Anyone have any idea how much the new crystal will cost, if the watch is already at Breitling for the 5 year overhaul service?

I've tried searching the forums, but can't seem to find a conclusive answer.

560 just for the crystal?? I'm hoping that includes cost of service

560 just for the crystal?? I'm hoping that includes cost of service

If the only problem with the crystal is a flaw in the AR coating, you might consider either living with it, or removing it. Personally, I've grown weary of AR, to the point where it has become a disincentive for me to buy a watch that has it. The biggest selling point of sapphire is its hardness, and the fact that it is virtually scratchproof. It makes no sense, then, that Breitling (among many other companies) put a coating on it that shows scratches much more easily, essentially nullifying the whole point of using the sapphire in the first place. That they do not offer an affordable re-coating option, but instead will only replace the crystal at full cost, adds insult to injury - especially since the new crystal will likely end up showing the same flaws that made you replace the old one to begin with. Put another way: if you own a watch with AR coating on the crystal, accept that at some point you will likely see some scratches. I've never had one that didn't.

Thanks guys. It's annoying, that on top of the $850 service, I'm going to have to drop another $200+ but I might as well do it while they have the watch there.

To me the cost of maintaining mechanical watches is disconcerting and has turned me off from owning them, or at least, more than 1 at any given time.


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Totally understand!. I used to own multiple watches at once but when I calculated how much it would cost me to service it, I would have nightmares!. Now, I'm down to 2 watches. A citizen titanium caliber 2100 eco drive and a Breitling Navitimer 01 Limited Edition. So just one watch to service which isn't a big deal since it's my favorite watch!

I've more than once considered a Grand Seiko quartz, motivated in part by the minimal service requirements, to say nothing of the extreme accuracy. The movements are completely sealed, so even when the case is opened for battery changes, the inner workings are never exposed to outside influences, keeping the oils intact for much longer. Seiko used to imply the movements could go up to 50 years before requiring a service (not including batteries, of course), but that's never really been confirmed. Even so, it's an attractive proposition from a service cost standpoint. Maybe some day...like when I start facing massive service bills on my autos.