The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I am - or was - a Breitling devotee. I purchased an authentic Breitling B1 approximately nine years ago from La Swiss in Toronto and have been plagued with problems ever since that began after my first battery ran out.

My watch has been in for service exclusively at Breitling-authorized dealers. The first time I had to switch batteries, I received my watch back and the battery lasted only four months. I took it back to the same dealer who put in another battery. This one lasted six months. One more time at the same dealer, and another six months later that battery was dead too.

I finally decided to take it to an actual repair shop - the one in downtown Toronto, Grigorios - wonderful people. I told them all about my problems. By this time, I was extremely concerned with the ongoing problems and proximity to the end of the three-year warranty and implored them to figure out what was going on - that there was clearly a malfunction in the watch and that I didn't want to be left with a very expensive, dead paperweight. They assured me they would take care of me, and that they did - until now.

I frequented Grigorios on a number of occasions past that point. At one time, I even suggested that I was tired and confused by how a Swiss-made timepiece could be so unreliable. I have owned, probably, two-dozen watches in my lifetime, and they all performed much better than this one. My favourites are two Seikos - one I purchased in 1986, and another about ten years later. Each of those two watches (the former now worn by my Wife) are going as strong as ever - not a single thing wrong with either of them. I'm wearing the latter right now as my Breitling sits lumped on my desk in front of my monitor.

Once, upon my strong urging, Grigorios purportedly replaced the entire movement but I suspect now they were just saying that to placate me.

I am in an unfortunate circumstance. I have a beautiful Breitling B1 watch that I expected to last the remainder of my life - which I am now in a love-hate relationship with - I love the watch, but I also hate it because it is the most unreliable watch I have ever owned. I don't know what to do. Is it sufficient that the warrant is expired and I am stuck without any recourse? Must I continue to take it back time and time again only to have no actual solution?

I am posting here today in the hope that someone other than Grigorios can talk to me and suggest a course of action. I know it's way past the warranty period, but there must be something - anything that can be done. Did I purchase a known malfunctioning watch? Did the authorized dealer break my watch during a battery change? Was the movement actually replaced, or was I told a lie? (And if I wasn't told a lie, why did the new movement behave exactly the same as the previous one? Surely failures of this nature are 1 in a million)

Could Breitling provide a real replacement movement? For real this time?

Here's hoping someone over at Breitling is actually listening.

Please don't make me go buy another Seiko. I really love your B1.

Torin...

I think yours is a one off as they are never normally that unreliable in fact the opposite applys

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I have never had any issues with Grigoros, but I don't own quartz. If the movement was replaced then that should be obvious - the movement will have a different serial number to the watch - Grigoros should be able to demonstrate that to you. I'm not clear from your post how long it has been since the last failure, but service comes with a 12 month warranty so if you are within / close to that window then you should definitely have coverage. Either way I would make another trip to Hayden Street and talk to them, and I would also ask that the watch be returned to Switzerland for further analysis.

It was in the shop for several months once, and I had no reason to doubt that they switched it out at the time. Had I known then what you just told me, I would have asked them to prove it.

It has been a while - perhaps a couple of years? I don't have records of the most recent maintenance on my watch. I just checked the last set of receipts and scribblings in my warranty book: I bought the watch in May of 2000. They stopped writing in my booklet back in 2004. I have one receipt going back to Sept 05, but that was when they were on Mutual street and I took it several more times to them after they had moved to Hayden.

You're right. I should give it to them for analysis in Switzerland - even if only to have them tell me what's actually wrong with it. It has been killing me all these years knowing that at some point, my watch will eventually fail for good and there isn't another timepiece in the world that will fill the void.

I will take it to Grigorios again and see what evolves.


Torin...

Bear in mind that the rated life of these batteries is 2 - 3 years and that will be reduced with heavy use of the alarm.

I have owned my Superquartz B-1 for almost six years now and have had ONE battery change/basic service in that time. I usually keep the digitals "off" because I like the way they blend into the black dial but I do use the alarms and backlite quite often. The Bomber is easily the most accurate (loses a little over 3 seconds/yr) and reliable timepiece I have ever owned and enjoys the most wrist time by far over all the other Breitlings which happen to be mechanicals. In fact, if I could only own one wristwatch, this would be it. I know many other owners who feel the same way as I do about the piece which makes your personal assessment somewhat solitary. You havn't indicated how much you use the functionality of the watch (battery life issue) but you have mentioned the last documentation you kept goes back almost six years (Sept 05). That seems like a long time to have spent going back to Grigorios trying to achieve disposition/resolution. Perhaps you have a lemon?... In any event, if you are so disgusted with it, I would suggest selling it and wearing one of your two favorite Seikos instead. If you would prefer to keep the piece, send it to BUSA for a basic service. If it comes back from BUSA running as I suspect it will, you may fall back in love with it. If not, sell it and be done with the matter. Just my .02 worth...
Best,
Ron

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It must really suck to walk around with a watch for 9 years that was so unreliable. Forgive my bluntness in advance, but why in the world would you walk around with an unreliable watch for NINE YEARS. At some point in the first, oh IDK, 3,4, SEVEN years you have to take some action and send it to the mothership in Switzerland for a look see.

On the other hand, my hat's off to you for being the most patient man in the world.

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SHARKMAN

make a bloody fuss!

Its not even mechanical.... all it needs is a new movement, if its not just a simple fix.
get Breitling to service it... you'll get it back looking new and working properly and if not you will have the warranty time to complain and get it sorted once and for all.

Best,

james.

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