The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Here's a perfect example of not everyone knowing all the little nuances of vintage Breitlings. Heist is considered the place to send a vintage watch for restoration yet he has put a later Breitling 'B' crown on an earlier model that would not have had it originally. Not sure if he would have done that at the request of the watches owner or not but to me it would look more correct without it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1940s-Rose-Gold-Breitling-Premier-/281139277501?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item417534eebd

Invoice seems to suggest that owner wanted original restoration so would be surprised if they asked for it. A bit surprised at that mistake - if you are going to charge those prices then get it right!

. . . the crown is only $35 and I think it is solid gold. The tradeoff here is having a crown of a color to match the case. The script "B" is not period correct, but I think I might prefer a color match, which is not easy with rose gold.

Otherwise, I don't think it's fair to comment on the cost of this restoration when it appears there was considerable damage from rust. We should want a before and after image.

Not intending to suggest that the price is inappropriate, but regardless of whether it is fair or not, if I am spending $1,500 on a restoration then I want it perfect.

. . . (and I use the word "case" in both senses of the word), is the better result one in which the color of the crown matches the color of the case, or a more period crown that doesn't quite match in color? Of course, I haven't been shopping for rose gold crowns to fit a Venus movement (my clumsy search yields headwear for fairy princesses), but I sense it is difficult to find a color-matching crown. Maybe they are more available than I think they are.

unsigned rosé gold crowns are fairly easy to find, signed crowns are incorrect until the early 1950s, though this for me is a truly minor issue. am a bit bandwidth challenged (technically, not metaphorically, I hope) on vacation in Italy, but isn't that dial a redo ?

Bill, I greatly repect your support for the Heists, they often do outstanding work - but I have also quite frequently seen cases of rather grotesque overrestoration, watches incorrectly restored at an investment level hard or impossible to justify. You might remember the 1960 ref. 806 with the fabbed bezel - restored at a cost of almost $3k in the late 1990s, impossible to recoup. I bought that watch well below that and found a correct beaded bezel for it - I think that a restorer has to keep customers from such restorations - this seller will have a hard time to recoup his restoration costs, let alone the money spent for the watch.

It may be the picture, but does that crown look a little too big?

. . . since we're no longer talking about the Premier posted on eBay. I do think that crown is a millimeter or so thicker than an original. The diameter looks about right. The dial is stated to be re-painted and, though not perfect, is a pretty darn good job to my eye.

I think Fred is right that the Heists aren't a good choice for "flippers." They try to make the best restoration possible with available parts and the preferences of the owner. Most owners prefer original Breitling parts, which might also explain the "B" on the crown. My recollection is that the Heists did work on that 806 with the wrong bezel, but that was the way it was delivered to them. I'm pretty sure they've never had a stock of original beaded bezels nor would they fit one. If someone is using their work as a sales point, it's probably best to check with them directly, since I know they keep good records of past work they've done.