The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I've noticed that the forum fluctuates. Some weeks are very active with lots of new pieces purchased, or it's an event-week (such as Basel), and other weeks not much is going on, which to me is the nature of a watch forum. Everyone has different interests in watches, and not every post is going to be interesting to everyone.

I for one would welcome more articles or reviews - vintage, how a watch works, movements etc. but then I'm interested and like to learn. There are a lot of experts and dedicated watch aficionados on the site that have a lot of knowledge. If they want to share that, I'm interested It's disappointing to hear of negative feedback after the effort was made, but then that's easy when everyone is online and somewhat anonymous. Much more preferable for those individuals to just stay quiet. Short of adding more forums (pens, other somewhat related interest) I don't have many concrete ideas right now but I am thinking about it.

I really liked the Breitling source projects. Is there any chance we could try again with a forum Breitling? Failing that another watch brand (I know project 3 fell flat unfortunately, and it's a lot of work). Even a watch strap project could be very cool again, and I'd happily assist.

I'll echo others in saying that the moderators do a tremendous job. Just about every topic is allowed, there's lots of latitude, and most importantly, lots of patience. Keep up the good work, it's really appreciated.

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Happines is Good Health and a Bad Memory.
"Ingrid Bergman"

I do agree... I have been participating less and less because it is the same old stuff. Like you said, photos and compliments. After 1,000 posts... I am a bit over it, honestly. I do agree with rplace. Some type of weekly or monthly contest (not sure hat the prize could be though) could be a nice way of getting people to participate in a different way. I'll keep this in mind and try to come up with something creative, to hopefully add value to the site. Overall, BS is great and full of knowledge, but does become quite dull after time. Hmmmmm...

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Past: BlackBird, Navi World, SA, Rolex DJII, IWC Yacht Club
Present: CE, DSSD
Future: Changes daily

Well....

Brice and I are planning a Paris GTG in early May while I'm there if anyone else is nearby and interested. I'll then be in Geneva, London and then NYC during May if anyone wants to catch up for a drink!
Hopefully we'll be able to do a Sydney GTG ~July, the boutique seems interested in hosting this but I need to do a bit more ground work on this. My dream would be to have the watchmaker from BAUS come speak at the night, as well as showcasing some new models.

Finally, Novacastrian and I are going to embark on the ambitious attempt to learn how to pull apart, re-lube and put back together Seiko 7s26 movements using the guide from http://www.clockmaker.com.au/diy_seiko_7s26/ ... perhaps if others are interested in tackling this at the same time as us (we're both complete novices with no experience!) then a amateur watchmaking sub-forum might be a useful addition?

(and please, if you are interested in learning some amateur watchmaking, let me know and we can all do it together with some online pics and help through a thread! We've just bought the equipment listed in the guide, and some cheap Seiko's to work on)

Thanks for the great ideas guys, keep them coming and I'll talk to admin.

I agree with a lot of the sentiments expressed here, and ultimately the community will be shaped by the members. I also recognise that with growth so it will evolve and change. I'm OK with that, but if there is something that we can do that allows everyone to get what they want the that has to be the goal. That's really what I want to get at here - the message was sent loud and clear that the best watch knock out competitions don't work as an annual thing, but if people who have been here longer are leaving because for them it is becoming 'boring' then we should address that without eliminating what others enjoy about the current version.

As far as a forum watch project, suffice it to say that we are very aware that there would be interest.

I’ve felt for quite some time now that the site has lost some of its interest to me. There is no question that there is a wealth of information on this site with very knowledgeable watch collectors however, the conversations have become boring. I started to feel this way well over a year ago and I’ve begun participating less and less. It hasn’t helped that Breitling’s recent offerings over that same period have been quite awful, but now that they are starting to turn it around, hopefully the site can become more interesting once again.

I hate scumzone but there are a few good things about that site that I think can translate here. It would be great if we had a moderator or even a member who frequents local AD’s or boutiques and takes photos of watches to share with the forum so we can discuss them. Or, possibly interview a Breitling sales rep or a Breitling marketing rep to give us some information on Breitling’s direction. It doesn’t have to be just Breitling watches, many of the members here, myself included, are huge fans of other brands. Personally, I’d like to see an additional moderator dedicated to other watch brands who can help further discuss other brands, visit brand boutiques, and share information about other brand's models.

Vintage watches are of absolute no interest to me as I don’t have an appreciation for vintage models. While I appreciate the in-depth articles on watchmaking I don't believe it does much to further conversations because very few people can relate to that level of knowledge, I think it's a good read but not a topic for extensive discussion. I’d like to see more thought provoking topics such as the one shark recently created. I do believe that moderators need to take a more active role in starting discussions; that isn’t meant to be a shot at them, it’s just a suggestion that I think will help create new discussions and enhance member participation.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

Interesting question but I don't think there is a simple answer.
First, there is an issue of membership.
There are nearly 16.5K registered members in this forum but it would be interesting to know how many are "regulars" with at least once a week visit to the site and how many have not visited the site in the last few months or even for more than a year.
My guess is that many become members because they suddenly felt the urge to ask a question or contribute something. Fine, nothing wrong with that, such is the nature of Internet forums.
Our well intended and well executed Best Breitling and General Watch competitions are probably an unfortunate but fairly accurate barometer of that. 30+ participation in Best Breitling and 20+ in General Watch competition says volumes.
I joined this forum just over two years ago when I stumbled across it while googling for some basic Breitling facts. I found this place a fantastic learning source heaving read just about every post in the archives over the next few months. Naturally that was an exciting experience, learning about the brand, history, it's products as well as about the regular members here.
My learning curve has naturally flattened significantly, there is only so much you can teach an old dog
There is no doubt that there was more excitement in the forum in the earlier years and that was very evident to me while browsing through all the archived posts. Majority of the regular members were going through a learning curve at the time, asking questions, providing answers, etc and by doing so building up a fantastic reference, a kind of Breitlingpedia. The down side of that (if one can call it like that) is that this significantly reduces the collaboration excitement and subsequently participation rate. Topic ideas are drying out and most questions that anyone may have can be answered with a 2 min google search here.
Having said all that, it is not all grim. I still find this forum the best and calling it "stale" might be a bit harsh. If this forum is stale then the other ones should perhaps
be referred to as fossils. I still come back to it on a daily basis and enjoy reding through whatever is on offer. The bottom line is that the regulars here are a great bunch with a couple of very passionate, very knowledgable and very tolerant moderators. Roff, I wonder sometimes if you ever sleep mate
So, should anything be done to this forum? I don't think so as I'm not sure if anything revolutionary can be done. Just continue cooking using the same recipe and the same ingredients.

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"It is just a matter of time!"

I blame Roff, for years he's been telling people to use the search function. Now everyone does, and... no more threads!

I still like this place and I check the new posts out a couple times daily. The sheer amount of new posts has definitley diminished since I started frequenting the site, but I am still interested. It's funny because on other forums, ahem Rolex Forum, every other post is either an "incoming" or a "can I wear my Rolex while..." These threads are not real interesting and I can do without them, so the answer is not more nonsense threads. I like the competitions, I like when there is a heated debate about function, or a model "vs" another. I like when people express opinions. I'm not sure what the answer is to spice things up here, but I will be more than happy to join in once it's found. Keep up the good work...

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sco
Breitling Chrono Superocean
Omega Aqua Terra 8500
Rolex Submariner Date Ceramic

I like this idea, and it's something I could ask the folks at Govberg about if everyone would think it would be a good idea. Obviously I can't visit there but I could get some photos from some of their interesting preowned pieces or even new watches.

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Justin
Please contact me via PM for the contact details for Govberg Jewelers
Govberg is an AD for over 50 fine Swiss and German watch brands.
Visit them on the web at http://www.govbergwatches.com or call 800-528-8463

I am drawn to that as well. That and it could provide a built-in excuse to visit my watch guy regularly. I should note though, doesn't the non-forum part of the site have some reviews? Maybe that's the point though, I seldom go there.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

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Scott

AP Royal Oak 15400, silver
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Classic Cars
Vintage gold Corum
Rolex DJ 36 TT, oyster dial, oyster/smooth
Baume & Mercier Riviera 200m, silver dial/aquamarine bezel
Breitling Superocean 57, rose/stainless

Admin conducts regular reviews that are accessible from the homepage. Doesn't mean that we can't do more here though. Maybe even a few sponsor driven ones for our AD sponsors along the lines of the links that Banks Lyon occasionally post.

When I first found this site, I used to check out the main page for his reviews. Now, I only visit the forum and, honestly, forgot about the main site. Can his reviews be posted in the forums, or at least the links to them?

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Regards,

Peter

BREITLING for Bentley Motors T & Mark VI, Aerospace
ROLEX Submariner Ceramic116610LN
OMEGA Plantet Ocean 8500 42mm Orange arabics
OCEAN7 LM-3

I don't see why not, I'll add it to the list of suggestions to check with him where he wants them - or maybe just a permanent sticky somewhere with links to the blog.

A couple years ago I think a thread like this would have quickly gotten over 100 responses. I'm surprised there hasn't been more participation and suggestions on this thread.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

I think a permanent sticky would just end up being ignored like all other stickies.

I love the idea of having the new reviews by admin posted in the forum as new topics

I enjoy Breitling Source, though I am one of the guilty ones when it comes to participating less these days. I don't have any specific comments that would help...unfortunately. I love watches, and I've found that no matter the watch forum they all get repetitive. New people come, post photos and we've all been there done that. I also agree that Breitling has not done its part to keep people interested. The PVD discussions are like car forums discussing paddle shifting versus true manuals, same goes for in house movements.

However, I come back because if I do want to know something about Breitling this is the place to get a definitive answer. Also, I love the vintage section and any posts by that kid/(young man now) and his watchmaking journey. Those posts are fascinating as are those that teach me about inner workings of a particular movement and what sets it apart.

Breitling source is a great site, but watch development is a slow process and highly iterative. It's a challenge to keep the community active but I do love the people here. Spend enough time anywhere and it all looks the same after a while.

V