The Breitling Watch Source Forums

i'm speaking more toward the movement of the watch vs. the everyday handling aspect. i often see sellers tout NOS or "this just came out of my safe where it's been sitting for 2 years since the day i bought it...etc". would you rather have a watch that's been continuously running with all its gradual natural degradation or a movement that's been idle for a long time that's "rotting" away (maybe rot is a strong term...rust ) with the parts not moving?

as i'm looking for a new watch this scenario has pop up and i'm not sure what the answer is.

Well in vintage terms NOS is always a good thing (for me) because it's the best way to guarantee 100% original. However I wouldn't dream of using a NOS watch without a service as there will inevitably be degradation of the oil.

yea roff i understand a vintage piece being NOS and highly prized...but how about a 2-3 yr old model that's been discontinued? i've been looking at a pam 190, but let's say in term of breitling a b-2. it's been discontinued for a few years, but still haven't reached that 5-7 yrs where it needs servicing. in the end i guess newness trumps all.

I would go for the NOS one, no doubt about it. It's an interesting question about when the servicing needs to happen though - how long can a watch sit unused before the oil breaks down and a service is needed - I have no idea, but I'm not sure I'd trust a 4 year old watch that had been sitting at an AD all that time.

But, if you buy a NOS that was "just" discontinued from an AD they normally set the warranty date as the purchase date. So, even if the watch has just been sitting in its box for 2 years, you'll have 2 years warranty. If so I wouldn't hesitate to use it and then send it for a minor check-up (that's possible in Japan, I don't know about your country) just before the warranty expires.

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Not sure about what different national policies are on check ups, but you are absolutley correct on warranty. Any new piece at an AD will have a 2 year warranty from time of retail sale, regardless of when the piece was produced.

absolutely, it'd be perfect if u can find a discontinued piece at an AD with a 24 month warranty, if anything happens there's a guarantee behind it. what i've encountered is alot of the 2nd-hand dealers would buy the pams to "speculate"...stick it away somewhere and now sell them as BNIB with the warranty already expired...so you're still paying full price for the piece (as opposed to having a discount with a used NRMT/MT) and if something is wrong because it's been sitting there it's more of your cash out for the servicing.