Anybody else disappointed in Bell and Ross experience?

7075 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Cjcraigwatch, Apr 5, 2021

cjs5

Discussion Starter · Feb 10, 2016

I recently bought a new Bell and Ross BR126 Sport Heritage chrono from an AD. The watch was really beautiful. Two weeks into wearing it, I noticed that it was not keeping good time. I tried to figure out what was wrong and discovered that when it was laid on its side, and the Chrono was turned on, it stopped functioning.
So I send it in for service via the authorized dealer, and it took a month to get looked at. Supposedly they fixed it and sent it back to me. Guess what happened, once again the watch malfunctioned. This time the flyback function of the Chrono would not reset itself to the 12 o'clock position.
I've read a lot of articles in these forums that the ETA movement is very reliable. I have to say the bell and Ross watch looked very nice but the quality of the service and the reliability of the watch was very disappointing. Anyone have any similar experiences?

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sean.scott

· #2 · Feb 10, 2016

Sorry to hear you're first B&R experience hasn't been what you expected. They're a great brand and usually your first watch from them isn't your last. As you can see from my signature, I'm a die hard fan

I've personally sent a few Bell & Ross watches out to service over the years and things have always come back working well. Most of the time the issues I've had were caused by me banging the watch around or dropping it, hadn't had one fail on me from regular use.

Overall from what I've heard from many of my friends in the watch community, it's pretty common luxury watch companies to take 6-10 weeks for service. So a month turn around time is pretty quick. Sending it back is never fun though.

As far as movements, ETAs are generally reliable, but the 2894-2 chronograph actually doesn't have the best reputation for reliability/serviceability due to the fact that it's modular construction. Personally, I'd love for B&R to use the Valjoux 7750 again, but it's much thicker.

Cheers,
Sean

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cjs5

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 10, 2016

Thanks for your perspective. My AD said this was an outlier experience as far as she was concerned. not being really understanding of the implications of modular technology, i do notice that my Omega DSM chrono works so smoothly. pushers are simple and easy to engage and the flyback is so precise. am i right to assume how the Omega chrono is designed is different than the B and R?

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heb

· #4 · Feb 10, 2016

Hello,
Yes, I've been disappointed in B&R since they stopped using Sinn as their maker. I like wearing chronograph watches, but not the modular ones B&R has been selling for the last 15 years ago or so (see Mr. Scott's informative post above). For some reason, the square ones have been very popular, but just represent unnecessary space and weight on your wrist; I don't get it. But on the other hand, Jay, of Modern Family likes them, so there's that.

heb

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sean.scott

· #5 · Feb 10, 2016

cjs5 said:
Thanks for your perspective. My AD said this was an outlier experience as far as she was concerned. not being really understanding of the implications of modular technology, i do notice that my Omega DSM chrono works so smoothly. pushers are simple and easy to engage and the flyback is so precise. am i right to assume how the Omega chrono is designed is different than the B and R?

I assume DSM stands for dark side of the moon, and if so, that's an in-house movement with an integrated chronograph module. Regular Omega Speedmaster Professional watches use a Lemania movement, which also is integrated. The reason that chronos that use the ETA 2894-2 (B&R and any other brand) require a lot of force to activate/reset the chrono is because it's a modular chrono.

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cjs5

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 11, 2016

Thanks for that explanation. At Sean's suggestion I have emailed B and R to share my experience. I work for a large multinational and we always appreciate direct customer feedback and I hope they do as well. It's dangerous to not know what you don't know!

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cjs5

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 11, 2016

Quick update to this situation. Thanks to Sean's suggestion and to B and R's credit, i got a call from Ogdulia from Miami today and she genuinely was concerned and interested in the repair and quality issue.
Feel confident they are interested in learning and improving from this experience. great they are showing that commitment to continuous improvement.

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sean.scott

· #8 · Feb 12, 2016

Glad to hear they're going to get you sorted out! B&R really does care about their fans and customers!

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RobDeep

· #9 · Feb 14, 2016

I've owned 4 B&Rs. Never had any mechanical problems, but I did have cosmetic issues with two of them. My BR02 had spots on the inside of the crystal that were only visible under a certain and lightning. B&R replaced the whole top of the watch under warranty. It was a good experience.

The BR01-97 I purchased had defects in the dial. They replaced with it with a brand new one, which was perfect. I was a little surprised this 01-97 LTD got out of the factory with the defects it had, but they made it right.

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traineract

· #10 · Feb 17, 2016

Hi cjs5, I've also bought the br126 heritage sport chronograph. Been on my wrist for weeks without rotation. Timing is spot on n just love the looks. What I dislike is thst the chronograph feels very stiff so I need to press real hard to engage and reset. Anyway, I think for a non column wheel vertical clutch movement, it shld nt be engaged permanently. Anyone here who can help me out on the technical details?

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traineract

· #11 · Feb 17, 2016

Btw, first post on this forum! Hope to contribute more! 😀

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MTB717

· #12 · Feb 18, 2016

Fwiw my first B&R experience is with a br123 (Vintage Officer) I picked up here from a fellow WUS member and while I'm still trying to bond with it, I've been very impressed with both the fit & finish and keeping great time (+ 4 seconds / day so far).

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Cjcraigwatch

· #13 · Apr 5, 2021

cjs5 said:
I recently bought a new Bell and Ross BR126 Sport Heritage chrono from an AD. The watch was really beautiful. Two weeks into wearing it, I noticed that it was not keeping good time. I tried to figure out what was wrong and discovered that when it was laid on its side, and the Chrono was turned on, it stopped functioning.
So I send it in for service via the authorized dealer, and it took a month to get looked at. Supposedly they fixed it and sent it back to me. Guess what happened, once again the watch malfunctioned. This time the flyback function of the Chrono would not reset itself to the 12 o'clock position.
I've read a lot of articles in these forums that the ETA movement is very reliable. I have to say the bell and Ross watch looked very nice but the quality of the service and the reliability of the watch was very disappointing. Anyone have any similar experiences?

New to this forum. Bell and Ross is a real disappointment for me. I have the BR02-20. The black coatine flakes off. I have called service at least 10 times no return call. Watch keeps good time. Quality of the case is an embarrassment. Best watch I have is the Breguet La Tradition. Stay away frm this watch. I am an avid collector. To recoat the case is 1,800. Thats after you have someone to reve the movement.

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Cjcraigwatch

· #14 · Apr 5, 2021

RobDeep said:
I've owned 4 B&Rs. Never had any mechanical problems, but I did have cosmetic issues with two of them. My BR02 had spots on the inside of the crystal that were only visible under a certain and lightning. B&R replaced the whole top of the watch under warranty. It was a good experience.

The BR01-97 I purchased had defects in the dial. They replaced with it with a brand new one, which was perfect. I was a little surprised this 01-97 LTD got out of the factory with the defects it had, but they made it right.

My BR02-20 is no longer under warranty. Can't even get service in Florida to call me back. The black coating is coming off. Watch looks terrible.

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