I am a dissappointed owner of a Breitling watch (appraised as a "gents white automatic chronograph colt Breitling watch, black shark strap with deployment buckle. A13035-1 12737 GWVBR-568) which my wife bought for me in Sept of 1999. The watch is currently in your hands. It has automatic winding and was bought at a very reputable jeweler in Boston. Subsequent materials provided by you boasted of the accuracy and durability of all Breitling products. Within the first 6 months of ownership the watch was returned to the retailer when rewinding broke down completely. It was described as a rare occurrence and not of concern since it was a warranty issue and presumably repaired. "Keep and eye on it and if it happens again we'll definitely send it back to Breitling for a replacement". I might add that I don't wear the watch on a daily basis and was often dissappointed when the watch would fail while wearing it or would stop at 2 am after a full and active day of wearing it. I would have thought that a full day's worth of use and self winding would achieve at least 10 hours of reserve to last the night. This became a problem on many excursions where my watch was my only source of timekeeping. My concern was brought to the attention of the retailer and I was informed then that, where I was not an everyday wearer, I would have to supplement the self winding feature with manual winding. "Every morning you wear the watch give it a good 40 turns and you should be all set". Alas, after 3 years, I was made to realize that this was even possible. So now I had a watch with improved performance, it would not quit outright during the day and was known to last the night on occasion. Follow up visits to the retailer were regarding a very loose bezel ring and a missing screw on the perimeter. I was forcibly convinced that the ring action was normal although it spun freely like a top. To me, it was not acceptible especially when and if I needed to rely on its function. "Well it only spins in one direction so the safety aspect should not be a concern, but geez there are a few scratches on the crystal which we will gladly arrange to be replaced at your expense". "No thank you, I don't mind the minor scratch on the face". This comment was made by merchants who obviously have never had to rely on their watch function for safety. "The screw should be no problem, we'll order one and call you when it arrives." A year plus later and it either has not arrived or I simply haven't been told. Most recently, the winding function again has failed and the uselss watch was returned. A follow up phone call from the retailer informed us that the watch would be sent back to Breitling and there would be a charge for the repairs. "You didn't know that these type of watches should be completely retuned every 4 or 5 years? At a cost of 4 or 5 hundred dollars? We're sorry but thats how it goes." Well, to be honest, we did not realize that and, if we had, it would have steered us away from owning such a watch. At this point, the watch is in your hands. We remain concerned about paying for the restoration (first time paying but second restoration in 4.5 years) and remain suspicious about its permanence. If an automobile needed a transmission as frequently it would be decalared a lemon. Notices have been sent and complaints lodged with the retailer. It seems as if our backs are against a wall and the only way to get our watch back is to agree to the cost. Our fingers would then remain crossed that it would operate flawlessly like any 2 thousand dollar watch should. My desire and offer to Breitling is to receive 100% credit toward the original purchase price of the watch toward a more expensive Breitling watch. We would agree to pay 500 to 1000 dollars to upgrade to a new watch vs. continue to pay for services on an obviously defective one. If Breitling or the retailer refuses to work with us on this issue our endorsement of both will end. The bottom line is that we have lived with an expensive useless timepiece that remains out of our hands for God knows how long. What is your response? We anxiously await your response.