Are Breitling having a laugh?

GeezerButler

GeezerButler

GeezerButler

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10 Mar 2005
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Sent my Breitling Intruder (quartz analogue with digital dual time/alarm) to be assessed for overhaul and a new leather strap. Quote comes back - they want £550 to overhaul it and change the battery and another £110 to replace the strap. This is on a watch that would only fetch £600 at the absolute most. An independent watchmaker said he couldn't work on it as Breitling are refusing to supply any spare parts to third party repairers along with several other Swiss makers. Anyone here found anyone who can do work on Breitlings at a less ridiculous cost?
 
Had the same when I tried to get a jewellers to repair my Tisot strap. They said they'd have to send it to Switzerland. In the end, I just went to the watch fixers in Debenhams and got a strap from there.
 
Ouch, 110 quid for a leather strap that is replaced in 5 minutes, no wonder they refuse to give spare parts to others :(
 
Just buy a cheap Casio and you can snigger at all the gullible fools who buy expensive watches for the 'Quality' that never keep time and need expensive repairs and servicing ;)
 
If you are looking for a new watch strap to complement your expensive watch and don't want to fork out a lot of money then take a look at Hirsch watch straps either in a jewellers that stock them or on the famous auction site.

I have an Oris watch that came with a wimpy looking strap so I changed it for a Hirsch grand duke (a real man's leather watch strap)
 
That's the thing with buying expensive swiss watches, they also charge an arm and a leg to work on them.
 
doofer said:
Just buy a cheap Casio and you can snigger at all the gullible fools who buy expensive watches for the 'Quality' that never keep time and need expensive repairs and servicing ;)
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I couldn't agree more with this but I also know it's pointless telling this to people that are into "nice" watches. I have never been able to understand it. You can buy a Casio watch for under £10 that will always tell absolutely perfect time, the battery will last for 10 years and it will be indestructible through anything you could class as normal usage. Or you can spend £500+ on something that doesn't tell very good time and has to be serviced. It's bonkers to me.
 
We ahve a winner only 5 posts in, until we get a moaning post!

doofer said:
Just buy a cheap Casio and you can snigger at all the gullible fools who buy expensive watches for the 'Quality' that never keep time and need expensive repairs and servicing ;)
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Same with people who are into nice cars (just gets you from a to b)
Same with people who are into nice pens (wouldn't a Bic do the same job)
Same with people who collect art (why not get a print for a fraction of the price)

Its horses for courses, i'm into watches but don't get the whole car thing. Its up to each individual to make their choice, we are spending our money not yours so why is it an issue.
 
Play them at their own game and buy a replica, my friend is a watch dealer and even he admits some of the fakes are that well made it can be near impossible to distinguish.
 
Nexus said:
That's the thing with buying expensive swiss watches, they also charge an arm and a leg to work on them.
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No, that's the thing with people buying stuff they can't pragmatically/casually afford and then cry about the obscene charges for repairs/etc.

If you buy expensive things you'll have to pay expensive service. A £600 watch targets people for whom £600 is the equivalent of £60 for others.

To put it differently, if you had a £60 watch you wouldn't moan about a £10 service charge to repair it. Likewise for a £600 one. The fact that the company is asking for pretty much RRP for service is ridiculous but you are buying a luxury item and that's how their business works. It's the same even with cheaper items, remember how much a mobo repair on a laptop costs?
 
Forde said:
A board member does watch servicing etc. Not sure what makes, though:
http://watchrepairuk.com/

Free plug for you Lakitu ;)
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Thank you Forde! - Unfortunately Brietling will not send parts to independent watchmakers. Brietling are asking for a lot of money but it is consistant with how much the big companies charge these days, considering they will probably just swap the quartz movement out with a new one costing them £5.
 
doofer said:
Eh? I'm not moaning, just stating facts. It's the OP with the Breitling who's moaning if you bother to read the thread.:confused:
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I think he is pointing out people that enter watch threads just to go "Hahahah you fools buying expensive watched LuLs, get a Casio" type crap that accompanies every watch thread.

Which on reflection is exactly what you did.
 
Redrum said:
I couldn't agree more with this but I also know it's pointless telling this to people that are into "nice" watches. I have never been able to understand it. You can buy a Casio watch for under £10 that will always tell absolutely perfect time, the battery will last for 10 years and it will be indestructible through anything you could class as normal usage. Or you can spend £500+ on something that doesn't tell very good time and has to be serviced. It's bonkers to me.
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God you people are so boring. I suspect you also drive around in a £100 car because it still gets you from A to B like an expensive one?
 
Although I agree the price of service is silly, it is the price you pay for owning a luxury watch unfortunately and it doesn't really matter whether it's worth £600 or £6000 2nd hand.

It's the same with cars. Eventually they become cheap enough 2nd hand for people to afford to buy them but it doesn't mean that they can afford to run them.

Example:

My bosses' lambo needs new tyres and a clutch every 5000 miles. Cost £10,000 plus labour.

And from memory the first service on a Veyron is £28,000.
 
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