Common readers of aBlogtoWatch will possible know that the “Time Machines” column has settled into a cushty rhythm over the previous a number of years — I spotlight an underappreciated classic watch, inform the tales that fanatics might not be acquainted with, and attempt to broaden the horizons of a luxurious watch group that every one too usually reverts to the identical handful of hype fashions when the time comes so as to add to their private collections. As proud as I’m of the feel and appear of “Time Machines,” it actually solely tells half the story of this kind of watch gathering. For in the present day’s column, I wish to spotlight the much less glamorous, instant-gratification facet of the classic watch fanatic way of life — the obligations of long-term possession. Each mechanical watch will finally want servicing, and classic items might be tough to take care of from each a components and labor perspective. I’ve featured my Breguet Sort XX ref. 3800 on this column earlier than, and when it started malfunctioning on chronograph reset, I felt the sinking sensation many classic collectors know all too nicely: the method of a time-consuming and arduous service. Fortunately, Breguet’s centuries of experience in sustaining and repairing its again catalog have made proudly owning this basic chronograph long-term a real pleasure.
When the difficulty first cropped up, pushing again the central minutes hand when the chronograph was reset, my first name was to my native watch restore store. When that store refused to even have a look at the watch, I took it to a multi-brand seller right here in Los Angeles that carries Breguet. Though the Lemania-based motion is much less unique than just about another Breguet platform, the friction wheel wanted to restore the motion wasn’t accessible onsite. So, just one choice remained — manufacturing unit servicing. Many longtime watch collectors have a wholesome aversion to sending classic watches to the manufacturing unit, and never with out good motive. Not solely is it a usually prolonged, exorbitant course of, however various manufacturers have a repute for changing any “aged” half with a brand-new alternative, destroying desirably patinated dials, fingers, and instances within the course of. With the concern of shedding my valuable early-run tritium dial coursing by the again of my thoughts, I reluctantly agreed to ship off my Sort XX to Breguet for the servicing it wanted.
Operating from late November 2024 to late March 2025, the Sort XX ref. 3800’s journey by Breguet’s in-house servicing system was removed from the callous, damaging “renovation” course of I had envisioned. Not solely was the workforce on the model’s Miami-based U.S. service heart extraordinarily communicative and supportive, notifying me (with photos proven on this article) after each main step of the method, however Breguet was additionally genuinely receptive to my tastes and needs as a collector — no authentic components have been destroyed or confiscated, and the exterior servicing work can be stored to a minimal.
Granted, few if any firms have as deep or as traditionally necessary a again catalog as Breguet, and it’s within the model’s finest curiosity to protect that historical past. Breguet prides itself on with the ability to service and restore each single timepiece it has ever produced, courting again to the founding of the corporate in 1775. Even within the occasion a shopper have been to usher in a Nineteenth-century household heirloom complication pocket watch, the model’s devoted Restoration Workshop in Switzerland has the instruments and experience essential to return it to good working order. On this hypothetical case, every stage of the restore or restoration course of can be dealt with utilizing the identical conventional methods and supplies — and in some instances, even the identical equipment — as have been used within the authentic meeting of the watch. This dedication to preserving not simply historic timepieces, but in addition historic craft, is carried over into its much less unique preservation companies. Like many manufacturers, Breguet gives an authentication and manufacturing unit extract service, however not like many others, that is supplemented with an entire gross sales document. Each Breguet buyer has the choice of coming into their identify into the Breguet Data, stored within the model’s museum in Paris’ legendary Place Vendôme. There, consumers can have their names recorded alongside a litany of historic Breguet prospects, together with Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington, and Tsar Alexander I. Whereas some older or extra unique servicing tasks could take longer, Breguet’s manufacturing unit servicing largely takes between 14 and 18 weeks, processing by a community of service facilities worldwide organized beneath a hub in Miami.
After what started as a friction wheel alternative and developed right into a extra complete however respectful refresh, the Sort XX was returned to me in gorgeous situation. With none apparent indicators of sprucing, the handful of sunshine scratches it had initially picked up have been utterly gone, and the chronograph stopped, began, and reset with like-new snappiness and precision. Accuracy-wise, the watch has been retaining time to a stellar +3 seconds per day. Reassuringly, the tritium dial remains to be totally intact and unchanged as nicely. Though Breguet did change out the unique tritium handset for brand spanking new Tremendous-LumiNova examples, the unique fingers have been despatched again together with the watch, and reinstalling them is (theoretically) comparatively easy. General, the horror tales we classic collectors usually hear about manufacturing unit servicing aren’t essentially a common expertise.
For any collector of classic (or, frankly, fashionable) watches, the fact of upkeep and servicing is much from interesting. It’s not probably the most romantic, thrilling, or (remotely) probably the most worthwhile a part of the interest, however it’s totally vital over an extended sufficient interval of possession. When third-party restore outlets and sellers fall brief, it’s necessary to do not forget that sending a watch again to the model for manufacturing unit servicing is much from the solely nightmarish endeavor that the net fanatic group is keen on portraying. When accomplished intelligently, this kind of long-term restore work can deepen one’s bond to a beloved piece, cementing its position within the assortment for a lot of completely happy years of wear and tear.
