The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Many of the ADs in my area still have the Chronomat Calibre 13 (sometimes also called the Evolution).

I'm still having issues with my Chronomat 44. However, after 4 trips to BUSA, I've given up hope that Breitling has the competence to fix it. I'm looking forward to when I send it back for a service and get slapped with some outrageous repair bill. I may just tell them to keep the POS.

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

[quote="bozman52"]I'm still having issues with my Chronomat 44. However, after 4 trips to BUSA, I've given up hope that Breitling has the competence to fix it. I'm looking forward to when I send it back for a service and get slapped with some outrageous repair bill. I may just tell them to keep the POS.[/quote]

But this sound weird. Give them a last chance and put some pressure on them, please. OK, I know your story from other posts. But: Personally, I simply wouldn't accept that. You've got the right to have a perfectly repaired watch, you paid for it!

V.

Vorollo, easier said than done. Breitling really doesn't care how much I paid, as they move 300,000+ units per year. I've put plenty of pressure on them each time my watch was back to them. They replaced the entire movement the 4th trip back, likely because they were sick of hearing from me every other day. This was a pretty exceptional move on their part. I just can't do it anymore. However, it will be a very, very long time before I buy another Breitling.

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

I see your frustration, bozman. In this case, I would sell it and keep the Navi. Enjoy the one that works well. No reason to keep a watch that connects you to a bad experience, on the other way there's no reason to dislike a brand name just based on your individual experience.

Alternatively, you keep the Chronomat for the next years to come and stow it away in the farthest corner of your house or flat. After its first regular service in e. g. 2020 the flaw will be sorted out and it will be like new. Until then it will even have the aura of a youngtimer-almost-vintage model.

V.

Interestingly, I was in Vegas a couple of weeks ago, and looked at a few Breitlings at a jewellery store in the new Aria complex. There as a limited edition TransOcean that I looked at that seemed very attractive, but playing with it, it looked like the sweeping chrono hand was stopping at times. I make sure I fully wound the watch and checked again and, sure enough, it stopped again at various points around its revolution. I even had the salesperson check it, and she acknowledged the problem and pulled the watch from the display case to have it looked over.

Not exactly encouraging for a brand new timepiece at this price point.

Have seen a lot of conjecture about how the movement works, but only a few direct references to the vertical clutch mechanism that nominally eradicates "jumping" on start/stop or in chrono operation. However, if the going train has some backlash in it, caused by incorrect wheels spacing, the vertical clutch will simply transfer this to the seconds hand, and you'll see a "stutter" (it happens with stacks of other chrono movements, and other movements with indirect seconds hands).

A vertical clutch doesn't operate with two toothed wheels meshing and then not meshing - that's a horizontal clutch. It has a clutch plate that presses against the fourth (direct-drive seconds) wheel when the chrono is activated. Unless Breitling has developed its own form or vertical clutch which uses clutch plates that are toothed rather than friction-based, or has an offset fourth wheel and an indirectly-powered (and more stutter-prone) drive wheel for the chrono seconds hand... although either would be a bit odd. Not possible to know without seeing an exploded diagram.

Personally I think the five-year warranty demonstrates that the company stands behind its product. One way or the other, one's view of the brand is influenced by the way it handles problems; in the UK, for example, its customer service is always exemplary, but I often read hear fairly tepid remarks about Breitling USA. It's a shame; it means I would happily buy Breitling in many countries, but not in certain others, even though the watch is the same!

Warranty is global, not regional. You can buy a watch in US, take it back to UK immediately and never have to deal with BUSA if you wish.