Originally Posted by
albatross
Got this new in the box in Iraq in 93.
Tell them to get some pliers and straighten that second hand.
I was offered one of these Iraqi Navitimer 3300's by a Canadian friend living in Kuwait in the mid-1990's. I wanted to see the watch since my friend admits he knows little about timepieces. Unfortunately, he sold the watch to someone else before I could inspect it. I assume the watch my friend had was of similar provenance through UNIKOM 'comshaw' channels. Kuwait is a dry country and UNIKOM folks were expected to provide adult beverages at the expat parties.
I own several Breitlings and for years I would take them to C. Melchers on Orchard Road in Singapore. They would sometimes fix watches out of warranty for free and you could talk with the technicians over the counter. Also, if you needed a battery change you could walk into most major watch shops in SIN (e.g. Sincere, Hour Glass, Cortina) and there would be a watchmaker on site who could do the job for maybe S$20.
Times changed with the recession back in 2007 and the last time I went to Melchers they said no work was done on site and a battery change would take five business days. And the watchmaker is long gone at the watch shops in most places in Singapore.
I've got an Aerospace with a cracked LCD panel, I wince at the thought of sending it to Wilton, Connecticut for Breitling USA service after some of the stories I've read here and elsewhere.