Breitling contacts?
Sapco2
Yes, I'll never get a Breitling again or recommend them for the very same reasons. I have far better watch companies to impart my cash to!
LJ
PS. I note that the Red Arrows have gone to Citizen these days as well.
Yes, I'll never get a Breitling again or recommend them for the very same reasons. I have far better watch companies to impart my cash to!
LJ
PS. I note that the Red Arrows have gone to Citizen these days as well.
Last edited by Lima Juliet; 24th Aug 2012 at 22:12.
PS. I note that the Red Arrows have gone to Citizen these days as well.
I've just got my Aerospace back from a servicing and although it is now in as-new condition it took them 10 weeks to do, wasn't cheap and their customer service was less than stellar.
I'd recommend Andrew Michaels for any Breitling repairs as he has contacts with one of the former top Breiting repairers and actually gives a sh!t about his customers!
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Hmmm. A lot of dosh for a timepiece that fails to meet your expectations.
I have stuck with cheap and nasty G shocks, nothing like the kudos of the big names but mine are working watches, and my favourite even survived some nice frenchie kicking it out of the upperdeck rh forward door on the A380 fal in Toulouse, the expensive facom tools didn't survive the drop mind!!
I have stuck with cheap and nasty G shocks, nothing like the kudos of the big names but mine are working watches, and my favourite even survived some nice frenchie kicking it out of the upperdeck rh forward door on the A380 fal in Toulouse, the expensive facom tools didn't survive the drop mind!!
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Breitling repairs
I have used John Steward Jewellers in Swindon since 2008 (Navitimer bought in 2001 - still going well).
The young man there is very knowledgeable about all types of Breitling watches and the differering movements used in them. He is also courteous and reasonably priced. 01793 513304.
The young man there is very knowledgeable about all types of Breitling watches and the differering movements used in them. He is also courteous and reasonably priced. 01793 513304.
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I have stuck with cheap and nasty G shocks
G-Shock Joins Forces with the Royal Air Force
I've had my 1994 model F56062 Aerospace (titanium and gold) for 21 years now and it's generally been fine - a new battery now and then, plus a free Z-spring replacement in the bracelet clasp has been all that it's needed.
A few years ago the new battery ran down rather quickly and I took the watch back to be checked. They diagnosed a failure of some component and the repair cost around £600. But they included another new battery and the watch came back with a better, more accurate movement. I hadn't had it serviced over the years, so I couldn't really complain....
Earlier this year I noticed that the bracelet clasp had lost its spring tension, so I guess that a new Z-spring would be needed, costing about £25. But when the technician started working on it, the spring was in bits but the holes into which the clasp fitted were almost worn through - threatening to come apart at any moment. So a new bracelet clasp was required....£370
!
A couple of weeks later the display started flashing, indicating End of Life for the battery. So, off to Breitling Boutique in New Bond Street again - the new battery cost £90 but was supplied well within the quoted time. I'd managed to scratch the new bracelet clasp somehow, but the technician buffed it out free of charge and my faithful Aerospace looks like new again.
But I really, really don't like the styling of the latest Aerospace. In fact I think that they've been going generally downhill since the 1994 model - see Breitling Aerospace FROM ALL AGE .
When I was at the Breitling Boutique, I mentioned that I was surprised at the high cost of spare bracelet links on eBay - about $95 for a single titanium and gold link. They told me that it's probably because they no longer make the bracelets from that era, so spare parts are hard to come by....
And yes, before the watch nerds wake up, I KNOW THAT OTHER WATCHES ARE AVAILABLE!!
A few years ago the new battery ran down rather quickly and I took the watch back to be checked. They diagnosed a failure of some component and the repair cost around £600. But they included another new battery and the watch came back with a better, more accurate movement. I hadn't had it serviced over the years, so I couldn't really complain....
Earlier this year I noticed that the bracelet clasp had lost its spring tension, so I guess that a new Z-spring would be needed, costing about £25. But when the technician started working on it, the spring was in bits but the holes into which the clasp fitted were almost worn through - threatening to come apart at any moment. So a new bracelet clasp was required....£370
!A couple of weeks later the display started flashing, indicating End of Life for the battery. So, off to Breitling Boutique in New Bond Street again - the new battery cost £90 but was supplied well within the quoted time. I'd managed to scratch the new bracelet clasp somehow, but the technician buffed it out free of charge and my faithful Aerospace looks like new again.
But I really, really don't like the styling of the latest Aerospace. In fact I think that they've been going generally downhill since the 1994 model - see Breitling Aerospace FROM ALL AGE .
When I was at the Breitling Boutique, I mentioned that I was surprised at the high cost of spare bracelet links on eBay - about $95 for a single titanium and gold link. They told me that it's probably because they no longer make the bracelets from that era, so spare parts are hard to come by....
And yes, before the watch nerds wake up, I KNOW THAT OTHER WATCHES ARE AVAILABLE!!
Last edited by BEagle; 27th Apr 2016 at 08:23.
I've had my Breitling Aerospace Repetition Minutes since 1995 and apart from batteries every 4 or 5 years, it has had no attention and is worn daily. Like Beagle, I don't like the new models and am very happy with mine.
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BEagle wrote ...
A sad tale ... not a Breitling though
My parents gave me an Omega Flightmaster c.911 (ST145.036) for my 21st Birthday back in 1978. It was a wonderful time keeper for a manual wind watch. I wore it for years ... didn't have it serviced ... it worked perfectly fine. Until some years later when a young Master Coff (aged 8 then, now 22) dropped it into a swimming pool during a holiday in the US. In the original state the watch would have been OK down to 50m ... sadly the case seals had deteriorated whereupon it flooded
This is how the watch looks today ...
And how it would have looked new ...
Moral of the story ... Always get your watch serviced (and insured).
I will, one day, get it fixed ... but I know it's going to cost quite a bit
Coff.
I hadn't had it serviced over the years ...
My parents gave me an Omega Flightmaster c.911 (ST145.036) for my 21st Birthday back in 1978. It was a wonderful time keeper for a manual wind watch. I wore it for years ... didn't have it serviced ... it worked perfectly fine. Until some years later when a young Master Coff (aged 8 then, now 22) dropped it into a swimming pool during a holiday in the US. In the original state the watch would have been OK down to 50m ... sadly the case seals had deteriorated whereupon it flooded
This is how the watch looks today ...
And how it would have looked new ...
Moral of the story ... Always get your watch serviced (and insured).
I will, one day, get it fixed ... but I know it's going to cost quite a bit
Coff.
"Buy British - Buy Bremont"
Couldn't agree more. I have a lovely 1950s 806 Navitimer which I sent to Breitling some years back for an overhaul. It came back with a broken stopwatch and a huge bill. When I queried they said "we don't really do mechanical watches any more....". It now gets serviced for about £50 by an old school watch smith locally. When I left the RAF and thought I justified a "didn't I do well" present I looked at Breitlings and saw nothing but a sea of bling (apart from a couple of Black Steel ones...) but the quality of Bremont's product, service and whopping mil discount was too good to resist. My DLC Bremont is lovely and a daily wearer - leaving the ageing Breitling as a great dress watch.
Buy a Bremont.
Couldn't agree more. I have a lovely 1950s 806 Navitimer which I sent to Breitling some years back for an overhaul. It came back with a broken stopwatch and a huge bill. When I queried they said "we don't really do mechanical watches any more....". It now gets serviced for about £50 by an old school watch smith locally. When I left the RAF and thought I justified a "didn't I do well" present I looked at Breitlings and saw nothing but a sea of bling (apart from a couple of Black Steel ones...) but the quality of Bremont's product, service and whopping mil discount was too good to resist. My DLC Bremont is lovely and a daily wearer - leaving the ageing Breitling as a great dress watch.
Buy a Bremont.
Last edited by Evalu8ter; 28th Apr 2016 at 10:00. Reason: Autocorrrrreeecct
Bremont have this GR4 Tornado watch out at the moment (not biased at all as I took the photographs for them, and the ones that make up the backgrounds of two of them)...
KC
KC
Another thumbs up for Bremont. Was lucky enough to get a trip around their HQ in Henley last month. They are very welcoming to pilots and are happy to work with groups and squadrons to produce limited/special edition watches. Personally, I love the Wright flyer and MB 1 watches.
The background to that photo is a bit....worrying, Mick..
Those Bremonts cost a lot more than I paid for my Aerospace in 1995, which works out at about £1600 in today's money.
Those Bremonts cost a lot more than I paid for my Aerospace in 1995, which works out at about £1600 in today's money.
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Must admit I haven't had my B-2 serviced since I bought it in '02, which probably means I'm heading for an expensive service sooner rather than later. Still self-winds though, but can guarantee to lose 5 seconds a day - as well as stopping a couple of times a year due to my occasional sedentary behaviour. Obviously more wrist action needed!
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Another 
for Bremont, great watches and definitely a real piece of craftsmanship, the second hand sweep is one of the best out there. Excellent customer services team at their Military Division who couldn't be more helpful.
image.jpg
Had my MB1 for a few months now and really pleased with it, lots of strap choices and you get the tools to change them yourself. No excuses now from SWMBO for lack of pressie ideas!!
image.jpeg
for Bremont, great watches and definitely a real piece of craftsmanship, the second hand sweep is one of the best out there. Excellent customer services team at their Military Division who couldn't be more helpful.image.jpg
Had my MB1 for a few months now and really pleased with it, lots of strap choices and you get the tools to change them yourself. No excuses now from SWMBO for lack of pressie ideas!!
image.jpeg