Breitling Aerospace woes
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: CYUL
Posts: 1
I had bad experiences with Breitling, including droppages and time losses. Breitling service couldnot fix and neither offered a replacement. Since then a Seiko Sport 100 delivered reliable service for 45 years !!!
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Baston
Posts: 1,646
Sad but true. If I want to know the time to the second, my smart phone does the business.
If flight mode is enforced, my £150 Seiko runs rings round my Rolex. These days top end watches are jewellery, surely?
If flight mode is enforced, my £150 Seiko runs rings round my Rolex. These days top end watches are jewellery, surely?
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Near Stuttgart, Germany
Posts: 896
Originally Posted by langleybaston
If flight mode is enforced, ...
Join Date: May 2002
Location: U.K.
Age: 42
Posts: 164
For 4 1/2 years i’ve been wearing an Apeks diving watch daily. With a clear face its ideal for flying, the day and date window is useful for knowing what day it is and it is very accurate. The cost? Free with a £35 years subscription to Diving Magazine. I believe they where £80-90 retail. If I’d paid a four figure sum for a watch I’d expect it to keep time impeccably. And aren't Brietling’s supposed to be AVIATORS watches? Why would the cabin pressure effect it, they’re advertised to cope with the supposedly ‘extreme’ conditions experienced in flight!
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: South of there, north of here
Posts: 19
Originally Posted by FLAMEOUT
I have a Breitling Aerospace watch that unfortunately every time I fly, the analogue hands become desynchronised with the digital time. The analogue hands loose time by around 3 minutes over a 6-7 hr flight. The watch has gone back and forth to Breitling. Their customer service is somewhat lacking to say the very least too! They say there’s no fault yet it continues to do it. They also claim that strong magnetic forces might cause the problem that I have. I only wear the watch when I go to work. I fly the B777 and B787. Is anyone else facing the same issues as I'm having?
Regards
Flameout
Regards
Flameout
Either that, or we have the very definition of a first-world problem.
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Berkshire, UK
Age: 75
Posts: 8,286
My Rolex, purchased in early 70s, spends its life in the drawer as it was incapable of telling the time accurately. For the last 20-30 years I have used Casio watches and they are excellent. I currently have one which is powered by a solar panel and checks the time against one of the LF stations. Brilliant and slightly cheaper than the Breitling.
Join Date: May 1999
Location: somewhere out there
Posts: 18
Originally Posted by fgrieu
Looks like the stepper motor for the analog hands looses steps. The strong magnetic field theory would make some sense if there was such a source, but I can think of none. If the watch it still waterproof, I doubt it could be the slightly lower cabin pressure, or hygrometry. Flying high measurably increases errors in computer DRAM due to single event upsets from cosmic rays, but I doubt that it could have some effect on the driver of a stepper. Remains temperature (cold air), position, vibration. Stick shaker :-) ?
[I was given a similar electronic+mechanic watch from another Swiss brand. I experienced two different reliability issues. After 6 months the handle for minutes suddenly stopped moving at all. On the replacement (under warranty), a 4mm spot developed on the side of the digital display, with the same contrast as the digits. I'm living with that later defect. Never had troubles related to flying (as a PAX) with any other watch].
[I was given a similar electronic+mechanic watch from another Swiss brand. I experienced two different reliability issues. After 6 months the handle for minutes suddenly stopped moving at all. On the replacement (under warranty), a 4mm spot developed on the side of the digital display, with the same contrast as the digits. I'm living with that later defect. Never had troubles related to flying (as a PAX) with any other watch].
Join Date: May 1999
Location: somewhere out there
Posts: 18
EnglishMartyn
I'm not trying to 'Troll everyone' as you put it. I was simply asking the Professional Pilots out there that have the same watch, if anyone has encountered similar problems as all I want to do is get my watch fixed thanks.
I'm not trying to 'Troll everyone' as you put it. I was simply asking the Professional Pilots out there that have the same watch, if anyone has encountered similar problems as all I want to do is get my watch fixed thanks.
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Where it is comfortable...
Age: 55
Posts: 685
What I find the most interesting is the lack of any proactivity on the side of Breitling. While these forums don't exactly have the number of visitors as FB/TW and their likes, site visitors are their prime target market for their flagship product. If I were their marketing department I would certainly monitor what is being said here, especially as the reviews are not exactly stellar. Mr Breitling, we are waiting... ?
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Under a Rock
Age: 50
Posts: 59
Omega Speedmaster
Omega Speedmaster, not cheap but last a lifetime. Looks great, easy to use (!) but you do have to remember to wind it up each night....
Also a tachemetre for those who need it........
Also a tachemetre for those who need it........
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: in a hotspot on that planet
Posts: 315
When I complained about the expensive service needed by the watch, the sales person askes what I was working...
i said non of his business and left...
Never gona buy Breitling again....
Seems more of a service scam than anything else....
i said non of his business and left...
Never gona buy Breitling again....
Seems more of a service scam than anything else....
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 616
FLAMEOUT - have you tried a Breitling AD such as Watches of Switzerland? You may get a more 'balanced' response than from Breitling themselves. If it doesn't look fixable you could flip it for a high end mechanical GMT.
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1,313
Watches of Switzerland would just send it to Breitling anyway.
Depends what you have, any Mechanical watch you can get fixed trough watchmakers not associated to Breitling, and it won't cost you more than £200 - £300 depending on the issue. Generally you don't need to do it very often, I would say average every 4 - 5 years, if you experience issues with timekeeping.
The bigger issue are Quartz models like Aerospace, as they are not easily fixed, Breitling generally just change the movement in them, if they get returned for service, as they can't be fixed easily if not working.
Depends what you have, any Mechanical watch you can get fixed trough watchmakers not associated to Breitling, and it won't cost you more than £200 - £300 depending on the issue. Generally you don't need to do it very often, I would say average every 4 - 5 years, if you experience issues with timekeeping.
The bigger issue are Quartz models like Aerospace, as they are not easily fixed, Breitling generally just change the movement in them, if they get returned for service, as they can't be fixed easily if not working.
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: South East.
Posts: 708
I bought a secondhand IWC Pilot a few years ago at a sensible price. They even gave me a couple of cloth straps as I said I wished to use it for work.
The IWC is never out of its box. A cloth strap is now on a Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph that cost about 150 quid and never loses a second. I've had it for at least 10 years so when it finally dies, I'll just buy another ! It actually looks the bees-knees too, with its black face and large white luminous figures; more than competition for IWC, Breitling, Bremont and Seiko. I've had various Citizens over the last 30 years and never a bad one.
Btw, I'd never buy a Breitling because they're overrated, expensive to buy and service and everybody's got one. How else would you run a fastjet display team .............?
Oh, the IWC ? Posh do's only, when I'm posin', 'cos the strap on the day watch is filthy !!
The IWC is never out of its box. A cloth strap is now on a Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph that cost about 150 quid and never loses a second. I've had it for at least 10 years so when it finally dies, I'll just buy another ! It actually looks the bees-knees too, with its black face and large white luminous figures; more than competition for IWC, Breitling, Bremont and Seiko. I've had various Citizens over the last 30 years and never a bad one.
Btw, I'd never buy a Breitling because they're overrated, expensive to buy and service and everybody's got one. How else would you run a fastjet display team .............?
Oh, the IWC ? Posh do's only, when I'm posin', 'cos the strap on the day watch is filthy !!
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Age: 50
Posts: 1,422
Originally Posted by flaphandlemover
When I complained about the expensive service needed by the watch, the sales person askes what I was working...
i said non of his business and left...
Never gona buy Breitling again....
Seems more of a service scam than anything else....
i said non of his business and left...
Never gona buy Breitling again....
Seems more of a service scam than anything else....
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 616
Omega seem to be going the same way since becoming part of Swatch - far too many sports models and limited editions. Which is a pity as they make some nice watches. For the price of a high end Breitling or Omega, you can get an entry level Rolex steel sports so that is no brainer for me. Albeit some models are currently difficult to get but if you can source one, it should retain its value and probably increase over time.
