Story Time - Watch Servicing Experiences

Only horror stories from me.

Horror story #1 

• Bought a Breitling Premier B01 Bentley - love that British Racing Green
• 1 month into ownership, pusher at 2 o'clock breaks
• Take it into the local Breitling Boutique to have it sent in for warranty repair, and get kicked out of the store, because the 2 associates are good-looking gals, and instead of nodding my head at everything they say, I question them about build quality and reliability, and they're offended that as a male I would dare question them when they're physically attractive.  "We won't work with you!  Get out!"
• Call Breitling USA, and end up speaking with the regional manager in charge of western retail operations.  Tells me that mine is not the only complaint with this boutique, and based on the 2.5-star rating on Yelp, they don't seem to be very well run
• Premier B01 gets sent in, and it takes 12 weeks for it to get back to me
• So horrified by the entire experience that I sold all my Breitlings, except the 1953 AVI re-edition, and want nothing to do with the brand

Horror story #2 

• 2 weeks into ownership of 1953 AVI re-edition, discover that every time I reset the chronograph, instead of resetting to 0, the chronograph hour hand in the 6 o'clock dial will randomly reset pointing at 2 or 10 or 1...
• Send it in, and it takes 12 weeks for it to get back to me

No more Breitlings for me!

Only one. Bought a new Ball Marvelight in 2020, the "Caring Edition." Upon arrival, the rotor spun with crown winding. Ball was "Johnny on the spot" in setting up warranty service. Took about four months to get it back and before the service center sent it back, they sent me a warning to not wind the watch as there is a issue with Ball movements. Instead I should shake the watch to get the movement going. Um, nope. Not for me, never again.

Also been meaning to write up my experience with my Hamilton but long story short,

1. About 8 months in I started noticing fog building up on the crystals.
2. I bought it gray so I figured might as well send it in.
3. AD sends it out, 1 month later I get a quote.
4. 4 months later I get the watch back. Everything seems fine, better in fact so far.

I've heard RGM does a fantastic job on repairs. They're the authorized service center for Sinn. 

Only good stories here. Joe at Jostmar in Costa Mesa in the South Coast Plaza mall is fantastic. I have had a number of watches serviced by Joe and he has been more than reasonable in his prices and superb in his quality. Never overpromises and always overdelivers. There was only one watch that eluded fixing - a vintage inexpensive Gruen I picked up on Etsy (as I have said before beware of buying any watches on Etsy - it's a minefield of bad watches) - and Joe did not charge me since he couldn't get the movement to run properly. 

He has fixed vintage chronographs, modern chronographs, a French Le Forban that no one else could find the tool to open the caseback (Joe had the tool), and many others. 

He was even written up in HODINKEE as the watchmaker who repaired the famous Movado Datachron HS 360 that Jerry Carr wore into space - the first automatic chronograph to be worn in space - as we know now before the Seiko Pogue.

It's a great story - here is the link:

Snuck Into Space - HODINKEE Magazine

What the heck is that? Shake the watch to get it going? Um hell no. They should have given you another model. 

Evidently is a issue with the modifications Ball does to the standard ETA movements?