The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hello - I'm the proud owner of a new Colt GMT, just got it one week ago. My AD had to order the watch from Breitling USA, so I was told that it was "fresh" and had not been sitting in a display case for an extended period. This week, I happened to be in NYC on business (don't live here), so I went to the new Breitling Boutique on 57th Ave to show off my new watch and look around a bit. On the second floor, I struck up a conversation with the repair technician about the expected accuracy of my watch, because I had noticed that my GMT had gained several seconds in the first few days. He talked to me about the expected accuracy range, and then offered to connect my watch to his diagnostic machine which would provide a printed output of how the mechanical watch mechanism was functioning at different positions (e.g. crown up, face down, etc.). He showed me the results and the measurements in one column were fine (the rightmost column), but the measurements in the first column were out of tolerance. So he wanted me to leave the watch behind so he could make an adjustment to fix the issue. He indicated that he didn't expect anything was dramatically wrong with the watch, but would let me know if more repairs were needed. I asked him if this was common for a brand new watch that was just received by the AD and sent to me, and he indicated that it was NOT common to see a new watch like this out of tolerance. He suggested that perhaps some oils or seals had dried a bit and it could need a new gasket or something.

Would be interested to hear from other owners as to whether this sounds common, if I should be alarmed, etc.

BTW the boutique on 57th is gorgeous and will make any Breitling owner proud to be a part of the heritage of the brand.

Without knowing what the suspected issue was it's pure speculation. It's not unusual for a new watch to be out of COSC specs for the first few weeks, it needs to 'settle', but it sounds as though the watchmaker thought that there may have been other issues - perhaps amplitude??

So in July I sent this same gmt back to Breitling USA because it was constantly running fast. Under warranty, they did several service repairs and sent it back to me about 6 weeks later. Got it back last Friday, and lo and behold it STILL is running about 8-10 seconds fast per day! Did I get a lemon?? I'm starting to feel pretty disappointed in my first Breitling purchase, unless I am just being impatient. Is there a "settling" period for automatic watches? I really want to love the mechanical side of this watch as much as I already love the aesthetic qualities and the heritage. But...

As I said before it can take a few weeks to settle. If it's still outside of COSC specs at the end of the month then take it to an AD with a watch maker and have them regulate it.

Thank you and sorry for repeating. Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but how can a new or repaired Breitling be tested and certified to the COSC -4/+6 (or whatever) specification if it physically IS NOT OPERATING to that specification when it is released to the customer??? It's like if the doctor says to the patient "you aren't running a fever", but the perfectly accurate thermometer reads 104 degrees.

It's a mechanical movment is the short answer. The movement itself was within COSC specs when certified. Then Breitling places it in the watch and final assembles. It is always possible, but rare, that the regulator adjustment, or worse yet the beat adjustment, is inadvertantly moved.

Or many, many, things can happen to a watch AFTER it leaves Breitling in shipping, etc... A watch can be jostled or banged. An AD employee can drop it while unpacking. It could have been certified at +5 sec/day and now temperature and humidity levels have set it out of COSC specs. Let your imagination run wild.

But the bottom line - this is not a big deal. As Roff tried to explain any watchmaker can regulate the watch as a very simple matter. My black dial Steelfish has been at +7-8 secs/day right out of the box. One of these days I'll get it regulated, but I simply recognize I bought a mechanical watch and this is occasionally part of the deal. Otherwise, I would just buy a Casio digital.

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SHARKMAN

And just to reiterate Sharkman's point.......

Your watch (in fact no watch) was never tested to COSC specs. The movement was tested and certified prior to it being assembled into a watch. Since then the watch has been disassembled and reassembled to a greater or lesser extent several times. If you have a watchmaker who does a proper regulation - keeps the watch for several days to test and adjust in different positions / temperatures / etc and gets it to + / - 0 seconds per day you will then go and mess that up completely by wearing it when you likely won't achieve + / - 0.

You may actually get the watch to get a different +/- if some one else wear the same watch
My recommendation is always to get a medium rate from at least a week and tell the watchmaker that
Then he can make the regulation and take your specific wear of the watch in to the count

This is the only way to achiwe a more exact beat of your watch
As you say it's fast you may demagnetize it prior regulation and see if it hawe some inpact of the rate it runns


Regards Jonas straka

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if it's only running 8 seconds fast per day it's not magnetised!

Yes it have 8sec a day now but it's after a regulation
Knowing from watches I personal own some was regulated and after I demagnetized it at my shop one run -25sec a day

This is mainly the reason I demagnetize them before doing anything


Regards Jonas Straka

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It needs to be re-regulated. A magnatized watch will gallop +many seconds or minutes/hour, not seconds per day. It won't hurt to demagnatize a watch that isn't magnitized.

Here's the point - I have had a couple watches regulated that came back running 20+ sec/day fast. The ONLY thing that meant is the watch maker did a terrible job regulating it. It was neither an indication of a manufacturer QC problem with the watch or a magnitized watch. Just a crappy regulation.

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SHARKMAN

Sharkman yes i know it may run in à way you describe
I am not new to the brand breitling as my first was brought in 1984 and used daily until next purchase
So I I'm quite used to se abaut eweryting from magnetized to Water damaged and hove to fix them at My expence

Its not black or white when à watch get à smal amaunt of magnetic

But as i say in my erlier post its mostly certent à way of ho is using the watch and hove that make the most inpact of the rate it runs.

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