The Breitling Watch Source Forums

The watch looks great "as is", the creamy patina is lovely. Have the watch serviced and the bezel re-set! Nice piece for your first Breitling!

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TREVOR

Many thanks for all of your posts - really instructive and helpful.

Regards

Paul

Agree. Why would you need a certificate to prove authenticity when you will have a service receipt? They don't work on fakes.

Exactly what I was thinking.

If no work was being done and the watch was being returned as is then it might be worthwhile but if they're willing to work on it that should be proud enough.

As an aside, what would they do if sent a fake? Return it or seize it?

Seize it.

I suspected as much, and quite right that they do.

As an aside, and thinking back to the attestation vs reissue of COSC certs mentioned above, when the watches are returned from service, do they come with the test results showing the speed they are running in all the different orientations?

I was only thinking that, a bit like an MOT, a COSC certificate only tells you how accurately a watch was running on the day it was tested. Whilst assuring the owner that the movement can run accurately, there's no assurance that it is doing months or years later.

I've not yet had my Avenger serviced (and to an extent it's academic as it's a quartz movement, but anyway...) however when I've had my Tag serviced by Tag, I simply got a bill and a guarantee card. When it was serviced by Genesis, I got all the test results showing it was running within Chronometer spec at the end of the service

No, while it's tested by Breitling the movement is only COSC tested once - before ever it is fitted in a watch. COSC issues the timing results to Breitling, but Breitling never realease them to customers, just issue their own version of the COSC certificate that we are all used to.

I do know of AD watchmakers who provide timing machine results, but you won't get them from a service centre.

Think about it. Not everyone is a watch collector nor understands the rules that apply. Considering not everyone will go through the authentication process themselves nor know exactly what they are looking at when considering a purchase, it remains a convenient and worthwhile way of establishing the credentials of the watch.

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Jim

"You have Control".

No, it doesn't.

So, what you are saying is that if anyone is offered an attestation from a Breitling AD, then they should not bother. Paraphrasing but in short; its not worth the cost or the paper its written on.

In that case, and for the benefit of newer members of the forum, are there any situations where certification of a Breitling from an AD is worth the effort of submitting your watch to an inspection?

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Jim

"You have Control".

No. If the watch came with a COSC certificate then by all means get it replaced, but no one in their right mind should pay GBP60 for a letter saying that a watch is real. As is pointed out, if the watch is being serviced then there is plenty of proof that it is real anyway, if not then just come here and ask if it's real (or any of the other sites) and provide a potential buyer with that.

No one ever offers or asks for a letter from Breitling and it is completely pointless.

So a buyer would need to know to come here to the source for an opinion/appraisal, or know that Breitling won't service a fake.

So that means, join the forum, ask a question, post a picture and all before buying. Or, trust the seller that they have done that for you and from a group of people you don't know.

Alternatively, ask the seller to meet you at an AD & submit it across the counter to see if you have it confiscated.

Or, pay 60 pounds.

Interesting alternatives.

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Jim

"You have Control".

I know that you delight in arguing with me, but this is getting ridiculous. A buyer would need to know how to use Google if you want to be that pedantic, which clearly you do. If you are foolish enough to think that almost $100 for a meaningless letter is worthwhile then go ahead and do it, but to advise other people that it is a good idea is just simply bad advice - something that other people have previously pointed out that you have a tendency to offer in the vintage section.

I am done with this pointless conversation

Edit - above was posted before P51 edited his post.

If you send a watch for service and it's a fake, Breitling will confiscate it. If it's confiscated, you know it's a fake. If they service it, then you know it's real. All you'll have to pay is for services without an additional $100 for a certificate of authentication. If it gets serviced, it should be proof enough that the watch is real.. No?

Hi Yogi,

Well, that is part of it. Its only a problem if it bothers you, as the owner of the watch, that you have no certification. The advise in this thread has been to either; ask a question on this forum or have the watch serviced. Neither prove the authenticity of your watch to anyone. Sorry, but its not proof. It only makes sense if you were a watch enthusiast or knowledgeable with watches. But what if you are not?

If the idea is to (later on) sell your watch without papers then you have to rely on the highest bidder being a knowledgeable person. If that's how it works in your case, then good. What if it works out that the person buying your watch is just an average Joe? This does happen. He/she wants assurances on the watch they are about to buy from you is real. Because you have no authoritive certification on the watch then do they pass you over for another offer elsewhere or do they go through the ordeal suggested here? What can you provide the potential buyer to keep there interest in your watch?

So what is the simplest and most effective way of getting the best assurance that you can as the owner of the watch? Don't get me started on declared valuables for insurance purposes. I think its in your own best interest to have some form of certification, especially if it comes from a representatives of the maker. Don't you?

60 pounds. Is it a high price really?

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Jim

"You have Control".