Yup. At least that long if not more so........

Most service center wait times are getting extended nowadays.

 

I sent a Navitimer to them on the 5th of May for routine service but also that it was starting to run slow...the expected return date is end of July and I have another watch in to shami's and it's the same time frame.

 

My Chronomat has been with Breitling USA for 15 weeks awaiting a warranty repair of the B01. Definitely disappointing as the movement failed after 9 only months; I was told warranty work takes priority, so I can only image 'routine maintenance' times.

Upside I give the Tampa boutique credit; they have maintained constant communication and fully realize the negative impact prolonged service times can have on the brand/their business. I told my salesperson I enjoy the brand but 2 of the three Breitlings I've purchased in the last two years have had problems. In the same time frame a coworker bought an Avenger as his first nice watch and the movement failed after just over a year. Unfortunately there is only so much a local boutique/dealer can do; better QC and more watchmakers is expensive, but if I'm not confident in aftersales I don't know that I can continue to buy Breitling's products.

Lastly, at the 12 week mark I called BUSA and was told since I sent the watch in via the boutique BUSA was not allowed to give me any information about the watch/service... all communication had to go through the boutique. I'm expecting an update at some point today. I'll update this post if I receive any new information.

 

My Chronomat has been with Breitling USA for 15 weeks awaiting a warranty repair of the B01. Definitely disappointing as the movement failed after 9 only months; I was told warranty work takes priority, so I can only image 'routine maintenance' times.

Upside I give the Tampa boutique credit; they have maintained constant communication and fully realize the negative impact prolonged service times can have on the brand/their business. I told my salesperson I enjoy the brand but 2 of the three Breitlings I've purchased in the last two years have had problems. In the same time frame a coworker bought an Avenger as his first nice watch and the movement failed after just over a year. Unfortunately there is only so much a local boutique/dealer can do; better QC and more watchmakers is expensive, but if I'm not confident in aftersales I don't know that I can continue to buy Breitling's products.

Lastly, at the 12 week mark I called BUSA and was told since I sent the watch in via the boutique BUSA was not allowed to give me any information about the watch/service... all communication had to go through the boutique. I'm expecting an update at some point today. I'll update this post if I receive any new information.

You should have been given a number and web address to view the status of the repair. You login with your email and the service number.

 

Because I purchased my Navitimer grey, I called Breitling service directly and asked the question should I take my watch to an AD or work directly with Breitling. They said I could do either, but if I go through an AD all communication will be through the AD concerning updates. However, if I go direct to Breitling for service they will provide updates via their hotline and website. The price would be the same.

What I found is that Breitling customer service is staffed to take calls and are helpful. My experience was a short wait time to get through to a knowledgeable agent. I can also track the progress of the service online through their service portal.

I don’t think it will cut down on the 14+ week service cycle, but I was able to discuss with the agent the specific issues with my watch problem once the watchmaker updated my file.

Initially I thought the 14 week lead time quote was somewhat exaggerated, but now I realize that they were serious.

 

Just an update to my previous post... 17 weeks in, still no word from BUSA. My sales associate said his store manager, district manager and the service manger are all involved but there doesn't seem to be an answer beyond "an overwhelming demand for service". At this point 30% of the time I've owned the watch it's been with BUSA. I absolutely regret buying the extended warranty if this is what they consider acceptable turn around times. I emailed BUSA directly last monday... never received a response. At this stage I would gladly accept a refund (no one is offering, of course) and be done with this whole mess.

 

Sorry to hear about this, I have a watch with them right now and it is due back to me end of next month. The status page says working on it...Shami fine watch making is all backed up as well btw. I know that BSUSA were under staffed but I don't know if that is the case or just too many watches coming in after being shut down from the scamdemic.

 

Update 6/22/23

Yesterday, a couple days shy of 19 weeks, I was told a particular part needed for the repair of my B01 is on back order and that BUSA is awaiting arrival from Breitling SA. Current estimate is a additional 3-4 weeks. What's interesting to me is that it has taken this long for anyone to tell me the situation, until yesterday I was continually told they were simply overwhelmed with repair orders. Also, I'm wondering if there is an issue with a particular component beyond just 'high demand' as I was informed yesterday the original ETA for this part was late May to mid June, now they are expecting the part 'hopefully' by the end of the month with another 2 weeks for the repair and testing. In any case, my PSA, and this was echoed by my sales rep yesterday... unless you absolutely have to send a watch in (warranty failure etc) you may want to wait a bit, as lead times even without the back order issue, continue to grow.

 

Which B01 you have, old or new ? Old with date at 4 and half hours or new with date at 6 hours? May be there is shortage of parts for one of those, more likely old because they are not manufactured any more.

 

I will echo the long wait for even regular service. I bought a used superocean and wanted to have it serviced as it never had. My AD told me 8-10 weeks. From the day I dropped it off at my AD (and they claimed to have mailed it the same day), it was two weeks before I was advised as to what service was needed. Its going on 7 weeks since that call.

 

@Jake E
Any update? I am flabbergasted by what I am reading. It‘ll be many years before my SOH2 needs servicing but even now the thought of losing it for quarter of a year is not a pleasant thought. Do they honestly think this level of service is befitting of a luxury brand, the price the watches cost and the amount they charge for the service?

 

@Jake E
Any update? I am flabbergasted by what I am reading. It‘ll be many years before my SOH2 needs servicing but even now the thought of losing it for quarter of a year is not a pleasant thought. Do they honestly think this level of service is befitting of a luxury brand, the price the watches cost and the amount they charge for the service?

Sorry for the lack of updates. My Chronomat was returned to the local boutique on August 4th which marked 174 day turn around (one week shy of 6 months). The good news is, the watch is working perfectly. The bad news is the whole situation left me questioning Breitling's long term strategy for providing aftersales support, and ultimately will probably lead me to sell both my Chronomat and my SOH46. I get that a brand like Breitling is growing, but it feels a lot like all of their effort is going into sales/marketing and not aftersales support. When I actually got ahold of someone at BUSA that was willing to talk about the situation it sounded pretty bad: far more watches coming in (possibly a product of more sales and not necessarily indicative of greater QC issues) and less technicians/watchmakers to do the work. As I mentioned before I have first hand experience with 5 modern Breitlings 3 of which had issues that required either servicing or replacing. That is not a good ratio.

I'm sending my Explorer 2 to RSC Dallas to have the (scratched) crystal replaced. I am curious to see how long this will take as there seems to be two competing points of view regarding service delays; one being this is an industry wide problem, the other that it is specific to certain brands. I'll report back on the length of service for the Rolex. And yes I understand swapping a crystal is not as involved as repairing a movement issue, however from the sounds of it, it took Breitling nearly 20 weeks to even begin the service process on my watch so, at least I will have some point of reference from another brand.

 

6 months is truly appalling. Is there a cut off point for how long a company can take? For example, if the service time frame ever extended to 3 years where do we stand? There comes a point when the warranty length becomes largely irrelevant if it spends a large portion of time with the manufacturer themselves for a service…plus there’s the depreciation.
I don’t know what it’s like in the UK but if I thought that servicing would take 6 months I wouldn’t have bought my SOH2 in the first place.

 

I thought about this as well. Thankfully it didn't come to the point of further researching my options but clearly, at let in the States, Breitling needs to do better. For perspective at the time I received my watch back 39% of the time I'd owned the watch it had been at Breitling USA. What bothered my most was the lack of transparency. The first couple of reps I talked to basically said "we can't talk to you, you have to call the boutique". The boutique kept saying they had no additional information and that even they were basically in the dark. It's a really bad look. Even my sales associate with which I have a fairly friendly relationship with admitted this is going to cost the store and brand customers.

 

Found this on the EU Breitling page

 

Well yes, as I’ve mentioned it’s put me off which is a real shame as I really like Breitling designs. They had a committed customer in myself but loyalty lasts only as long as a brand doesn’t give reason for that to change.
It’s the same with cars. I used to really like Subarus. I was looking forward to the new Impreza coming out until the fiasco with their 2.5l engines In 2006/2007. Never bought one since.

 

sounds about right even with todays date being March 2024. I sent a piece out a couple months ago and quoted 12-14 weeks for warranty work!

 

My 2022 SuperOcean is running out of spec. Approximately +15s per day.

Would it be wise to send to Breitling for service under warranty (it expires in November) and be without my watch for a few months, or have my local AD who is a Rolex/Tudor/Omega authorized service center work on it?

The pros of having it done locally is that it wouldn't take more than 2 weeks for the watch to be serviced. Since it's an ETA based movement I would assume it shouldn't be too complicated to work on.

Cons against doing that would be that it would void the existing warranty and would have to pay for the work out of pocket.

They've run it through a demagnetizer and that does not seem to be the case. They've also tested it on a timegrapher so it's definitely a movement issue.

I currently have my Aerospace with Breitling for a full service and they've quoted anywhere from 3-6 months for the service to be completed.

Any constructive thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

Sure the waiting time is annoying, but as long as it’s under warranty, I would send to Breitling for service.

 

I was about to send my navi for service but I was steered way by its ridiculous turnaround and not so impressive google reviews.

 

That’s about correct. Sent out a Navi aswell to BUSA CT for warranty last week…

 

I’m done with Breitling. My Avenger stopped working as well and is only about a year out of warranty. They won’t fix the watch unless I pay for a complete service. The estimate is $950. That is total BS. So they know what’s wrong with the watch they told me it’s too screws that came loose, so they have it to that point but can’t tighten the screws and send it back to me and charge me whatever. That is complete BS!

 

Is the $950 for the repair on top of paying for a complete service, or, is the $950 the price for a complete service for your model where it will also be repaired?

 

I filed a complaint with a Better Business Bureau, which intern they directly reach out to Breitling. We’ll see if it goes anywhere.

 

It was basically just lumped together. They wouldn’t break it down in to too many things. The first time I called he said will refurbish it, it’ll look brand new, will get the scratches out. I don’t care about any of that at the same time I can’t say I don’t want all that done. I just want to watch work.

 

Did it?

 

A service on a non inhouse movement shouldn't cost you 950$, wonder where they gave you such an estimate