how do I guarantee that I can get a problem free BO1 ESPECIALLY in the chrono area of the watch?
I'm telling you, I had to see this to believe it, and I was shocked. A column wheel chrono is not supposed to do that.

Exactly the same problem I had on the first Caliber 01. The replacement showed no signs of this problem at all though.

Stef

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Stef, what's your take on this? You said that the replacement didn't have the problem. So I'm assuming that you've thoroughly tested the replacement and the chrono runs perfect. I really want to buy this watch but there seems to be a growing number of complaints that are chrono related with the BO1. Is it possible that a large number of BO1 owners actually don't even bother to check these things and simply assume that their watch is perfect because of the 'reputation' that the BO1 has? Hence there are far less people reporting or even aware that their BO1's may also have this issue? My broader question: Is it possible that ALL BO1's have a chrono related issue since they are all produced/manufactured by the same process but most people who own a BO1 are not aware of this problem since they are taking the watch for granted? My biggest question is that if I take the risk and buy a limited edition BO1 and it proves to have a faulty chrono, can Breitling actually fix this? Can any and all problems be fixed in mechanical watches in this day and age? That's my all encompassing question.

Not all B01s have issues.

The statement by Breitling that a column wheel eliminates 'skipping' is comparable to their statement that 99% of Breitlings sold online are fake.

The column wheel is the traditional way for a chronograph start / stop / reset to be integrated with the running train - it's the way that it was done for a very long time. More recently, many chronographs have gone to the oscillating pinion in order to perform this function, and until the B01 all modern Breitlings used that device.

The reason for the development of the oscillating pinion was that it was both easier (and cheaper) to produce and easier to adjust than the column wheel which is renowned for being finnicky - that's not a Breitling problem, it's inherent in the design of a column wheel. What we are likely seeing now is Breitling watchmakers having to deal with a column wheel design for the first time in their professional careers and not always getting the adjustments perfect. That obviously points to a compromise in quality control that appears to be allowing these pieces through in order to maintain shipment levels.

It's possible that they are fine when they leave teh factory and shipping vibrations are causing problems, but if that were the case I would expect owners to be reporting more instances of chronos starting out fine and then becoming problematic.

I've my TransOcean for 3 weeks now. It's been getting a LOT of wrist time, and I've used the chrono function quite regularly.

I'm happy to report that I have not encountered any problems.

(fingers crossed)

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Breitling Colt GMT
Breitling Navitimer World
IWC Portuguese Automatic
Breitling Transocean Chronograph LE

I think it's a bit hit and miss, my first one got repaired and came back working fine too.

It is worrying though that there does seem to be a trend of this movement having the same issue.

Like I said earlier, when the second one arrived it was thoroughly tested and was absolutely fine.

Stef

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As Roff said, column wheel chronographs are harder to adjust, but are considered a higher end function than the (cheaper to produce) oscillating pinion mechanism. Hence more skill in adjusting and more QC is required, especially with a new movement.

It seems to me that Breitling is failing a little in the QC department which is a shame as it reflects badly on what may very well turn out to be a fantastic movement. I think it was OneWatchNut who wrote an interesting post on the nature of many companies stance on QC (i.e. it's one of teh first areas to be cut back to save costs) and how it can be false economy in the long run.

As I said above, it's a shame Breitling's QC has let a few poorly adjusted B01's through as you would've though that QC would've been absolute top priority given that it's their flagship movement, and that it's a new design. All new movements experience teething problems of one form or another in the early years : it's just the way it is as no amount of testing in the world is a like-for-like substitute for real world wear and tear.

I have no doubt at all that the movement is a sound fundamental design with no obvious failings. I just think that Breitling need to up their QC procedures to eliminate the more simple adjustment problems at source.

Incidentally I know two people with B01 (one bought from FEAR right here) and they have experienced no problems at all to date.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Is there any practical advantage to using a column wheel, or is its advantage primarily one of perception that it is higher end, due to being harder to adjust?

Column wheel has less tendency to jump (but it doesn't eliminate it), and it tends to be a more resilient construction, but modern oscillating pinions are still pretty good.

I am part of those that have encountered no problem whatsoever with the B01.

My B01 sees a lot of wrist time and I use the chrono function pretty regularly as well.

A watch is a mechanism and, sophisticated as it is, a mechanism nevertheless, made by men. So problems can and will be encountered. The question is, how many problems and what kind of problems are within norms. The B01 is a relatively new movement that hasn't proven itself yet.

What it would be interesting to know is are those that have encountered problems with their B01-equipped watches yell more than those that haven't encountered a problem at all.

But this situation is not new for the industry, as a whole. If, for ex., you buy a new model of car you're prone to teething problems as well. These tend to disappear as the new model matures.

Hell, even the i-phone had (and has) problems. Many buyers complained but few sold it or changed brand.

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

I bet many people don't test the chrono or even know how to use it. They just like the way it looks. Non-WIS people, of course.

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Regards,

Peter

BREITLING for Bentley Motors T & Mark VI, Aerospace
ROLEX Submariner Ceramic116610LN
OMEGA Plantet Ocean 8500 42mm Orange arabics
OCEAN7 LM-3

RXPete is so right about many people not testing the chrono, much less even knowing how to use one IMO. So I have some really really good news today! I found two ADs who asked me to leave a very small deposit that they would fully refund if there was even the slightest problem with the Limited Edition BO1 should I order it from either one of them. They would let me sit in the store and play with the BO1 as much as I wanted and if there was a problem they were willing to send it back and order a completely new one and I can keep testing them till we got it right!!!
Today I went to the Breitling Boutique on Fifth Avenue in New York once again. This time I tried the chrono function on a different Limited Edition BO1 and it worked like a charm. While in the city I checked out several other brand watches with a steel bracelet that had a chrono, since that is the kind of watch I want to buy, but it still came down to the BO1 because of all the features. In house movement, 70hr power reserve, column wheel vertical clutch, 200m water resistance (limited edition version), see through caseback, and simply a very powerful looking chrono. I love the satin finish more than the shiny finish found on the regular BO1's. Breitling spent more than 5 years in the making of this movement and even the manager of the Breitling Boutique told me that there have been very very few cases of people returning the watch because of a technical problem. I will admit that while in the city I also went to over 6 different Breitling authorized dealers and tried the chrono function of every BO1 that they had in all of those stores. Not one of them had a problem as far as I could see with this initial test. As far as I'm concerned I'm getting one using the method my AD will let me use, that of testing the watch out thoroughly before leaving the store.
I will once again echo RXPete's words that not many people test the chrono or even know how to use it. I personally think many people who even know how to use it take it for granted that it works like a charm just because the watch is new, and walk out of the store without bothering to test it.
So, in my opinion, I still feel that the Breitling BO1 is a fantastic watch with a fantastic movement, and the ones that have encountered a problem are very very few. To those who are contemplating buying one, make an agreement with your AD that you will leave a small REFUNDABLE deposit, and test the watch in the store thoroughly, and should there be a problem, the store should refund your deposit or send it back and order a DIFFERENT one. This way you lessen the chance of sending it back in for repairs right out of the box. Not saying that there won't be issues months down the line. Until someone proves otherwise, I'm convinced that the Breitling Chronomat BO1 is the ultimate chronograph.

Hello all,

Long time reader of the forum, first time poster. I realize I'm resurrecting an old thread here, I see that the latest post here is over a year ago, and I couldn't find any more recent posts on this topic in other threads. I am wondering if the initial problems with the B01 movement have been remedied by Breitling at this time.

I'm looking to purchase my first Breitling, and trying to decide between the b01 and b13 cal models. Any feedback would be appreciated!

Thank you!

I think that it's fair to say that things are getting better, but I wouldn't be brave enough to say that they had been eliminated.