The Breitling Watch Source Forums

A question from a new member Scottbar on his dad's Breitling Chronospace A56012-1 got me thinking...

It's why I don't own any quartz watches...damn battery changes. I know, I know its just the same as a "service" but I don't service my automatic watches every 2 years.

Why can't they put a "rechargeable" battery in our "reqular" quartz type watches Chronospace etc. I'm not talking a smart watch...I have my Apple watch w/ cellular so I can walk the dog etc without my phone. I mean just make the mechanical quartz watches we love with all their functionality and hands and sub-dials etc but use the new battery technology....?

I am sure there is a easy answer but I can't think of it....hell maybe they already are?

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Mickey® 

Aren't the new line of super quartz watches rechargeable? The B-50, B-55, Emergency II Titanium all have recharging ports. I'm not sure about any others.

Learned something new! I didn't know that...time for some research!

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Mickey® 

I think you might have meant analogue quartz watches.

Battery technology always has some pros and cons for me.

New watches have rechargeable battery but battery charge doesn't last for years, there is another charger to carry if you travel, another battery to take care off and watch the remaining charge etc

Some other manufacturers have front solar panel battery charging but that battery has a life cycle of ten years.

My Aerospace has classic battery and with normal use it is now almost three years of use on the same battery. Everybody has its preference and I think this is optimal for me (no need to have smartphone connection capability).

Yeah..good point not looking to carry another charger and thanks for reminding me I've owned this for years...LOL.

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Mickey® 

I'm personally no fan of quartz, but for literally years now I've struggled to understand why the big Swiss manufacturers are STILL so far behind Japan in the quartz stakes. I've owned a number of Citizen Radio Controlled Eco-Drive watches over the years as beaters, and for what they are then they're pretty much faultless in terms of tech. Radio controlled/atomic timekeeping means it's correct to the millisecond and is NEVER wrong (so you can forget about SuperQuartz), and the Eco-Drive power setup means (in practical terms) no battery changes ever. (As noted by Hunterfate, Citizen say a 10 year lifespan is expected, but I know of people who've got older watches that are still going strong).

I've always thought that this kind of tech wrapped up in a quality Swiss case by Breitling or similar would be a pretty compelling option for most quartz fans. SuperQuartz and rechargeable watches that need external chargers and have a battery life measuring in the days, while being decent enough, always feel like a kind of halfway-house to me.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I couldn't agree more. I do love my Aerospace, but that Breitling want £100 (last time I looked) for what is effectively a battery change at 3-4 years, and nearly £400 for a complete service - and they won't just change the battery at c6 years, they insist on the complete service - is hard to stomach.

Re Battery Life on these...
I just found email from when I got this...from August 2009 and same battery working like a charm. I never ever wear it so I let it run down a bit and then put it in the window for a couple weeks...maybe I got lucky!

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Mickey® 

While I didn't seem to care for quartz watches myself there was a very good opportunity at getting Aerospace for fair price so i did it to try and now wouldn't sell it for nothing .

I did one service at Breitling center, it was expensive (mechanism was changed) but it was worth it. For anther battery change I went to local watchmaker that I trust (he serviced some of my other watches). Aerospace is thin, made of titanium (so is light and have less thermal conductivity than steel) and is nice to look at with combination of brushed and polished surfaces. It was more than once that I took it as only watch to travel. Its light and comfy, it has 100 M WR, its Breitling and it always works .

One crown operation is not the best out there but one can adjust to that.

While battery is not rechargeable one way or another, here I have a sense of control over battery - you change it and you are good to go for another 2-3 years, no complicated systems charging the battery over some wires or putting the watch in the sleep mode or have to think did it have enough sun ?

Time sync - while it is a bit annoying to adjust for DST, superquartz is OK and is self contained. GPS eats battery (at least in my mind). I have radio controlled alarm watch beside my bed and it happened more than once that it somehow synced to wrong time over the night and missed the alarm next morning. Now I have 2 watches beside my bed

Why don't I use smartphone for alarm - I turn off the smartphone during the night and alarm doesn't work (on old Nokias it worked even with phone turned off). Old school all the way

Exactly the reason I've been doing my own battery changes in Aerospace's, and others, the last 10 years. In fact I've stopped wearing mechanical watches almost completely now and just keep a couple of special pieces for special occasions. If an Aerospace just craps out I send it to Breitling where a movement replacement is rarely more than $500. Just a little too tired of mechanical repair costs.