Breitling Broken :( ...what to do?
Discussion
I bought a brand new Breitling Avenger (chrono black face and dials) last month and last night I was timing some songs (long story) and the top pusher broke. There is no longer any resistance; that reassuring click when you depress the pusher has now gone and the timer is now unstoppable.
I understand that things break and occasionally you get a Friday afternoon product, but I've wanted a Breitling for years now and specifically this model. Every weekend I would look in the shop windows at them and keep telling myself I would treat myself when the time was right (a promotion as it happens), but I'm devastated that it is now broken.
I know that it's under warranty and they'll sort it out, but I'm worried it will happen again. A quick search on Google has found other people have experienced a similar problem, so the big question...do I get the watch fixed and hope it's not a design flaw and that it won't happen again outside of it's warranty or do I refuse and ask for my money back?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
I understand that things break and occasionally you get a Friday afternoon product, but I've wanted a Breitling for years now and specifically this model. Every weekend I would look in the shop windows at them and keep telling myself I would treat myself when the time was right (a promotion as it happens), but I'm devastated that it is now broken.
I know that it's under warranty and they'll sort it out, but I'm worried it will happen again. A quick search on Google has found other people have experienced a similar problem, so the big question...do I get the watch fixed and hope it's not a design flaw and that it won't happen again outside of it's warranty or do I refuse and ask for my money back?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
I was in the same position as you, wanting one for years. I bought my first - a quartz Colt Ocean 11 years ago which apart from needing a change of batteries has been rock solid (but now feels lightweight and cheap). I still lusted after a "proper" Breitling and finally bought a Crosswind Racing 4 years ago.
After 18 months or so it started seriously loosing time even when being worn or after being wound. Their response - "Well it's due a service sir". Serviced and returned it was exactly the same and so back it went a second time. To be fair it then worked for another 18 - 24 months until earlier this year. It's gone back and the response has been the same "It needs a service" (which I have to pay for). No amount of arguing will shift them from this position. Well it's been serviced but I've no idea if it works or not since as soon as I got it back I flipped it for something else. I'll flip the Colt soon and be rid of Breitling for good.
My (admittedly biased) opinion would be if you can, get your money back and find another brand. I hope you get it sorted either way.
After 18 months or so it started seriously loosing time even when being worn or after being wound. Their response - "Well it's due a service sir". Serviced and returned it was exactly the same and so back it went a second time. To be fair it then worked for another 18 - 24 months until earlier this year. It's gone back and the response has been the same "It needs a service" (which I have to pay for). No amount of arguing will shift them from this position. Well it's been serviced but I've no idea if it works or not since as soon as I got it back I flipped it for something else. I'll flip the Colt soon and be rid of Breitling for good.
My (admittedly biased) opinion would be if you can, get your money back and find another brand. I hope you get it sorted either way.
Dick Sternum said:
I was in the same position as you, wanting one for years. I bought my first - a quartz Colt Ocean 11 years ago which apart from needing a change of batteries has been rock solid (but now feels lightweight and cheap). I still lusted after a "proper" Breitling and finally bought a Crosswind Racing 4 years ago.
After 18 months or so it started seriously loosing time even when being worn or after being wound. Their response - "Well it's due a service sir". Serviced and returned it was exactly the same and so back it went a second time. To be fair it then worked for another 18 - 24 months until earlier this year. It's gone back and the response has been the same "It needs a service" (which I have to pay for). No amount of arguing will shift them from this position. Well it's been serviced but I've no idea if it works or not since as soon as I got it back I flipped it for something else. I'll flip the Colt soon and be rid of Breitling for good.
My (admittedly biased) opinion would be if you can, get your money back and find another brand. I hope you get it sorted either way.
That must be pretty unusual. I think - correct me if I'm wrong - the Crosswind racing used a Breitling calibre 13 movement, which is a Valjoux 7750 with a bit of tarting up. These are generally considered to be bomb proof. I've had dozens of 7750 derived watches over the years and haven't had a problem with any of them. Currently, I'm wearing a Chronomat Evolution with the same movement, and it's a nice piece. And pretty accurate too.After 18 months or so it started seriously loosing time even when being worn or after being wound. Their response - "Well it's due a service sir". Serviced and returned it was exactly the same and so back it went a second time. To be fair it then worked for another 18 - 24 months until earlier this year. It's gone back and the response has been the same "It needs a service" (which I have to pay for). No amount of arguing will shift them from this position. Well it's been serviced but I've no idea if it works or not since as soon as I got it back I flipped it for something else. I'll flip the Colt soon and be rid of Breitling for good.
My (admittedly biased) opinion would be if you can, get your money back and find another brand. I hope you get it sorted either way.
te for what was a 3.5k watch.Riff Raff said:
That must be pretty unusual. I think - correct me if I'm wrong - the Crosswind racing used a Breitling calibre 13 movement, which is a Valjoux 7750 with a bit of tarting up. These are generally considered to be bomb proof. I've had dozens of 7750 derived watches over the years and haven't had a problem with any of them. Currently, I'm wearing a Chronomat Evolution with the same movement, and it's a nice piece. And pretty accurate too.
It does indeed use the 7750 movement and whilst it worked I loved the watch. My issue was that a service didn't fix the issue first time as I had to return it again for "repair". 18 months to 2 years later and the problem was back, I wasn't about to find out of this was going to become a problem every couple of years so flipped it. Breitling's attitude of not being interested in doing anything other than perform a service (at my cost) annoyed me. My car needs a service every two years, I don't expect it top break down everytime it's due though. Never again for me, although I'm sure I'll have other watches with that movement.Well, I've written to Brietling to see what response they can give. My letter is below...quite long-winded and a bit humourous, but I'm hoping it will make them sit-up and take action.
Dear Sir/Madam,
As a young boy growing-up I was naturally attracted to action movies: the more guns and explosions the better. I was fascinated the effect an M-16 assault rifle could have on the human body and the comical nature in which a hand grenade could throw human bodies through the air like rag dolls. It was testosterone-induced entertainment at it's best and I wanted a taste of that manliness.
Later in life I wanted to realise my dream of becoming a soldier. I applied to join the RAF, but a medical condition I was born with meant that I was not eligible to join and become the action man I'd dreamt of as a young boy. I was devastated. Ever since this devastating blow I've tried to compensate for it; I played semi-pro rugby at University and still play, I go the gym and lift heavy weights; I drive fast; own a sports bike; have an unhealthy obsession with BBQs; I love being outside and camping….and don't get me started on paintballing...about as close to being a soldier as you can get (in my mind) without the police getting involved!
There was something missing though, something that could compliment my plethora of manly activities. I wanted my ruggedness personified. I like watches, they are functional and yet at the same time say a lot about a person. Perfect. Flashbacks to my childhood and a quick search on Google revealed that my on screen heroes were big endorsers of the Breitling brand: Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, John Travolta, Sean Connery, Steven Segal, Tom Cruise, Tommy Lee Jones all wore Breitlings.
Several years passed, but every shop that displayed Breitlings I was attracted to like a moth to a light. I would spend the next 2 years longing for "that watch". I needed something in my life to mark the occasion to justify that purchase. That yellow glow; the sparkle from the polished stainless steel, it drew me in every time without fail.
Failure is not a nice word. In my line of work if something "fails" people get very angry and upset. I eventually did buy my dream watch, a 2010 Avenger. It was utilitarian, a tool watch: functional and rugged looking. I took the plunge and caved-in to the conspicuous consumption theory. £3,410 is a LOT of money. Imagine my horror when last night I used my watch (as it was intended/designed to do) to time something and then for the pusher switch to FAIL. At first it worked great, as it had done for the last 6 weeks. Suddenly, I was having cold sweats and flashbacks of again having my dreams smashed by the rather effeminate RAF careers officer. It was horrible.
It still tells the time perfectly and the stopwatch function is ticking along nicely in fact I can tell you as I write this e-mail that this particular function failed exactly 20 hrs 33 mins and 25 seconds ago. Amazing! However, I can't stop it and that I think fails to fulfil it's duty as a STOPwatch.
Forums on the web have revealed I'm not alone. Is this a design flaw? What do I do? Sure it has a warranty (only 2 years…surprising for something so expensive) and I'm sure a watch ninja can fix the problem, but something that is harder to fix is restoring my faith in the Breitling brand, which came crashing down last night rather like the pusher switch. When my watch goes back for repair next week I'm not sure if I want it back. Like me, the exterior is manly and rugged, but deep down I'll always know that watch #0000000 has a flaw, a failure, just like me that means it's not quite good enough to be a true action hero.
Dear Sir/Madam,
As a young boy growing-up I was naturally attracted to action movies: the more guns and explosions the better. I was fascinated the effect an M-16 assault rifle could have on the human body and the comical nature in which a hand grenade could throw human bodies through the air like rag dolls. It was testosterone-induced entertainment at it's best and I wanted a taste of that manliness.
Later in life I wanted to realise my dream of becoming a soldier. I applied to join the RAF, but a medical condition I was born with meant that I was not eligible to join and become the action man I'd dreamt of as a young boy. I was devastated. Ever since this devastating blow I've tried to compensate for it; I played semi-pro rugby at University and still play, I go the gym and lift heavy weights; I drive fast; own a sports bike; have an unhealthy obsession with BBQs; I love being outside and camping….and don't get me started on paintballing...about as close to being a soldier as you can get (in my mind) without the police getting involved!
There was something missing though, something that could compliment my plethora of manly activities. I wanted my ruggedness personified. I like watches, they are functional and yet at the same time say a lot about a person. Perfect. Flashbacks to my childhood and a quick search on Google revealed that my on screen heroes were big endorsers of the Breitling brand: Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, John Travolta, Sean Connery, Steven Segal, Tom Cruise, Tommy Lee Jones all wore Breitlings.
Several years passed, but every shop that displayed Breitlings I was attracted to like a moth to a light. I would spend the next 2 years longing for "that watch". I needed something in my life to mark the occasion to justify that purchase. That yellow glow; the sparkle from the polished stainless steel, it drew me in every time without fail.
Failure is not a nice word. In my line of work if something "fails" people get very angry and upset. I eventually did buy my dream watch, a 2010 Avenger. It was utilitarian, a tool watch: functional and rugged looking. I took the plunge and caved-in to the conspicuous consumption theory. £3,410 is a LOT of money. Imagine my horror when last night I used my watch (as it was intended/designed to do) to time something and then for the pusher switch to FAIL. At first it worked great, as it had done for the last 6 weeks. Suddenly, I was having cold sweats and flashbacks of again having my dreams smashed by the rather effeminate RAF careers officer. It was horrible.
It still tells the time perfectly and the stopwatch function is ticking along nicely in fact I can tell you as I write this e-mail that this particular function failed exactly 20 hrs 33 mins and 25 seconds ago. Amazing! However, I can't stop it and that I think fails to fulfil it's duty as a STOPwatch.
Forums on the web have revealed I'm not alone. Is this a design flaw? What do I do? Sure it has a warranty (only 2 years…surprising for something so expensive) and I'm sure a watch ninja can fix the problem, but something that is harder to fix is restoring my faith in the Breitling brand, which came crashing down last night rather like the pusher switch. When my watch goes back for repair next week I'm not sure if I want it back. Like me, the exterior is manly and rugged, but deep down I'll always know that watch #0000000 has a flaw, a failure, just like me that means it's not quite good enough to be a true action hero.
Pal of mine had a Breitling, don't know what model but it was that black one they advertised a lot, the one with the bezel and all the business going on. I could not believe what he told me about its lack of accuracy and the extortionate costs of the (ludicrously frequent) service regime. Someone's having a laugh there.
NeMiSiS said:
The horseshoe spring (65-171) moving out of place is a frequent culprit
Tell you what, maybe I'm a bit less easy going than some, but if I'd laid out this kind of dosh on a watch I really wouldn't want to be hearing about culprits in the mechanism, let alone frequent ones. Just seems like a bit of a mickey take to me. NeMiSiS said:
You may or may not be interested in how your stop/start and reset buttons work from the inside of the watch, here is a diagram that shows you what goes on.
Note the reset arm (B) presses onto the cam (55-200) and releases the hammer (55-241) onto the heart cams on the chrono wheels to reset them to zero.
The horseshoe spring (65-171) moving out of place is a frequent culprit if the start stop section is still operating correctly.
That is interesting and I appreciate the information, but Tonym911 makes a valid point and if there is a failure of the mechanism through no user error (which I will contest because it's the truth), then I don't think that is acceptable for an expensive time piece. It shouldn't fail. It should be made so that it can't fail. Note the reset arm (B) presses onto the cam (55-200) and releases the hammer (55-241) onto the heart cams on the chrono wheels to reset them to zero.
The horseshoe spring (65-171) moving out of place is a frequent culprit if the start stop section is still operating correctly.
Number 8 said:
NeMiSiS said:
You may or may not be interested in how your stop/start and reset buttons work from the inside of the watch, here is a diagram that shows you what goes on.
Note the reset arm (B) presses onto the cam (55-200) and releases the hammer (55-241) onto the heart cams on the chrono wheels to reset them to zero.
The horseshoe spring (65-171) moving out of place is a frequent culprit if the start stop section is still operating correctly.
That is interesting and I appreciate the information, but Tonym911 makes a valid point and if there is a failure of the mechanism through no user error (which I will contest because it's the truth), then I don't think that is acceptable for an expensive time piece. It shouldn't fail. It should be made so that it can't fail. Note the reset arm (B) presses onto the cam (55-200) and releases the hammer (55-241) onto the heart cams on the chrono wheels to reset them to zero.
The horseshoe spring (65-171) moving out of place is a frequent culprit if the start stop section is still operating correctly.
Like I said, mechanical things can go wrong. To state that they shouldn't, just because you have spent a lot of money, is just plain naive IMHO.
I think I'm beginning to understand why there are so many watch makers at the expensive end of the market. The remarkable tolerance of the customer base must make it a dream business to be in. I like looking at expensive watches as much as the next man but I will never consider buying one because I'm just not equipped to deal with the gap between my expectations and the apparent reality. The dearest watch I ever owned was a £70 Tissot I bought at an airport about five years ago. I lost it two years ago and reverted to the quartz Pulsar that I'd been using previously. I've had that Pulsar for at least twenty years. It cost me even less than the Tissot but it's always been 100% reliable and accurate. No doubt there will be much sneering but that watch is doing its job. I'd be sorry if I lost it because I've had it so long but it won't break my heart to replace it and it won't cost me a fortune to do so either. No offence to watch lovers – as I say, I really admire the workmanship of a well-made watch – but I do believe that customers spending more than £500 are subject to diminishing returns when it comes to value.
I took the watch back to a different store (same company different location). The chap in store was helpful and pretty sympathetic, but gave me the usual spiel about how it's under guarantee and they would repair it (approx. wait of 6-8 weeks).
I had a bit of a rant and insisted that I would either want a new watch or my money back. He said he could not guarantee that and maybe push for a whole new movement in the original case. I said "no" he said "to wait and see what Breitling would come back with".
Anyway, same day I get a call from the AD. He had had a call directly from Breitling and was instructed by them to order me a brand new watch which should be on my wrist in a couple of weeks.
Happy days. Well done Breitling. Chap at the AD seems to think my letter did the trick and he was surprised that they had offered me a brand new watch.
I had a bit of a rant and insisted that I would either want a new watch or my money back. He said he could not guarantee that and maybe push for a whole new movement in the original case. I said "no" he said "to wait and see what Breitling would come back with".
Anyway, same day I get a call from the AD. He had had a call directly from Breitling and was instructed by them to order me a brand new watch which should be on my wrist in a couple of weeks.
Happy days. Well done Breitling. Chap at the AD seems to think my letter did the trick and he was surprised that they had offered me a brand new watch.
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