The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I have been wondering if there was ANYONE out there that was happy with the B50! LOL Well, mine was great for a full 29 days and I was, and would still be, as excited as you are, when it was working. I like the "limited edition" comment! Hopefully you do have a special one that will last and last! Not sure I understood, but are you saying you have had serious problems with the Chronospace and it is still under repair? If so, I am really surprised at the lack of quality control at Breitling!

Hi David. So far I am very happy with my Limited Addition B50. It works perfectly. As for the Chronospace. I received the Brand new one specially ordered from Switzerland cause my AD didn't have stock. Waited about 10weeks for it. On my way home from the AD I noticed the Minute hand did not Zero. They ordered a second one. Another 2month later it arrived. Lasted about 30days and again the minute hand reset to 29min and not 0. Now I am waiting for number 3 from Switzerland. It's disappointing paying 7k for a watch and have nothing for 6 month.


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It is more than disappointing..........

Well I've only had mine since Saturday 28 Feb. I have to admit when the crown is pulled out in the setting position & turning it seems rather delicate. But after the inital setup I usually have it locked in date mode. Twice so far it's managed to change modes oddly-knocky. Mine is on the military anthracite band & fits a little loose on my wrist. I wonder if the crown sometimes bounces three times quickly off the back of my hand & unlocks?

So far that's the only nit...that and it seems like the crystal smudges more easily than my other watches (besides my Aerospace Professional, which is also a smudger). For as much as I'll use the crown it'll probably fall off after two years plus one day. Why is it all Bretling in-house movements except quartz come with a five-year warranty?

Otherwise I think I'll be wearing this one a lot...unless it ends up spending more time inside a DHL box. At least they're yellow, too.

I wish you the best of luck, as I am sure do the others who have had the crown fall off after a few weeks of use! You have only had it for 8 days. My crown fell off after 29 days of use. Although I, too, kept my crown in the date mode, there were a few times when I wanted to set the alarm, or check the battery, etc. in the 29 days I had the watch. According to the instruction book, you can rotate the crown clockwise or counter clockwise. It seems that if you turn it counter clockwise, after a short time it looses its "grip" on the stem, and off it comes! The idea is SUPPOSED to be that the shortest route between two points (settings) may be the counter clockwise direction, so you would of course turn that way. Also, it is imperative to turn that way in setting if that is the function or number you may need to get to. Unfortunately, it seems that this is what causes the crown to fall off! As you turn counter clockwise you may realize that the functions do not change smoothly or do not change at all. On a previous Breitling I have, you turn the crown slowly for minor adjustments, and spin it faster for a greater adjustment (i.e., changing a minute = slow, to change an hour = a quick spin). Unfortunately, a quick spin counter clockwise on the B50 soon results in no change of the digital display, and then the crown falls off! Two additional points: you need to rotate the crown, in any case, to check your battery charge! If you fail to do that every few days, you could wind up "dead in the water"! Second, "locking" the crown by pressing it does not "physically" lock it; it only locks the display mode.... every bump of the crown, or perhaps brush against a cuff on a shirt or jacket, still rotates the crown...perhaps unscrewing it!

Today I had three separate instances where the watch changed display modes on its own. On several occasions it had moved from Date to Alarm1 mode.

I thought the crown might've brushed up against my wrist or the back of my hand 3 times quickly enough to come out of "LOCKED" mode. But when I turned the crown to try & change functions, the display still said LOCKED!

So I doubt the watch was bouncing around enough to brush three times quickly against my wrist to unlock, change settings and then brush up three MORE times quickly to go back to being locked again. Something else must be going on.

Well, I hate to say this, but it is possible that if you only turn the crown counterclockwise, it may unscrew and come off.....

If it really is as simple as the crown stem not being securely attached, why don't the ADs and boutiques turn the crowns every day prior to putting it on display. Just as a matter of course to try and pre empt the issue?

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Oyster Date '78, Blackbird chrono DLC '10, Blackbird chrono' 02, Navitimer Fighters '02, Aerospace Evo , Seamaster Chrono Diver 300' 02, Carrera cbm2110

That seems to be at the very heart of the matter. It would appear that Breitling is knowingly selling watches with a defect! There are just too many issues with the watch, not the least of which is the crown falling off. It seems that in normal use, if greater than 50% of the turns of the crown are counter (anti) clockwise, it just comes off. It seems like there is insufficient friction to hold it in place, or the machining is improper. I have often thought that a drop of "Locktite", a friction compound used on normal size screws and bolts to keep vibration from separating them might be the solution! Of course one would not want to introuduce that liquid on their own into the watch mechanisim, but there must be an industrial watch designed product. As for your suggestion that the stores selling the watches first check them by simply rotating the crown continuously in a counterclockwise manner, that might week out the "bad ones" if there are any that are good, but shouldn't this be done at the factory?!?!? Certainly if they can send each and every watch for certification as to accuracy, someone could spend 3 minutes rotating the crown. Again, it seems that Breitling simply does not care. Perhaps when this hits the bottom line, and their reputation, they will take it seriously. As has been said here before, a company selling a knowling defective luxury watch should immediately swap a defective one out for a new one, not subject the owner to a long, long delay in getting the watch back.

I think they'd be far better off recalling the lot and starting again. The reputational damage seems to me far worse from this steady, daily drip of reports of indefensible issues, than it would be if they took charge and sustained one big reputational hit. Moreover good can come of a recall: comsumers trust brands like Toyota, who have issued vast global recalls, precisely because they know that if there is an issue they will front up and take care of it. I think there's a bullet that needs biting here.

Its funny that you should say that... last night I mentioned to my wife it reminded me of a "lemon" car that we had, they just kept fixing it and fixing it and fixing it, and we finally got rid of it after the breaks had a total failure without warning. Subsequently, the company was fined over $3 million for failing to disclose safety issues on that model. (I can't say more because I signed a confidentiality agreement when they bought it back!)

From what I have read, Breitling DID recall the watches once because of a software issue (one poster said his watch go burning hot when he recharged it.) Once again, it all comes down to caring about the customer, the whole point you have made: It would appear that Breitling no longer cares. This is my third Breitling, and I certainly am feeling it will be my last. Rather than showing it off with pride, I will instead warn everyone I know. As they say, a happy customer may tell one person, but an angry customer will tell hundreds!

Well said. I totally agree. However, Breitling taking charge... actually listening to their customers? Probably won't happen

At this point it certainly doesn't appear that Breitling cares about its customers OR its reputation. Unfortunately, they probably won't care until their "loyal" repeat customers vote with their feet..... (that is, walk away). I really worry at this point that I may be in the position when my watch comes back that all the joy will be gone, because I will be waiting for the "other shoe to drop".... when will the next problem come up?

Perhaps a bit off topic but I could not resist posting it here although Post Your Funnies is probably a more appropriate place for it.
Every time I look at this thread it reminds me of comedy skit performed by Clarke and Dawe for the Australian news magazine program called "A Current Affair" back in 1991.
It was in response to an incident from July 1991 concerning the Greek tanker "Kirki" which was then under charter by BP Australia Ltd and was carrying a full containment of 82,650 tonnes of light crude to a BP owned Western Australian refinery when it began to split apart (particularly the bow) in heavy seas 55 nautical miles off the West Australian coast.
Perhaps we should get them to make a Breitling version “The Crown Fell Off”
Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM

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"It is just a matter of time!"

If we didn't laugh about this, we (particularly B50 owners) would cry!

TAG Heuer et al are probably finding this amusing, if they are indeed aware of it. Did the boys at LVMH Manchester recently land jobs at the B50 factory?

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Oyster Date '78, Blackbird chrono DLC '10, Blackbird chrono' 02, Navitimer Fighters '02, Aerospace Evo , Seamaster Chrono Diver 300' 02, Carrera cbm2110