The Breitling Watch Source Forums

The only way that Breitling will deny service is if it passes pressure tests - Breitling will dry and wet test, especialy with a high water resistance watch. It will be easy to determine where water got in because of the location of damage.

Thank for all the responses, here is another update:

Got my watch back from Breitling yesterday, after paying for the $650 repair following their claim that water got into the watch because the crown was left unscrewed. They did not include a description of which services were carried out on the watch or which specific parts were replaced (which I thought was a disapointment, as I wanted to know the details), but they sent me a small plastic bag with the parts that were exchanged (so I assume these are all the parts they exchanged). Please see the picture.

So it seems they replaced the hour, minute, second and chronograph hands, a part I am not familiar with (the circular one) and the crown. This last one left me puzzled. It is normal to replace the crown when water gets into the watch because - as they claim - the crown was left unscrewed? I could be wrong here, but doesn't the replacement of the crown hint that there was a problem with it in the first place? Could this be an indication that it was the crown that actually failed, and not my fault that water got in? Or does it make sense to replace the crown in a service like this one and I'm just overreacting?

Also, If moisture got into the watch and the hands were replaced, wouldn't it be necessary to replace the dial and/or the markers along with the hands? It seems only the hands were replaced, but the dial looks clean nonetheless (I assume they simply cleaned it?)

Despite these questions, I am glad to have the watch back with me and ready to put it back on the wrist and - with a little concern - underwater again.

Best,

Kauê

It seems the picture didn't upload. Here it goes again.

Hands are single use - that's why they were replaced. Crown xould well have been damaged by the water or when being removed, the other part is the mainspring barrel.

is it typical to get all replaced parts back after a service?

Ok, so the replacement of the crown could be the normal procedure in cases like this and I shouldn't fret over it. How about the dial, especially the markers? Having been in contact with moisture, would a simple cleaning suffice or should these have been replaced as well? Aren't the markers made of the same material as the hands? The dial also has luminova applied to some points, and I gather luminova is damaged by water/moisture.

I don't know if this is the regular procedure for all Breitling service centers, but alas, I thought I would get a detailed description of what was done to the watch and no used parts - and got these instead of that.

To my understanding, not at all. Their estimates even say all parts are considered 'trade ins'.

I am guessing it was to show you something like when car people show you broken parts you pay to replace? The hands have no value given they are crimped once, and while I don't know much about the barrel, I have to assume it was replaced because the old one was not functional, meaning it has no real value. Of the parts they replaced, they only sent you some of them...they surely replaced all gaskets/seals and may have done other things.

They will have avoided replacing the dial if possible because of the cost. The potential damage is predominantly to the SuperLuminova which reacts to moisture so if that looks OK then assume that the dial is.

Thanks for the info, Roff!!