The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi, I've recently received a Chrono Avenger. I'm new to automatic watches and so I have some questions.

I've been wearing this one daily for about a week now but then didn't for about a day and a half.

First question. It stopped. I thought I read that it had a reserve of something like 46 hours. It fell short of that. Should I be concerned?

If I'm not planning on wearing it on a given day would it be advisable to wind it that morning so it'll keep going till the next day when I would wear it? If so, how many winds would be enough?

I've noticed that it gains about a minute in about four days. That seems a bit much to me. No?

Finally, when I had to re-set the time (after it had stopped), as I was moving it forward to get the date right, I noticed that the date changed not at midnight or there abouts but at 5:00 AM. Is that normal?

Thanks!!

Dave

Search will help. The reserve is 42 hours when freshly serviced and fully wound. Stopping within a day and a half may simply mean your daily routine wasn't enough to maintain a full reserve or it may indicate a need for service. A full wind is 40 turns, 30 turns should be good to 'top up' 24 hours' worth. You can't overwind an automatic watch ch so knock yourself out.

COSC specs are -4 to +6 seconds per day so 60 seconds in four days is outside of that but the watch needs to adjust to you so I would leave it at least 4 - 6 weeks before getting it addressed to see how it settles. If it is outside of COSC specs then it may again indicate a need for service or it may need a simple regulation.

The date should change around midnight, if it doesn't it may be a case of the hands being set incorrectly on the pinion or it may indicate a damaged date change mechanism. Given the nature of your questions I am guessing you are unaware of the 8pm to 3am 'danger zone' for setting the watch so I would make that your first search as it is the cause of 99% of damaged date wheels.

Thank you for your reply. Regarding the date danger zone, yes, I'm aware of that. The watch was at 5:30 or so when it had stopped on the 2nd. I then moved the hands forward past 12 but as I indicated it didn't change till I got to 5:00 again.

I'll give it a few weeks of ware and also check it around midnight to 1:00 AM to see if it changes date on its own then.

This watch, though discontinued, is brand new. My father-in-law bought it in 2002 and it sat in a drawer ever since. I did ask a Breitling dealer (authorize) whether in this case it should be serviced and he said no, it should be treated as new and look to service it at the 5 year mark (from the time I started wearing it).

Oh, and good to know about the winding. I'll just plan on winding it about 30 times the morning of every day that I don't plan on wearing it.

Thanks again!

Dave

Your dealer is wrong. That watch needs servicing immediately. The oils evaporated completely sometime in 2009 and you are now running it with no lubrication. If that dealer is a Breitling AD they should be named and shamed, that advice could end up costing hundreds or thousands if you didn't get the watch serviced for another five years.

Well, indeed you are right. I called the dealer back and they confirmed what you said. They very much want to know who I spoke with in their store but alas, I didn't get his name.

They told me to stop wearing it until I can bring it in and have it serviced.

Thank you very much for pointing this out. You no doubt did same me some serious $$

Dave