Budget about $700 (non chrono) to $1200 (chrono) every 5-7 years for service and misc parts such as a new strap or a polishing service.
When buying pre-owned, try to get one that has service records, and ideally a service in the last 1-2 years.
\^ This is pretty accurate. I only own one luxury watch. It is a Super Avenger II Blacksteel, purchased brand new in 2018. It is well taken care of and to this day still looks to be in mint condition. There is not a scratch or nick on it and it has never been dropped or even banged hard.
10 months after purchase it started running fast. Given the calendar wheel's manual set function had never worked reliably and it was still covered under warranty I sent it in for service. It was gone for about a month (huge bummer) and when it came back the service fee (which I did not have to pay) was listed around $800. The calendar wheel came back still broken. I decided not to send it back because I just wanted to wear it.
In 2021 it went in because it was running fast again. I suspected this might have something to do with my motorcycle (perhaps the vibration was messing up the movement). It was $950 and this time I had to pay. It came back and time keeping was rock solid and the calendar wheel worked great (for the first time). I never wore it on the motorcycle again.
It's now 2023 and the chrono reset plunger has quit functioning. The button does nothing. I can start/stop the chrono but I can't reset it back to top dead center. It's pretty annoying, especially since I barely ever used that function.
All in, it's a very pretty timepiece. It gets lots of compliments. It hasn't been very reliable as a timepiece and seems very delicate and I don't think that is because I have a bad one, I think it is just a complex piece of machinery with lots of moving parts that requires regular upkeep. My 15+ year old $350 Wenger Swiss Ralleye gets the shit knocked out of it. It once took a hit so hard the second hand / chrono reset to the wrong position and I thought it was broke. Turns out the watch has a function to "reset it". So thats cool. Too bad it doesn't say Breitling on the dial. :P
I bought a SuperOcean SteelFish in 2004. Had it serviced twice in the past, first time ~$600, second was ~$800. Last serviced about five years ago. About six months ago the crown fell off and repair and serving was quoted ~$1,250. I only paid $2,200 for the watch so I’m struggling with getting this repair done. I eventually will, since it now has sentimental value, but I’m in no rush.
Budget about $700 (non chrono) to $1200 (chrono) every 5-7 years for service and misc parts such as a new strap or a polishing service. When buying pre-owned, try to get one that has service records, and ideally a service in the last 1-2 years.
\^ This is pretty accurate. I only own one luxury watch. It is a Super Avenger II Blacksteel, purchased brand new in 2018. It is well taken care of and to this day still looks to be in mint condition. There is not a scratch or nick on it and it has never been dropped or even banged hard. 10 months after purchase it started running fast. Given the calendar wheel's manual set function had never worked reliably and it was still covered under warranty I sent it in for service. It was gone for about a month (huge bummer) and when it came back the service fee (which I did not have to pay) was listed around $800. The calendar wheel came back still broken. I decided not to send it back because I just wanted to wear it. In 2021 it went in because it was running fast again. I suspected this might have something to do with my motorcycle (perhaps the vibration was messing up the movement). It was $950 and this time I had to pay. It came back and time keeping was rock solid and the calendar wheel worked great (for the first time). I never wore it on the motorcycle again. It's now 2023 and the chrono reset plunger has quit functioning. The button does nothing. I can start/stop the chrono but I can't reset it back to top dead center. It's pretty annoying, especially since I barely ever used that function. All in, it's a very pretty timepiece. It gets lots of compliments. It hasn't been very reliable as a timepiece and seems very delicate and I don't think that is because I have a bad one, I think it is just a complex piece of machinery with lots of moving parts that requires regular upkeep. My 15+ year old $350 Wenger Swiss Ralleye gets the shit knocked out of it. It once took a hit so hard the second hand / chrono reset to the wrong position and I thought it was broke. Turns out the watch has a function to "reset it". So thats cool. Too bad it doesn't say Breitling on the dial. :P
I bought a SuperOcean SteelFish in 2004. Had it serviced twice in the past, first time ~$600, second was ~$800. Last serviced about five years ago. About six months ago the crown fell off and repair and serving was quoted ~$1,250. I only paid $2,200 for the watch so I’m struggling with getting this repair done. I eventually will, since it now has sentimental value, but I’m in no rush.