# Watch Servicing



## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Just popped down to Mappin and Webb Oxford street to ask about getting my Breitling serviced.

It's four years old and needs a service as it's gaining a bit at the mo. However, they can't give me a price until they send the watch to Breitling :?: but say around Â£200 plus 6-8 weeks without the watch. 

Does anyone know anywhere else that does this on the premises or if I can contact Breitling direct and save myself their commission?

If I send it elsewhere, will I invalidate my warranty - not sure if it even still has one.

Thanks in advance.

Kell.


----------



## raven (May 7, 2002)

My Tag needs a service big time. It's losing so much time I rely more on my mobile phone to tell the time than I do on my watch. I took it to my local watch shop and they quoted me around Â£150 - given that I've had the watch ten years, it's probably not worth more than that in the first place.

I have looked for other places but have not had any luck.


----------



## Kell (May 28, 2002)

SOmeone did tell me a little while ago about a shop in Leicester Square tube station that does them all and he had his Rolex serviced there and was very happy - but I saw it some time ago now and remember not being that impressed...


----------



## clived (May 6, 2002)

Kell,

You can send it direct - it's what I did a couple of months back when I threw mine on the bathroom floor by accident 

I found the phone number via the website.... which then directs you to another number.... which you then call and they give you the address - bit of a faff, but you're cutting out the middleman.


----------



## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Kell said:


> Just popped down to Mappin and Webb Oxford street to ask about getting my Breitling serviced.
> 
> It's four years old and needs a service as it's gaining a bit at the mo. However, they can't give me a price until they send the watch to Breitling :?: but say around Â£200 plus 6-8 weeks without the watch.
> 
> ...


Is your watch worth thousands?

I have never heard servicing for watches before. I only just change the battery if needed and then it is fine. With my citizen I haven't even changed the battery as it is rechargable by light. I only paid about Â£100 and it is as accurate as always.

My question is why spend so much money for a watch that needs servicing every few years?


----------



## Kell (May 28, 2002)

No my watch isn't worth thousands, but it is worth over a thousand. It's also an automatic (no battery) so uses kinetic motion to wind it up.

All quality watches use a very fine oil which will, over time, dry up.

And because it's waterproof to a depth of 1000m, it needs to be taken apart in a pressurised dome and reassembled in the same conditions.

Not quite the same as simply changing the battery, and if I only have to do it every four years then it's not too bad.

Thanks for the tip Clive - I'll have a look.

Did you send it recorded delivery? :wink: :roll:


----------



## sonicmonkey (Mar 20, 2004)

raven said:


> My Tag needs a service big time. It's losing so much time I rely more on my mobile phone to tell the time than I do on my watch. I took it to my local watch shop and they quoted me around Â£150 - given that I've had the watch ten years, it's probably not worth more than that in the first place.
> 
> I have looked for other places but have not had any luck.


Â£150? I sent my watch directly to Tag Heuer and had it serviced under warranty and enquired how much it would cost if I had to pay for the service; I was quoted around Â£90. Whilst it was in I had it polished to get rid of the scuff's and it cost Â£25, well worth it. They charge around Â£20-Â£30 for a battery change whereas Mappin and Webb wanted somewhere in the Â£100 region! Tag have opened up a store in Central London where they do service work. If you give LVMH Watch and Jewelly a call on 01204 861168 they'll let you know what's what. They're the offical service folks for Tag UK.

Scary thing is they send your Â£1500 watch back Royal Mail post (signed I think) 

Kell - I'd try bypassing the shop and go with Clive's suggestion, you'll save a fortune.


----------



## E (May 7, 2002)

I had to have my Brietling battery replaced a couple of years ago and took it to Goldsmiths opposite Bishopsgate.

Initially they told me Â£40 to replace the battery and service it, and it would be away for a few weeks, when it came back they told me it would be Â£140!!! I argued with the manager that when I took the watch in they should of known the price of the work as they are a Brietling dealer and so called 'specialist'.

Anyhow my argueing got my watch back for Â£100, not ideal bearing in mind the original 'estimate'

Wouldn't recommend Goldsmith but this should give you an idea of servicing costs

E


----------



## raven (May 7, 2002)

sonicmonkey said:


> raven said:
> 
> 
> > My Tag needs a service big time. It's losing so much time I rely more on my mobile phone to tell the time than I do on my watch. I took it to my local watch shop and they quoted me around Â£150 - given that I've had the watch ten years, it's probably not worth more than that in the first place.
> ...


Thanks for this - do you know where the Central London store is? The number you give doesn't sound central... :?

Mine's automatic and the bezels buggered as well, so it'll probably work out expensive, but I'll give these guys a call. Cheers.


----------



## sonicmonkey (Mar 20, 2004)

raven said:


> Thanks for this - do you know where the Central London store is? The number you give doesn't sound central... :?
> 
> Mine's automatic and the bezels buggered as well, so it'll probably work out expensive, but I'll give these guys a call. Cheers.


No worries. Have a look here http://www.tagheuer.com/boutiques/london/

They're based in Brook Street W1. The number I gave you is LVMH based near Manchester. They're the official Tag repairers for Tag UK (mail in service as opposed to normal shop front). My local Tag shop in Bicester Village for example ship everything to these chaps.

The London store (the only "boutique" in the UK) has it's own on-site chap who repairs the watches, but you'll have to leave it with him and either pick it up in around 5 days time or they'll post it to you.


----------



## tumshie (Jul 19, 2004)

Kell,

I know a little about watches. The retail outlet will always try to advise you that other items are needed for the watch. However, its usually a new battery and new seal that will do the job. As for your guarantee, Breitling only guarantee for 1 year.

Try this address and telephone number, and good luck

TWG Distribution Ltd
Second floor east 
Three ways house
40-44 Clipstone Street
London
W1P 8JT

T: +44 (0)207 636 5200
F: + 44 (0)207 637 5354


----------



## bluettone (Feb 26, 2003)

Breitling have been giving a three year warranty on new watches for around about two years now. So if you bought within that time from an official Breitling dealer you will still have some warranty time left. Obviously this will not cover servicing.

The price you were quoted does not sound too excessive to me but you might get it cheaper direct as suggested above.

There is a guy who used to post here called mattwarren from Bitz Watches (www.blitzwatches.co.uk) who sells Breitlings and other high end watches (but is not an authorised dealer). He may know someone who can service your watch for you more cheaply than Bretiling UK if you have no warranty left.

EDIT - just re-read your 1st post and saw the comment about the watch being 4 years old. In that case, shop around. As far as waterproofing is concerned, unless you are going deep diving anytime soon, a competent watchmaker should be able to seal it well enough for swimming in. 

What do you have - a SuperOcean Professional?

Marco


----------



## coupe-sport (May 7, 2002)

> My question is why spend so much money for a watch that needs servicing every few years?


For quality and superb engineering.


----------



## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

Not quite in the same league, but my Armani watch recently started losing time and stopping, and now has stopped completely.
As it's only had a new battery fitted a couple of months ago, the jeweller recommended a service (watch is about 3 years old).
The cost of the service would be Â£50, but if I took out their insurance (Â£20 for 3 years) and waited a couple of weeks, I could bring my watch in and they would either repair it or replace it with a new one to the old one's value (Â£250).
Also, I'm covered for accidental damage and theft, so all-in-all not a bad deal.

Rogue


----------



## StuarTT (May 7, 2002)

Kell,

if it's any consolation it costs about the same and takes the same amount of time to service my Rolex.

There are plenty of Rolex dealers in Luxembourg, but I had it sent back to the factory in Switzerland to service. It somehow makes me feel better having it done at the factory where it was born rather than having it fiddled with by some back-street grease monkey.

I have a nice watch and I want to keep it that way.

My wife has had nothing but problems since she took her Omega to a 'specialist' to have the battery changed.


----------



## jwball (Jan 18, 2004)

Rogue said:


> Not quite in the same league, but my Armani watch recently started losing time and stopping, and now has stopped completely.
> As it's only had a new battery fitted a couple of months ago, the jeweller recommended a service (watch is about 3 years old).
> The cost of the service would be Â£50, but if I took out their insurance (Â£20 for 3 years) and waited a couple of weeks, I could bring my watch in and they would either repair it or replace it with a new one to the old one's value (Â£250).
> Also, I'm covered for accidental damage and theft, so all-in-all not a bad deal.
> ...


Servicing a quartz watch, not heard of that before?


----------



## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

jwball said:


> Rogue said:
> 
> 
> > Not quite in the same league, but my Armani watch recently started losing time and stopping, and now has stopped completely.
> ...


From your vague post, I'm not sure whether you're being flippant or not but, as the watch contains moving parts, I would assume it is serviceable.
And as it's only going to cost me Â£20 to either get my watch fixed or have it replaced with a new one, then I'm not too fussed either way.

Rogue


----------



## Gren (Jul 25, 2002)

Try www.tickers-online.co.uk

They've done a watch of mine (okay only a Â£300 Camel watch) but are very could and very competitive. Not sure if they do all watches but they certainly specialise in some. They have all the credentials and were very pleasant on the phone - did me a good deal on a new strap!

Worth a look if nothing else.

Gotta admit I've had my Tag for almost 5 years now and I'm dreading any servicing bill when needed. Then again, it has done 5 years without a new battery and it hasn't lost a second in that time. Not bad at all but maybe no more than you shoul dexpect from a watch costing that much.


----------



## Guy (May 13, 2002)

Well, I guess I'm today's Chav. 

My every-day watch cost Â£8.50, it is waterproof to the depth I can snorkel to, it tells the right time, day and date, it has a stopwatch, alarm etc etc and I change the battery about every 3 years.

It doesn't matter if it is banged, scratched or vibrated (ooo-err). When it was temporally lost, it was replaced with one the same but they have gone up to Â£10.00! :lol:

However, a service price of Â£200 for a decent watch seems quite cheap considering the processes the works and case have to go through. It will be dismantled, tested out of its case, serviced/repaired, the case stripped and re-built and tested, then the whole assembly put back together, re-built and tested yet again. In addition to this, there is the specialised equipment unique to each make (it's a bit more than the blunt penknife to open the case!) and the pressure testing equipment. Getting the seals right at the base of the winder stem can be a real b*gger needing a very steady hand and a big magnifying glass! 
You may find that a cheaper 'service' does not include the correct post work testing the manufacturer would do.


----------



## jwball (Jan 18, 2004)

Rogue said:


> jwball said:
> 
> 
> > Rogue said:
> ...


I don't see what was vague about it, all I said was I'd not heard of a quartz watch being serviced. True, they contain moving parts but not in the same way as an automatic chronometer, seeing as the moving part is basically an electric motor. The only thing that I would assume needs servicing on a quartz would be the battery and water seals. Reason I say this is because I have a quartz watch which I wear for work and an automatic watch which I wear for best. The quartz has never been serviced meanwhile the automatic is serviced every five years, purely to be re-oiled, re-sealed and cleaned.


----------



## StuarTT (May 7, 2002)

StuarTT said:


> I have a nice watch and I want to keep it that way.


I was going to say 'just like my TT', but then realised that I'm happier taking my TT to a specialist rather than to Audi :roll:


----------



## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

jwball said:


> I don't see what was vague about it, all I said was I'd not heard of a quartz watch being serviced. True, they contain moving parts but not in the same way as an automatic chronometer, seeing as the moving part is basically an electric motor. The only thing that I would assume needs servicing on a quartz would be the battery and water seals. Reason I say this is because I have a quartz watch which I wear for work and an automatic watch which I wear for best. The quartz has never been serviced meanwhile the automatic is serviced every five years, purely to be re-oiled, re-sealed and cleaned.


Taken from howstuffworks.com



> The electronics of the watch initially amplifies noise at the crystal frequency. This builds or regenerates into oscillation -- it starts the crystal ringing. The output of the watch crystal oscillator is then converted to pulses suitable for the digital circuits. These divide the crystal's frequency down and then translate it into the proper format for the display. (See How Digital Clocks Work for a detailed discussion of dividers and display drivers.) *Or, in a quartz watch with hands, the dividers create one-second pulses that drive a tiny electric motor, and this motor is connected to standard gears to drive the hands. *


Therefore, it could be either the motor, or the gears, or both.
So I would presume that this would be the parts that are serviceable/replaceable.

Anyway, I'm not here to debate quartz watches.
The purpose of my post was to show that it might be better value for money taking out insurance on the watch (it was in my case, but this might not be the case for more expensive watches).

Rogue

Edited for missing end tags.


----------



## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Quartz watches need little more than a battery change and puff over with an airline to clean out accumulated crud. Any retailer can do this.

Mechanical movements need regular servicing and adjustment if they are to give long service. This needs skilled watchmakers and costs. To my knowlede Tag, Omega and Rolex all require watches to be sent back to them for service. They will virtually re build them and replace all necessary parts, seals, glass etc (except straps) as part of the fixed price servicing. ie you get your watch practically rebuilt and recalibrated. 
Taking this into account, i'd say it is pretty good value and ensures the longevity and therefore value of a quality timepiece.

I recently had Alexanders of Farnham send a 1995 Tag 6000 chronometer aand a 1955 Omega Seamaster for service. It takes a few weeks but the costs are reasonable - I think Â£200 for the Tag and Â£90 for the Omega (they don't replace the glass on vintage watches). Both now have a new 1 year warranty.

If you go outside the network, make sure you check the credentials of any watchmaker. Unqualified hands with wrong tools can wreak havoc...


----------



## raven (May 7, 2002)

Guy said:


> Well, I guess I'm today's Chav.
> 
> My every-day watch cost Â£8.50, it is waterproof to the depth I can snorkel to, it tells the right time, day and date, it has a stopwatch, alarm etc etc and I change the battery about every 3 years.
> 
> ...


My father's the same - he always takes the piss out of the fact that his watch cost under a tenner and it keeps better time than mine which cost so much more. Likewise his only needs the odd battery change (although they seem to last forever!)

That's why the Sekonda advertising slogan "Beware of expensive imitiations" was so clever because it's spot on!


----------



## Kell (May 28, 2002)

garyc said:


> Quartz watches need little more than a battery change and puff over with an airline to clean out accumulated crud. Any retailer can do this.
> 
> Mechanical movements need regular servicing and adjustment if they are to give long service. This needs skilled watchmakers and costs. To my knowlede Tag, Omega and Rolex all require watches to be sent back to them for service. They will virtually re build them and replace all necessary parts, seals, glass etc (except straps) as part of the fixed price servicing. ie you get your watch practically rebuilt and recalibrated.
> Taking this into account, i'd say it is pretty good value and ensures the longevity and therefore value of a quality timepiece.
> ...


I guess this is part of the reason I was asking. I wasn't sure whether Breitlings needed to be sent back to the manufacturer and if so, was I better doing it without going through an intermediary like Mappin & Webb and paying their marked-up price.

Clive's suggestion sounds like the best one to me. But unlike the amateur horologists among you, I'm going to feel naked without another watch to wear. I have a cheap Armani dress watch, but that needs a battery and I have an even cheaper Accurist, which also needs an battery and is lost in the house somewhere.


----------



## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

The price quoted for the servicing is about right...just been wacked for over Â£900 for "jewellers services" 

1 Brietling - hour hand dropped off (but then the watch was dropped as well) repair and service by Brietling Â£220

1 Omega Speedmaster "wind up" watch " service by Omega Â£210

1 Omega Seamaster auto chronograph service by Omega Â£190

Wifes engagement ring loose stone and rebuild mounts Â£275

The watches are returned from the makers in as new condition...and for that money I wouldn't expect anything less.

Defo' in the wrong line of work 

Dave


----------



## clived (May 6, 2002)

Kell said:


> garyc said:
> 
> 
> > But unlike the amateur horologists among you, I'm going to feel naked without another watch to wear.


Kell, do I have the solution or what! :wink:


----------



## LeeS3 (Mar 24, 2004)

Yes only Breitling is Switzerland can service your watch.

Good price would be Â£150.. It may now have gone up to Â£200 though.

Bear in mind it'll come back as new. So new glass/crystal etc if scratched.

Useful also if your thinking of selling the watch. Ebay is reasonably healthy for resales.


----------



## nutts (May 8, 2002)

Kell,

My Breitling Blackbird needs a service also... fancy a group buy  Let me know how you get on with Clives number and I'll get mine done...

Don't fancy the 6-8 weeks though


----------



## LeeS3 (Mar 24, 2004)

thats why you need two breitlings!


----------



## nutts (May 8, 2002)

Â£2.5k was enough on one watch!! 

Maybe I could borrow Kell's once he's had it serviced... or do you think Breithling do courtesy watches 



LeeS3 said:


> thats why you need two breitlings!


----------



## misrule (May 6, 2002)

I sent my elderly Breitling for a battery change through Goldsmiths near Liverpool Street station and I asked about a courtesy watch as a joke.

The woman replied that they had such a scheme -- but having seen the p*ss-poor, scabby watches on offer I declined. 

And my last service was Â£200, through Watches of Switzerland. Staff in their Bond Street branch were too snotty for me, so I wouldn't recommend them. Breitling did a brilliant job, though.

<Ab Fab Patsy voice> You work in a _shop_, dear </patsy> 

Mark


----------



## misrule (May 6, 2002)

misrule said:


> <Ab Fab Patsy voice> You work in a _shop_, dear </patsy>


Sorry, Ab Fab fans, I got it wrong.

It was Edina: "You only work in a shop, you know. You can drop the attitude."

Before somebody corrects me. 

Mark


----------

