Breitling Emergency - battery replacement

[Pip1968]

I know there are not a lot of these about (well at least I think so) but once the battery needs replacing on the digital display do they change the beacon battery too - as a matter of course or just because they are doing the other one.

My next refers to the likely time from sending it off to getting it back. Any ideas on the length of time - ?

Dependant on time/cost I may well just get the jeweller to change the watch battery anyway. Rolex service centre is just down the road from me but I suspect Breitling will be in Switzerland.

Any tip top tips appreciated.

Pip

[I'm Rick james]

Not that it's much help but I'd go indy/Rolex service centre if you're planning on keeping it for a little while.
As it happens Breitling are in UK for their services (somewhere in Kent if I remember)

Although I sent my SuperAvenger black steel away in November(11th) for a service and it came back 22nd of January so still vast amount of time away!
Rj

[N24]

Mine's away having this done now - the shop in Regent St reckon they get theirs returned fastest of all - at 8-10weeks, and were about £20 less than sending in via other shops. You can post directly too for the same price - £345 IIRC. And yeah - an absurd amount.

There is a video on youtube which shows you how to replace batteries - the transmitter batteries are the easiest to do, however the watch battery required brute-force & a chisel...

[donkamio]

I bit the bullet and got my Emergency Mission done by Breitling via W of S. Cost 345 IIRC but well worth it. Watch came back 9 weeks later but looked like brand new. I was tempted by cheaper non authorised battery swaps but for resale value and peace of mind you have got to go AD!

[Fas1975]

Just had this done a couple of months ago. Did it via the boutique on Regent's Street. The emergency doesn't go for "just" a battery replacement, it's a full on service and there's videos on youtube to shows what this entails. As others have said, £345 was the price, and I was lucky to get it back in 4 weeks as the boutique had just opened and they were promising bumps up any waiting lists. The watch came back looking absolutely brand new.

[Pip1968]

Well I got a friend of mine and horological dabbler complete with video link and all correct tools to sort it and will get an official replacement of batteries next time around. Thank you for all tip top tips.

Pip

[audidoody]

How do you resist the continual urge to activate the beacon?

[speedtwelve]

The humongous penalty fine I'd imagine is sufficient deterrent

[bmt216a]

Got mine done beginning of the year but it was the first service since buying it so it was free. Took about 10 weeks. Done a great job but they had polished of the Antenna of the cap, so off it went back to Breitling, another 4 weeks, ,all sorted....

[audidoody]

speedtwelve said:

The humongous penalty fine I'd imagine is sufficient deterrent

How would they enforce it? Who would enforce it? If you pulled the plug on it by accident in say, South America, who is going to take you to court in the UK to get the money?

Just wondering.

[speedtwelve]

AFAIK activating the beacon on the watch is a one-time deal, after which it needs to go back to Breitling to be reset. Inadvertant activations will be OK as long as you contacted Coastguard/RAF Distress & Diversion and told them. It happens occasionally in aviation.

Setting it off in South America would be a local matter, but people have been dropped in it for maliciously activating ELTs in the UK. Older devices used to transmit an analogue signal on 121.5/243 MHz that required radio direction-finding equipment to locate; a few years back one was located to a house in Aberdeen that had been transmitting 'inadvertantly'...

Modern emergency beacons (and as far as I know the Breitling Emergency II) transmit a digitally coded signal on 406 MHz designed for satellite reception. The idea is that you register the device so that the unique transmitted code pairs-up with your details if it is recieved so that they know who is in trouble etc. If the beacon was unregistered then they ain't going to have an address for the user. Fancier stuff transmits a GPS lat/long with the beacon location coded into the distress signal.

Edited by speedtwelve on Wednesday 11th June 11:16

[Pip1968]

It is still on 121.5 MHz which is the international air distress frequency. Apart from the other reasons given above I resist 'pulling the cord' as I am over 16 years of age and consider myself an adult. Moreover I wear it for work and wear something else for play.

There must be some Aesop fable that you can read that will highlight the reasons further.

Office wallah need not apply.

Pip