Reply With Quotehttps://www.breitling.com/multimedia...av/sav-894.pdf
Thats from their website.
For that price, I imagine your watch would come back looking as good as new!
Good Afternoon All!!!
Please bare with me as i am new to this site.
I have got a 2010 Breitling Colt Quartz on a steel bracelet I have sent it back to Breitling Uk for its very first service they have recommended a full overhaul at a cost of 420.00 pounds. the turn around time is almost 9 weeks!!!. speaking to a friend of mine he has said i might have to go back to Switzerland because they don't carry the spare parts in the uk for the Quartz movement is there any truth in this?
Any help regarding the price am I getting ripped off? or if there is some truth it does have to go back to Switzerland would be most kind.
Many thanks
Rob
https://www.breitling.com/multimedia...av/sav-894.pdf
Thats from their website.
For that price, I imagine your watch would come back looking as good as new!
Last edited by valleywatch; 29th March 2017 at 17:25. Reason: spelling
Hi Rob and welcome to the forumOriginally Posted by Rob333
As far as I know, modern Breitlings go back to the service center in Tunbridge Wells, there's no need for them to be sent to Switzerland. Both turnaround times and price seem about right to me (from my limited experience in dealing with Breitling / what I've read so far on different forums). Be aware that if there's any optional works that you might want done (such as crystal/bezel replacement - they will send you a full estimate with everything that can be done after the initial assessment) they will be charged separately.
Ben
Is it still working ok? If so there's probably no need to service it.
Unless there's a serious problem that requires a new movement, you'd just be throwing your money away.
A independent could change the battery and replace the seals to guarantee water resistance for a fraction of that cost.
Good afternoon Rob, and welcome to the forum!
Price and timescale look about right to me.
When my Emergency went for a service last year I went direct to them in Tunbridge Wells, they sent me a detailed quote for the service, with a breakdown of all the work, with both optional, and necessary, for the integrity of the watch.
It came back looking like new, in a Bakelite service box, and a foam roll inside that the watch was on.
One tip, if you send it direct (after speaking to them on the phone) is when you send it just address it to "BUK", as opposed to Breitling, so that it is not easily identified.
I would second this advice.
You could just ask them to do a movement service and not a full refurb. Movement service is about £150 all in with return post, and will obviously come with a 12-month Breitling warranty.
If it's battered and you want it looking new, go for the full service.
If it's working fine but you thought you might as well get it serviced then maybe it doesn't need any of the above and a simple battery change, new seals and pressure test will do the job.
EDIT: I personally don't think £420 for what will effectively be a brand new watch with manufacturer warranty is outrageous. Of course, there could be the cost of any parts added to this.
Last edited by Onelasttime; 29th March 2017 at 17:51.
The timescale is probably their outside estimate, and you will get the watch back much earlier (in my experience)
They do seem to charge like a wounded buffalo, though.
Al
WOW Thank you All!!!
Thank you all for all of your kind words. In the 7 years I have owed the wacth it has given me very good service, the case and bezel seem fine in wear terms and the bracelet is very scratched up because of my job. It definitely needs a new battery as the second hand started to sweep to tell me it had a low battery. Looks like I'm going for a full service. If anyone is interested will put up some photos when it comes back if anyone is interested.
Thanks
Rob
Good idea.......
"before and after" photos would go down very well on here!
You'll realise why the cost is as high as it is when your watch comes back. It will be as good as new.
For future reference, if your job causes the bracelet to get scratched so much, stick a Breitling rubber strap on it.
Fairly easy to swap out for 'best' and they don't cost the earth
Coincidentally, I've been contemplating a Breitling, which is way beyond my normal price point (even pre-owned), but the ongoing costs put me off. I went to a non-franchised watch service place to ask how much a new battery & reseal would cost and they said £90 - and that's a cheapish place. And as they said, if you take to a AD, they'll probably insist on a service as well costing £300+ - not that I can imagine the need to service a quartz watch every 3 years! A one off extravagance to buy one is one thing, but paying out silly money every 3 years or so to keep it going is just too rich for me!
Why a full service though? You can get the battery changed and tested for water resistance by a reputable source for a fraction of the price. If you're still working g then it's just going to end up with a scratched bracelet yet again. I don't really see the point in spending money having a beater refinished just for it to be scratched up again once you get it back. It's like having a 4x4 washed before taking it off road.
I went the cheap route for a battery change on my B-1
It now needs £700 throwingvat it as they didn't put the seals back correctly etc
I will get it done
Completely agree ! Nobody has said it yet so I will; £420 for a 'full refurb' on a battery powered watch is just scandalous 😠.
Please try an independent like Duncan at Genesis, thewatchbloke, Bill Rice, Rocco at Watchworks, Brendan (webwatchmaker), the list goes on......Get a new battery fitted and a proper tested reseal and leave it there IMO. What's gone wrong with a seven year old quartz movement to warrant that sort of undertaking anyway ?
I understand that you may want scratches and scuffs taken out but a factory finished Breitling is likely to partially burn your retinas when it's returned 😎. You'll only be conscious of marking it again once the men in welding masks deliver it back to you. The marks add a bit of character.
Please don't send it back to BUK, bloody chancers !
Have a look at my thread here; might be useful. My Colt was around double the cost of your quote, owing to a few bits that needed replacing! It has come back as new, genuinely as it left the factory looks. Yes they're expensive, but I think worth it. I included some before and after shots for info.
I have to agree. It was what killed the idea of an Aerospace for me. Servicing costs of mechanical I can see from the time and labour involved. Taking out a quartz movement, testing it, putting it back if OK, refurbishing the case/bracelet and charging over £400 is something I don't see the value in.Completely agree ! Nobody has said it yet so I will; £420 for a 'full refurb' on a battery powered watch is just scandalous.
Why don't Breitling adopt Eco-Drive Solar tech? It would reduce the need for battery changes with the associated reseal and waterproof testing. The cynic in me thinks it is a business and not technical decision.
Dave
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I just read that thread. Those service costs are sobering. I just bought a Navitimer 01 earlier this week. Yikes, can't see me keeping it long term now!
FYI. Full service costs include returning the case and watch to a factory finish condition. I did enquire how much it would cost to have that done for a bracelet and watch and it was perhaps 80% of the full service cost.
A maintenance service for a quartz Breitling is a bit over £100 (see their website for current prices). Full service to return it 'as-new' is about £450.
I dont see them then any different to any other manufacture - Omega, Rolex etc.
Personally with a few inexpensive tools I can change batteries for the price of the battery = £3.00. But if you screw it up expect to pay for a full manufacturer service to fix it again.
Martyn.
Dave. They kinda have. The B50 / B55 have rechargeable batteries with 10y lifetime. So just need the seals checked if going in water - or just don't take them in water.
The Colt quartz used to have a 10y battery as well. Not sure about the new ones.
Martyn
The B50/55 are certainly interesting in this regard. I only really thought about this since getting a solar G-Shock. I appreciate they are very different watches, but solar recharging (and atomic sync) just seem such obvious solutions, and make the mainstream aerospace look a bit old design / technology wise, even though it's a looker. The B55 packs a lot of tech, but at a price.
Dave
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If you are going to use the watch in the same manner as you have before then forget about the full service and go for the Maintenance one. Each case refurb will remove a small amount of metal and this will eventually become apparent if you plan to do it every 6 or 7 years. I'm curious about what they mean when they say spare parts for the Quartz movement - in my view they will just swap out the movement in its' entirety.
Can anybody explain the discrepancy between the £420 quoted and the £385 on the Breitling website; the OP is going direct so there doesn't appear to be an AD in the middle taking a cut?
Good afternoon All
Just a quick Update if anyone is interested!
My watch has gone off to Breitling uk for a full service at a cost of 420 pounds which I can not work out?? and the turn around time is 12 weeks ( they must be really busy) lets just hope I don't get a letter though the post with lots of extra work it may need!!
Many thanks
Rob
I paid £480 for my Explorer Rolex last year....and came back in 5 weeks....Breitling probably going bust lol
Thats one expensive battery, dremel polish and a once over with a scotchbrite pad! (said in jest...)
price seems in line with most quotes of other brands for the old quartz watches. Often the module has to be changed completely to regain full functions of the watch.
It's called Breitling B50 Cockpit and B55 Exospace Connected. Both use rechargeable batteries that hold charge between 3-6 months and can last between 10-15 years depending on the charge and discharge cycles.
People need to understand the difference between a battery service and a full Quartz overhaul intervention. Believe it or not, these watches employ metal gear wheels, have lubrication points just like a mechanical movement, etc. There are wear and tear parts. If you want the watch to last for a very long time, Breitling recommends performing a movement overhaul once every 10 years and again it depends on how the watch is used and abused.
A battery service only consists of replacing the cell, checking and adjusting the timing rate, replacing all seals and pressure test plus 1 year full warranty.
If you want a disposable watch, Casio G Shocks and Citizen Eco Drives are a plenty and much cheaper to buy. None of those are meant to be serviced and have life spans that could go from 1 to 3 decades. The Panasonic rechargeable batteries last 15-20 years. Once the battery no longer holds charge or the movement simply stops, throw it away and get a new watch.
It all depends on what you want and expect out of a watch. Cheap solar Japanese watches are excellent and have owned a fair share over the years. But you do sacrifice in some aspects that are either important or not important to you.
Luxury goods are expensive to buy and maintain. Be it a car or a watch there are costs associated with proper upkeep. Most people have the false idea that the more expensive the watch, the less need of servicing it will need. Actually quite the opposite.
Always factor servicing costs down the road when considering the purchase of a 'luxury' timepiece. If not, stick to the affordable stuff.
Whilst I havent personally verified if the claim is true (I'm not old enough!), Grand Seiko 9F quartz movements are on a "50 year" service cycle...that did appeal when I bought my first one last year. The battery and seal change will be every three years or so but that can be done by Seiko UK. I agree with the comment above regarding servicing costs and factoring these into the overall ownership aspects when choosing a watch; even being careful though its possible to be caught out e.g. I bought a three year old Sinn UX off SC expecting a seven year'ish battery life...a month into ownership its now with Sinn for a service which no doubt will be >€200...c'est la vie.
Keith
If it's quartz, and nothing special (no offense to your Breitling) don't get it serviced. If they ever have to fix anything with it they will most likely throw the movement away and replace it. That's cheaper for them.
I don't disagree but...
Buy a new Rolex that is a 28800 bph movement with a 10 year service interval
Have an Aerospace and when the EoL indicator activates either:
Go for an inexpensive battery change, risk accidental movement damage, explain it to Breitling and pay for a full service
Pay Breitling £140 every 2-3 years
I agree with what you say about the B55 of course, but the tech in the Aerospace is quite "1985", SQ not withstanding, and I don't think battery autonomy is an unreasonable ask. It shouldn't be the preserve of Casio and Citizen!
Dave
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I'd be going for a battery and a re-seal at a decent independent. All day long.
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