My Breitling Service experience...
Hello all,
Thought it might be of interest to document my first experience with Breitling and their service/overhaul and repair process.
My first foray into watches beyond some classic Casio digitals as a kid was this Breitling Colt, bought new from my local AD in 2005. I loved the classic look of the Colt, that off-white colour and simple design has always looked great, perhaps understated by some of today’s Breitlings – and some might say small at just 38mm!
Over the years it performed almost faultlessly – I returned it to Breitling in 2006 for timekeeping issues, but aside from that it performed brilliantly, and it practically never left my wrist for the next decade. However, I had noticed that the crown was increasingly difficult to engage, despite adopting the ‘backwards, catch it, forwards routine’ sealing the watch became more difficult. After a while I left the crown out and obviously avoided water at all costs. Over the final few months it became a little harder to wind, and seemed noisier if that makes sense, you could also feel the weight of the workings sloshing around much more than usual. Not wanting to damage anything I mothballed it, intending to service it but then ‘accidentally’ buying a Sinn UX last summer, which if you read my other thread is another tale of utter woe!
So, with my UX on the way back to Frankfurt, what better time to send the Colt back to Breitling..! I got the receipt letter today and the estimate should be out in a few days. I took a few pics which I will try and post later, will be interesting to see the before and after shots.
So, any bets on pricing?!!
Best guess is £415 for the overhaul, new crown and inner case (maybe, probably as there’s no tube in the Aeromarine models AIUI) plus 20% contingency - £850..?
Back to my trusty Sunnto Core at the moment, more accurate, more functional and 1/10th the cost – I must be nuts