The Breitling Watch Blog

First a disclaimer: I do not recommend that you do this, but because I’ve received several emails regarding how this is done, and also several emails about where to buy the case back opener I used in the Panerai video, I decided to write a post on it. Opening a watch and servicing and regulation should be done by an experienced professional. However if you are so inclined, you can give it a shot.

Opening a Breitling Caseback

Breitling Casebacks have 15 sides, which make them a bit odd and seemingly at first difficult to open. However, they can be opened with a simple high quality Jaxa opener. This MAY slightly damage or put small dents in the case back sides as the Jaxa openers do not fit perfectly. Remember if you open the case, a proper case holder should be used as well to secure the case.

A Jaxa tool looks like this:

The more proper way to open a Breitling caseback is to use a Breitling 15-sided caseback die designed for use in Horotec or Bergeon openers. These are large devices with big wheels on the top that look something like this:

The Breitling Die (and Panerai Dies too for that matter) look like this:

They fit into the Opener and open the caseback without damaging it. The case openers are expensive, at around $600, and the caseback dies are about $80 each. You will need a different size depending on the size of your Breitling.

Opening a Panerai Caseback

Opening a Panerai Caseback is a bit easier (cheaper!) to do without damaging your watch. There are caseback dies just like the Breitling ones, but with 12 sides as Panerai casebacks have 12 sides. Panerai Casebacks also come in 3 different sizes, for which you can use any of the above mentioned methods of opening just as the Breitling cases can be opened, but there are aluminum hand held openers for panera casebacks that work very well.

These caseback openers are made from Aluminum, which is softer than the Steel used in your case so it is less likely to scratch it. Also they offer very good grip and cost from about $50-100, depending on where you purchase them from. Strap-works sell thems for $85 IIRC:

This is the opener I used in the fake Panerai video. I cranked that guy open since my friend did give me permissions and its a fake watch. I have also opened my PAM250 without problems, so it works with the real deal as well!

Anyway.. don’t blame me if you break something. I don’t recommend you do this unless you feel comfortable with it, and even then, I recommend finding a quality watchmaker to fix your watch is something is awry.

The Panerai fakes out there are getting better and better, and unlike most of the other fakes, the movements are very well decorated. They may not have the same level of precision, but they look pretty darn convincing unless you know what to look for. I’ve pointed out a few of the inconsistencies that I saw, so remember… stay educated and don’t get duped.

This PAM 111 belongs to a friend of mine, and though I don’t condone the buying of fakes, I do not shun my friends that do. I take the opportunity to borrow them and help educate!

Do you have an Aston Martin DBS? If so, you just might have to score yourself one of these JLC AMVOX2 DBS Transponder watches, that allow you to interact with your car! Using the Amvox2 system of using the Sapphire Crystal as the trigger (you simply push down on it), you can unlock and lock your doors of your Aston Martin DBS Sportscar.

Crafted of 18kt Pink Gold, the Jaeger-LeCoultre AMBOX2 DBS Transponder watch is available exclusively through Aston Martin dealerships for owners of the Aston Martin DBS. Though the Transponder itself is not mechanical, the rest of the watch is. When this watch was announced I was prepared to be surprised by a completely mechanical watch doing the work, but there is indeed some electronics used to control the circuit.

Check it out:

And now, check out the car!

This is a video review of my Zenith Defy Classic Power Reserve watch. I love this watch, and didn’t realize that I would really love it as much as I do. Looking through all the Defy series of watches from Zenith, the majority of them looked very cool, but perhaps too cool. The Defy Extreme series of watches look amazing, but they also looked like a sophisticated analog version of a Casio G-shock at the same time, which takes away from the class.

The Defy classic lines are just crazy enough, without being off the charts, and look fantastic. I think the 43mm size of the Defy Classic Power Reserve is perfect, and with the added power reserve complication it is a nice touch. The Zenith Elite movement is also very nicely done and has the unique ability to move the date forwards as well as backwards. Enjoy the review!

I received an email from a Mr. Abu Zeid this morning, and felt I had to publish it. I personally think that his expectations are unrealistic, and to assume that a “quality bracelet” is synonymous with scratch proof is rather ridiculous. Does that mean any gold bracelet is of inferior quality because it is easy to scratch?

At any rate, Mr. Abu Zeid goes on to accuse me of being inaccurate in my review of the pilot bracelet stating that it is of very high quality because it just “started to get scratches all over it”. It is not my fault that he rubs it against anything and everything, but he does raise a good point in that it would be nice to had a scratch proof bracelet. But maybe, we should just learn to take care of things.

He goes on to state his proof that Rolex watches are of higher quality because his wife’s Rolex looks like new after 2 years. Well, I have a feeling that his wife isn’t as rough with her watches, and Rolex does use a harder stainless steel.

But in the end he’s just accusing me of not wearing the bracelet long enough before I review it, and giving false information. I’ve worn my pilot bracelets for years, and there has been no excessive scratches on it that are out of the ordinary. I polish the bracelets when they need to be, which is not that often.

Any thoughts?

Email:
I been looking at your Breitling site and thanks for the information ,

I tried going to the net to send an email to Breitling company… they don’t have an email !!!!

Well, that’s the email. For those of you interested in fixing up the tiny swirlies and restoring the shine back, Cape Cod cloths are the bomb. Do a search on the forum and you’ll see some cool pics and reviews of their results: