The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Breitling Watch Information Forums, Navitimer, Chronomat
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:08 am

All times are UTC - 8 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 11 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Stuck Bezel After Flight
PostPosted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 2:13 pm 
Offline
Breitling Fanatic
Breitling Fanatic

Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2013 8:11 am
Posts: 305
Likes: 44 posts
Liked in: 97 posts
I rarely fly, but it seems the bezel on my Navitimer 01 locks up every time I get off a flight.

Last year, I flew from NYC to Orlando, FL. My bezel locked up immediately after I landed in FL. I could not move it at all. I wasn't able to move it again until about a week after I landed back in NYC.

Last month, I flew from NYC to Shanghai. Sure enough, the bezel locked up again when I landed. Oddly, though, the bezel returned to its smoothly operational state while I was in the air on my flights from Shanghai to Beijing and from Beijing to NYC. But, of course, the bezel locked up again when I landed back in NYC on the 13th. It's now been 5 days since I've landed and my bezel is still locked.

Does this happen to anyone else? Is it indicative a particular issue? Is there a fix I'm missing?

I'll appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

_________________
Breitling Navitimer 01 LE


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 1:11 am 
Offline
Breitling Connoisseur
Breitling Connoisseur
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2013 11:37 pm
Posts: 531
Likes: 2135 posts
Liked in: 811 posts
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
We got one or two opposite cases here on BSF :D :

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=60258

That Navi bezel locked in flight and was working OK on sea level.

And another one here:
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=49058

Now we have another case of weird Navi bezel behaviour connected to flying and still no idea what could be causing it.

I wonder - pressure has nothing to do with it, commercial aircraft are pressurized. Maybe humidity ?

I found this article:
http://www.askthepilot.com/questionansw ... r-quality/

It says: "If passengers have one very legitimate gripe, it’s about dryness. Indeed, the typical cabin is exceptionally dry and dehydrating. At around 12 percent humidity, it is drier than you will find in most deserts. This is chiefly a by-product of cruising at high-altitudes, where moisture content is somewhere between low and nonexistent. Humidifying a cabin would seem a simple and sensible solution, but it’s avoided for different reasons. First, to amply humidify a jetliner would take large quantities of water, which is heavy and therefore expensive to carry. Humidifying systems would need to recapture and recirculate as much water as possible, making them expensive and complicated. They do exist: one sells for more than $100,000 per unit and increases humidity only by a small margin. There’s also the important issue of corrosion. Dampness and condensation leeching into the guts of an airframe can be damaging."

I found another source that claims as low as 4% humidity inside commercial aircraft, Boeing 787 being slightly better. So the air is very dry inside the cabin. Maybe this has some effect on Navi bezel that has a specific construction unlike other watches.

While I have Navitimer Heritage I must say that I never flew with it so didn't check the effect myself, but if opportunity arises, will do :D

P.S. I found a scientific study of air quality and relative humidity in commercial aircrafts so you can enjoy some more data :drool:
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/53284046.pdf

If your Navitimer bezel is still blocked, maybe you can free it using this advice:

O2AFAC67 wrote:
Read a suggestion on another site to try dental floss to "degunk" under the bezel. Both my display back Cosmonaute and Old Navitimer bezels were so tight I could not move them at all without superhuman effort. Cut a long (10-12") length of dental floss, pushed the center of the strand under the bezel at one position and wrapped the strand around almost to where I started it. Pulled it around a couple of times and voila'! Worked great! The Navi bezel returned to its original (as I recall) perfect tension and the Cosmo bezel returned to its original tension as well. The Cosmo was always a bit tight but easily usable and it is again now. Give it a try. A very useful and easy technique for sure!
Cheers,
Ron


Good luck and enjoy your Navi :lingsrock:


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Sun Feb 18, 2018 3:58 pm 
Offline
Breitling Fanatic
Breitling Fanatic

Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 10:42 am
Posts: 330
Likes: 1 post
Liked in: 2 posts
Location: Virginia, USA
FWIW, commercial airliners are normally pressurized to an altitude of 8,000 ft. during cruise. So, the initial pressure inside the watch will be greater than the cabin pressure.

The following is my thought process on what is happening. these watches are water resistant, not watertight. However, the bezel is mounted quite tightly. It may well be that the watch depressurizes during flight, but the outside pressure at sea level (or thereabouts) after landing puts pressure on the bezel to the point that the low pressure inside the watch cannot be equalized. My theory. Your mileage may vary.

_________________
1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Sun Feb 18, 2018 10:34 pm 
Offline
Breitling Fanatic
Breitling Fanatic
User avatar

Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2017 3:10 am
Posts: 268
Likes: 27 posts
Liked in: 48 posts
Location: Rochdale, UK
Sounds plausible and most likely the cause of the problem.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2018 3:46 am 
Offline
Breitling Connoisseur
Breitling Connoisseur
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2013 11:37 pm
Posts: 531
Likes: 2135 posts
Liked in: 811 posts
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Could be that, makes sense. Watch slowly depressurizes during the flight and than takes much more time to equalize at the sea level.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:51 am 
Offline
Breitling Fanatic
Breitling Fanatic

Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2013 8:11 am
Posts: 305
Likes: 44 posts
Liked in: 97 posts
Thanks for the input, everyone. I went to the NYC boutique and the serviceman fixed the issue, though he took it to the back so I didn't see how he did it.

When he returned, he told me that the pressure change affected the seal/gasket/whatever the attachment mechanism is for keeping the bezel on the case. I replied that I was surprised that a flight negatively affected a Navitimer--the flagship PILOT's watch :? . He shrugged and said they'll address the bezel's attachment to the case the next time they service it :x

Overall, though, the experience at the boutique was pleasant and I was pleased that the serviceman fixed the issue on the spot.

_________________
Breitling Navitimer 01 LE


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Sun May 13, 2018 3:17 pm 
Offline
Breitling Fanatic
Breitling Fanatic

Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2013 8:11 am
Posts: 305
Likes: 44 posts
Liked in: 97 posts
The issue is back. I flew to California 5 days ago and, of course, the bezel has been immobile from the time I landed until right now--on the return flight to New York. I suspect it'll lock up when I land again. :x Looks like I'll have to head to the NYC boutique once more for this issue :roll:

_________________
Breitling Navitimer 01 LE


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Mon Jul 02, 2018 2:11 am 
Offline
Breitling Newbie
Breitling Newbie

Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 8:38 am
Posts: 2
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Same thing yesterday with my Navitimer World. Bezel still turns but certainly has a lot more resistance.
Back on the ground it was ok again. I’m going to test onewatchnut’s theory today and see how the watch
Behaves during climb out.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Tue Jul 03, 2018 1:08 am 
Offline
Breitling Newbie
Breitling Newbie

Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 8:38 am
Posts: 2
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Same thing last night. Bezel friction increases almost right after take off.
I don’t think temperature or humidity has anything to do with it.
Pressurisation is the most likely cause.
Don’t think an aviation watch should do this really.
Bezel still turns but what when the airplane depressurises...
Not that one would be playing with their watch then but the bezel will very likely not move at all then.
Breitling?


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 7:26 am 
Offline
Breitling Fanatic
Breitling Fanatic

Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2013 8:11 am
Posts: 305
Likes: 44 posts
Liked in: 97 posts
It sounds like you have the opposite problem. My bezel was fine in the air, but when I landed it was rigid.

Thankfully, the NYC boutique took it in the back and fixed it.

_________________
Breitling Navitimer 01 LE


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 4:06 am 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member

Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2015 10:27 am
Posts: 108
Likes: 9 posts
Liked in: 23 posts
Location: Virginia
Sorry for late reply, been busy. I would suspect the crystal gasket is moving during pressure changes. Which also means it is not seated correctly. And may have next to no water resistance.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  

Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 11 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 8 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
 




Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group