The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi i have a Breitling chronomat requiring a service iv'e had a quote of £130 by http://www.jhoxtobyandsons.co.uk/ in business since 1894,almost the same as Breitling!.
a guy mentioned in a post i read earlier re the hands being pressed on and therefore require new hands,is this watch specific or will my chronomat reuire new hands?i hope not.
also what do we get in a watch service,i was told the watch will be stripped down and whatever required to service,he did say if anything was broken he would let me know as it would then be a part from Breitling if they would let them have the part which he thinks probably not!!.
my watch is actually gaining almost 30 mins over 12 hours!,+/- 4 secs i can accept for an auto movement but not 30 mins!.
so can anyone just ease my mind as to what i might expect to get in the way of the service by a reputable watch doctor!.
do i actually need it serviced to correct this discrepecy?, or can i ask for the watch to be checked have done whatever is required to correct the problem it has,if so what do i need to ask him to do and could i expect the cost to be substantially less than the £130,if it's going to cost £30 to fix then that will be ok if it's £80 then a service at £130 is the better option.

any help/advice greatly appreciated

Paul

ps:- the bit re the hands is important as i suspect will get very expensive if so,there 18k gold.

30 minutes in 12 hours is likely not a regulation or service issue, it sounds like it's magnetised and any watchmaker should be able to address that.

In terms of the service. There are some service videos posted in several threads on here - just use the search function. The hands are designed to be single use, and Breitling will not supply parts to a non Breitling approved dealer. Your watchmaker can reuse the old ones, but they won't fit as well and will be susceptible to falling off if the watch get's knocked.

In terms of what's included, you'll need to ask them - every watchmaker will be different.

Also, don't expect much love for a non Breitling approved service on here!

Hi

Thanks for the advice.... a little concerned with the attitude towards the non Breitling approved watch service,at the end of the day ultimately the watch will have the service, we all have the choice to choose where to spend those dollars.
apart from the fact the watch going back to it's maker!for it's service it would be quite interesting just how my watch would benefit with a service at Breitling over my local watch guy{the end cost perhaps!},whom i might add has been in business since 1894,ok maybe not approved by Breitling as of now,but would it make the same service to my watch any better if he were to be suddenly approved by Breitling in the future!,it would be the same man doing the same job,is he not capable until that time?.
do all us watch lovers return our beloved watches to there makers for any work, or do we trust in someone we know and trust in the business of watch repair,i certainly do,don't you?


Regards

Paul

Breitling service is performed centrally, not by dealers.

If your dealer is going to do what Breitling does for that price great - I somehow doubt it. Breitling's mechanical service is here - http://www.breitling.com/service-chrono/

It's your money and your choice - I'll protect my multi thousand dollar watches with the best service I can get.

listen to Roff so you don't cause yourself any headache down the road.

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It may be a little harsh to judge an independent watch repair, in this instance from a 5-generation family business, as inferior or somehow lacking compared to a Breitling service. They could in fact be highly qualified and experienced. The real issue for independents is the difficulty in obtaining Breitling parts if needed. That said, for a valuable and treasured Breitling, nothing will better a Breitling service.

You can if you wish, contact B.UK directly:

Breitling UK Ltd
Breitling Service Centre
PO BOx 309
Tunbridge Wells
Kent
TN2 3YB
tel : 01892 553620

Send your watch Royal Mail Next Day Special delivery (£11.75 insured up to £2500) and they will give you an estimate. They will be conservative in their estimate and include a number of replacement parts such as seals and gaskets, hands etc, although you would only be charged for those parts actually fitted.
P.S. They also sensibly advise discretion in addressing it as simply "BUK" not "Breitling Uk Ltd, Breitling Service Centre",

P.S. First ask your watch repairer to degauss your watch, and then regulate it. These are cheap and simple options worth a shot, that may cure the problem. Gaining 1hr/day is not indicative of anything broken or lacking lubrication!

I suppose it comes down to trust in the specific watch repair shop as well as whether the watch is under warranty or not. I'm guessing if it were then having someone else touch it would void any remaining factory warranties. Then of course comes the issue of the parts etc being used being genuine or not etc.

I personally would only let breitling service touch my watches. That's just me though, to each his own.

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I don't care if the guys has personally worked on 10,000 watches. If in the expensive UK the price is GBP130 then it can't be as comprehensive - and of course it can't use Breitling parts. You pay a lot for a Breitling enhanced 3rd party movement. If a service identifies that one of those enhanced parts needs replacing it's going to be done with a 3rd party part - and likely not the highest grade.

Of course it is also going to result in hands that are designed to be single use being used for a second time. Yes I'm a watch snob, but to me this is not snobbery, and it has nothing to do with the quality of the watchmaker - it's about the pricing of the service (which implies the extent of the service) and the non availability of the parts.

And of course, another thing that should go into consideration is what could happen in the future. If the watch is repaired now with non-Breitling parts, even by the best non-Breitling watchmaker in the world, and something would cause the need of a Breitling repair later (say, your watchmaker goes out of business or the problem is too difficult to handle) you will have problems with Breitling when they receive a watch modified with non-Breitling parts.

Also, if you sell your watch and the new owner sends it for a service, he would have the same problems.

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Collection: http://s540.photobucket.com/albums/gg32 ... mview=grid

Thanks for the advice chaps,i have just contacted Breitling U.K,they have quoted me £280 for the service which i would certainly be prepared to pay to maintain the watches credentials! if i were to infact sell the watch in the future.

Thanks

There you go, good choice

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Pricey but for that, your watch will come back looking and working like a brand new one....really. I had my rather battered 35 yr old Breitling done by them - it was astonishing!