RWG Technical Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 So I have a new Genuine Breitling with a 7750 inside that has some water damage. Of course the first step is to completely teardown the movement and see how much damage there is, and hopefully salvage the movement. As I take the movement apart, I admire the beautiful fit and finish and extra work that Breitling has done to the standard ETA7750, they even engraved serial numbers etc to identify it as their own. At first my main concern is to get the movement apart so I can assess the damage, along the way I note that there is no oil or lubrication...hmmm...that's a bit odd... As I take the top plate off the mainplate, I look at the jewels for the running gears, and they are all perfectly clean and dry, I take the balance cap jewel out, take it apart, and sure enough, it's dry and perfectly clean as well. When I finally get the last screw out and take the mainspring out of the barrel, it dawns on me, not one pivot point, not one gear, not one wear point on the chrono cam, nothing has any trace of oil or lubrication throughout the movement. It is perfectly clean and dry. Imagine this was your new car, you drive off the lot only to discover a few miles down the road, that the car manufacturer never added any engine oil, or transmission fluid, the wheel bearings are dry, etc...and as your car comes to a grinding halt you can't help but be royaly pissed that anyone would sell a car to a customer without making sure it's going to last. So how come Breitling can ask the high prices they do for their watches, and not provide the customer with a serviced and oiled movement. The next time you get upset because your rep is not serviced correctly as delivered, think how upset you would be if you had bought a gen...at 10 times the price... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Well said! To get around this I drive a Land Rover, whose bearings are apparently made from rubies too. MAN are they expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 The Zigmeister Posted Today, 09:21 AM The next time you get upset because your rep is not serviced correctly as delivered, think how upset you would be if you had bought a gen...at 10 times the price... . . . Add.. no Power sterring fluid to my Truck off the dealers lot. .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 If it's the watch I'm thinking of... Can it be salvaged after flooding? If so... Good news for the owner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialvat Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 My evo is due its first service, I plan on sending it in thru the AD. Makes me wonder should I just use a non breitling service source, and screw the resale if I ever off load it. If they missed oiling at assembly whats to say they wont botch my service. It certainly makes you realise how they make millions, very poor show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Well said! To get around this I drive a Land Rover, whose bearings are apparently made from rubies too. MAN are they expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 If it's the watch I'm thinking of... Can it be salvaged after flooding? If so... Good news for the owner Yes and yes...completely re-assembled and working perfectly. Fully serviced, damgage fixed (what little there was), only needed a new rotor screw that had broken off and rusted in the movement, I was able to remove the broken piece of the screw from the plate. Dial was washed in warm soapy water with a sable brush and saved, small mark here and there, but nothing too bad. And yes, the owner is happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 My evo is due its first service, I plan on sending it in thru the AD. Makes me wonder should I just use a non breitling service source, and screw the resale if I ever off load it. If they missed oiling at assembly whats to say they wont botch my service. It certainly makes you realise how they make millions, very poor show. Do you remember Nanaqu's Rollie that had been at one of the more prestigeous service AD's, and the condition it was in when it was opened? I did up a post and pictorial of the findings... My suggestion, find a trustworthy local watchsmith who knows what he's doing, your much better off in the long run. If they send them out from the factory this way, I have little faith in the aftermarket work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Always good to have an awakening R...wow...that's something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corgi Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 If I was the owner I would simply go down to the dealership with the non-oiled leaky watch and DEMAND a replacement or refund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris5264 Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 If I was the owner I would simply go down to the dealership with the non-oiled leaky watch and DEMAND a replacement or refund. I would post on a few gen breitling forums,,,,,I bet eventually they would respond......No why this is acceptable for a high end gen..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Do you remember Nanuq's Rollie that had been at one of the more prestigeous service AD's, and the condition it was in when it was opened? I did up a post and pictorial of the findings... Roger that. It was in for service THREE TIMES at that AD, and you saw its condition. I know I've said it before (and before and before and before) but there is one man that I trust my valuable vintage watches to, and that is Ziggy. People on TZ and etc. say you have to use a RSC or an AD to get the paperwork for provenance, and to maintain their high value on the sales market. To that I say PFFFFFT. I don't own my watches for the faceless, nameless "next guy", I'm maintaining them for my kids. I want them to last forever, and Ziggy is the one that can make that happen. Good job, R. I promise I'll get my next 3 off to you soon... I know I'm way late for my appointment. Please don't sic J on me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailboss Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Shocking, realy. It would indeed be intersting to hear the TZ crews take on this. Col. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siesta181 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Sad news indeed. Its a bloody shame in fact. Breitling has been in the game long enough to know better... I am sticking to my reps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbchubb Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 At least you didn't find any pubic hair in the movement.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 interesting indeed, and disapponting to hear of a gen manufacturer dropping the ball like that... Makes one wonder, was it just a one-off abberation, or is it more common that they send out movements in such a condition, with people (not being watch enthusiasts) simply carrying on in blissful ignorance... As above, I think I'll stick with reps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 At least you didn't find any pubic hair in the movement.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 @ TeeJay I could accept it not being fully oiled, but when there is no lubrication anywhere, you have to ask how did this happen? I would suspect that this is not a one-off. Absolutely, from what you've said, it certainly looks more like a 'standard operating procedure' rather than just a one-off incident. Maybe that's Breitling's way of getting customers into servicing their watches... I remember when I tried on an SFSO in the AD, and the clerk was really hyping up how awesome Breitling where when it came to servicing watches... How they'd "completely strip the movement to clean each part!!!" like that was some kind of revolutionary practice in watch repair rather than standard procedure Maybe they're sending out dry movements in the knowledge that they're going to fail relatively quickly, so the chump er, I mean customer ( ) takes it back to them for repairs within weeks/months/a year (?) (as it's their New Watch) rather than five years down the line, when they may rather put the cost of a repair towards a new watch, and the company then being down that revinue... Who knows... Awesome find though, and thanks for making it public knowledge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronus Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Is there any possibility that any water that got inside may have washed out the lubricating oils? And then it evaporated, leaving it bone dry? I had Breitling service a SuperOcean a couple years ago and it's not cheap 180GBP I think it was... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sander Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Is there any possibility that any water that got inside may have washed out the lubricating oils? And then it evaporated, leaving it bone dry? I guess they dropped a bottle of One Dip over it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplehd Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Dial was washed in warm soapy water with a sable brush and saved, small mark here and there, but nothing too bad. The Zigmeister - quick question - you can actually wash a dial? I would have thought water could remove some coloring from a dial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Dials are a lot tougher than you'd think. I've used sandpaper on my LeJour to brighten up the surrounds at the hour indices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Is there any possibility that any water that got inside may have washed out the lubricating oils? And then it evaporated, leaving it bone dry? Not possible. The pivots of all the gears are ferrous, any water anywhere near them, and the results would be rust. As well the water would not wash away the oil. The movement was spotless and perfectly dry. My guess is that the movement was oiled when it was delivered to Breitling from the ETA factory, then they took it apart, refinished the plates etc, washed it all down, re-assembled the movement and never oiled it. @ Triplehd Yes you can wash dials, I do it all the time, especially on old watches, and especially on those belonging to smokers Warm soapy water, mild detergent and a soft sable brush, it won't damage the dial and you have to dry the dial immeditaly with your dust blower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 The Zigmeister - quick question - you can actually wash a dial? I would have thought water could remove some coloring from a dial. It all depends on the dial. Because they are usually sealed with a gloss coat, most modern (last 25 or so years) dials can be gently washed with water. But water can damage many older/matte dials. Back to Ziggy's original post - it seems very unusual (to the point of incredulity) that a watch would (or could) leave Breitling's factory in that condition. I wonder if the watch had been 'serviced' someone else before it got to Ziggy? From the description, it sounds like the watch had previously been swish-&-dipped, which would make alot more sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 As far as I know the watch was never serviced. It is new and suffered water damage. It was taken into the Breitling dealer who accused the owner of leaving the crown unscrewed, they opened it up, wanted $1000-2000 for repair and the owner elected to sell it. From what I could see and tell during disassembly, it was never worked on until I took it apart. I too find it incredible, but after witnessing Nanuq's terrible Rolex AD service, I am not surprised, after all, who's going to know?? Certainly not the original owner... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.