The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Mine is just the standard invoice from Breitling USA. Item numbers listed OH and Crown, with R (required) next to them, and under description the two line items are "Overhaul Movement" and "Crown". Not sure why the movement needed an overhaul in my case!! So far it has been almost 24 hours with no problem! LOL

Congratulations on the return of your B50. I hope it stays working, as it should, for many years to come. I also hope that in 12 months time this incident will be but a distant memory for you. . It would be nice if you were sent some really good swag for the trouble this as caused. A show of appreciation for a long suffering Breitling owner. We live in hope.

_________________
Jim

"You have Control".

I remember a few weeks after I bought my first Breitling, they sent me a box of chocolates! Not expecting anything now! Thanks for your good wishes... if I make it past 29 days with it working, I will feel much better.

34 years of flying, but 1st time Breitling owner (B-50). Ugh. Wife knows I've wanted a Breitling since I began flying at the age of 14. Retired last year after 24 years in the Air Force....wife wants to spoil me with a nice, present, commemorating my retirement and 16 deployments. So....

January 3, 2015 - Purchased Breitling B-50 from AD.

approx. January 12, 2015 - Charged device per AD's instructions. No issues with charging.

January 15, 2015 - First indications of a problem. B-50 would change function settings in LOCKED mode. Being my first Breitling, I wasn't sure if it was me or the watch messing things up. After another week or two, realized it wasn't operator error. Checked out Internet to see if other's were experiencing problems (yep).

February 28, 2015 - Took B-50 to AD. AD was "surprised" to hear any issues with the watch or the inability to remain LOCKED problem--but said he'd call Breitling on Tuesday a.m (today was a Sunday). I asked how long it would take? AD says Breitling is usually very responsive and it should be less than 30 days to repair. Repair slip I was handed is marked "Due Date" as March 21st.

March 19, 2015 - AD calls me with update. AD says he wore my watch the 1st day and confirmed the LOCKED feature wasn't working...this sorta gave me the creeps--not gonna lie. AD said he'd spoken with Breitling USA and he could either send watch to the East Coast and have Breitling USA send it to Switzerland or he (AD) could just send it directly to Switzerland? Duh. SEND IT DIRECTLY TO THE HQ FACTORY, Dude! AD tells me that he's been told it could take 6-8 weeks to fix. I tell him he and Breitling have 8 weeks to fix it or I'm done and will demand a refund. Going almost 5 months without the watch I spend $7K for is crazy.

May 14, 2015 - The end of the 8 weeks I was told by the AD it would take to fix the watch and get it back. Or 131 days since my purchase on January 3rd.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Wow. Definitely longer than many others have experienced!

I took mine in to the Breitling Boutique in Miami (45 minute drive) on March 2, and had them send it to Breitling USA so that there was a record at headquarters in USA of what had happened. With a lot repeated calls to Breitling USA, I found a nice lady who kept emailing weekly to Switzerland; I finally got mine back on April 1.

I cannot believe the AD wore your watch without permission!! Did he scratch it? I would have demanded an immediate replacement when I found out (unless you signed a form like car dealers have, authorizing him to "road test" it!) LOL Are you sure he is not still wearing it? Anyway, do you have any proof as to when the AD sent it to Switzerland and if it got there??? Do you have the serial number? Did he have you send the electronic warranty card with it? I would suggest you follow up on a weekly basis; 8 weeks seems MUCH to long! If he sent it directly, he should be calling the factory!

As for me, I have had my watch back now for 2 weeks, and it SEEMS o.k.; as for the time keeping, it is the typical Breitling, not a second gained or lost in two weeks.

I will post a follow up when I cross 29 days, the point at which my crown originally came off.

Nor me, if that's the case.

No permission was given verbally or written. When he called, he mentioned that he wore it all day to see for himself if it would repeat the problem (which it did).

(me)

[quote="DavidInFlorida"]Anyway, do you have any proof as to when the AD sent it to Switzerland and if it got there??? Do you have the serial number? Did he have you send the electronic warranty card with it? I would suggest you follow up on a weekly basis; 8 weeks seems MUCH to long! If he sent it directly, he should be calling the factory!quote]

I have the Serial Number at home, along with all the original paperwork and receipts. Will follow-up today with a call for an update.

Good idea!

I see that other board readers are shocked at the person wearing your watch to see if you're reported problems were true. Seems totally unprofessional and improper to me.

I have been a Breitling buyer for more than 20 years and, over time, have bought/sold about 20 pieces. But the B50 is the superlative piece for me--the most chrono, the most bang for the buck, and the biggest mystery. And nowhere do I see the mystery unraveling because Breitling will never give up the reasons this watch has had such a variety of problems. I've said before, it's my favorite Breitling and I thought my issues were, generally, the same as every one else: the crown fell off, it wouldn't charge, it crashed and froze up, and it literally overheated when charging, and when I picked it up from Breitling--I actually drove to the service center in Connecticut--they gave me a new power cord. What does that tell you? My guess is, they must've had power cord issues too. At the risk of sounding repetitious, after I dropped it off the following Friday BUSA Fed Ex'd it, as is their custom, to Switzerland. One month later I got it back. That was mid-January. So far--tick-tock--it's ticking along without an issue and I've used most of the functions during a roundtrip to Phoenix, L.A. and back to NJ. I do, however, hold my breath--especially aboard a commercial jet--every time I twist the crown. If it fell out there, I'd never find it. Anyway, some day, somehow, someone will unveil the mystery as to why this piece has had so many failures. I suspect the primary culprit is, they kicked it out the door too soon and didn't flight test it in the hands of a couple of customers. That, if you ask, is unforgiveable. They should have nailed all this down months before it was launched, and would have avoided rumors, recalls, and several general failures. But, only the gods of time know what went on behind their closed doors.

For the record, my B50 is my third Breitling, though I sold my second one on line to defray the cost of the B50. I, too, have had no real problems over about 18 years, doing the required servicing at the not too far authorized repair center when the battery ran down and normal "wear and tear". All my Breitlings have been electronic. However, the fact that even Breitling's own authorized service centers (those listed on the website) and even the main facility in CT cannot service the watch, speaks volumes as to the complexity/lack of testing/lack of planning in releasing this watch to the unsuspecting public. Although I have had the repaired watch back for 15 days, I, too, am waiting with trepidation for "the other foot to fall". This should not be the case with a luxury item such as the B50.

T - minus 24 days and counting. Sorta hoping that Breitling doesn't fix my B50 so that I get my refund and can invest in something else.

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

Day 109 - 22 days until Breitling has had my B50 for 8 weeks. But today I received my first-ever correspondence from Breitling...an email promoting another watch--hey, at least they have my email addy.

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

A big, actual LOL!

My hunch was correct....after not hearing one word from Breitling via any modes of communication, I began receiving daily emails from the company promoting a new watch last Wednesday. I suspected that they must have fixed my B50 and figured it was probably on its way from Switzerland to my AD--which, indeed, turned out to be the case.

On Friday, my AD called and said I could come get it, which I did. In the store he said that the corrective action was a "software update". I told him I'd heard about problems with the Crown nob and recharging...and he looked shocked, like he'd never heard of those issues. I asked if Breitling had at least checked my B50 for those problems. He showed me the return slip and it only had "OH" for the Item Number with "R" (for Required) and "Overhaul Movement" under the Description. My B50 came back to me 5 weeks and one day after the AD called me and said Switzerland would need 6-8 weeks to fix and return my time piece.

Wore the B50 on Friday night after picking it up and again all day Saturday. No issues with the LOCKED feature unlocking like before. In fact, the B50 seems to be performing perfectly. Knock on wood. I'll keep you posted.