Breitling · valuation under Article 7:960 DCC · wearing and safe clause
Insuring a Breitling
Breitling makes watches designed to be used: in the air, under water and on a motorcycle. It is precisely that use which determines where the cover runs aground.
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In brief
Where many luxury watches are mainly kept, a Breitling is worn during the activity it was made for. Chronographs, diving watches and instrument watches go into the cockpit, into the water or under a set of motorcycle leathers. That produces a different pattern of claims from theft: impact damage, water ingress and damage to the pushers. Valuables insurance covers those events on a comprehensive basis, provided they are sudden and not the result of wear and tear.
The second peculiarity is the mechanism. A chronograph module consists of dozens of small parts that only come into action when you use the pushers. If that module is damaged by a fall or because the pushers were operated under water, the repair is labour-intensive and specialised. With damage that looks limited, the repair can therefore come close to the total loss threshold; what happens then is set out in the policy conditions and not in the valuation report.
The third point is water resistance. Gaskets age, even if the watch is sitting in a drawer. Almost every policy excludes damage arising from deferred maintenance, and water ingress is the textbook example. Have the pressure resistance tested periodically and keep the service record. That document makes the difference between a sudden event and a defect that crept up.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The essentials
Comprehensive worldwide
Loss, theft and damage, wherever you are.
Loss and disappearance
Theft from the wrist
Damage from falls and knocks
The basis of value
Valuation
A recognised valuer records the value, usually for three to five years.
Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code
No market value
Revaluation on expiry
Where things go wrong
Clauses
Provisions that determine when you are covered.
Wearing and safe clause
Alarm with a monitoring centre
Reporting a theft to the police
What is covered
Situation
Valuables
Home contents
A Breitling lost on holiday
Yes
No
Stolen from the wrist in the street
Yes
No
Theft at home during a burglary
Yes
Sometimes
Damage through your own doing
Yes
No
Not in the safe when it should have been
No
No
Wear and loss of value
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Use as intended is no free pass
The fact that a watch is built for diving or flying does not mean that every loss during that activity is covered. The policy looks at the event: a knock against the wall of a tank is sudden, water getting in through an aged gasket is not. So when you claim, state what you were doing and when, and keep the service booklet up to date so that the condition of the watch before the damage is established.
The pushers are the weak point
Chronograph pushers break through the seal of the case. If they are operated under water or under pressure, moisture can get in, even in a watch that on paper is more than adequately pressure resistant. The resulting damage is often not visible from the outside and is only noticed once the movement starts to falter. Report moisture at once; waiting makes the corrosion worse and with it the argument about the cause.
Size makes the watch visible
A large case with a striking dial does not disappear under a cuff. That increases the risk of street theft and makes the wearing clause relevant, even at amounts where you would not expect it. Above a certain value the policy requires the watch to be kept in a safe when you are not wearing it. Check that your safe meets the requirement described before you sign the policy.
Where the cover ends
Water damage after an expired pressure test is treated as deferred maintenance. Wear of the strap, clasp and gaskets is use and not damage. A chronograph that stops for no identifiable reason is a mechanical defect and falls under warranty or servicing, not under the policy. And damage arising during professional diving or flying activities can carry an exclusion of its own; have that checked in advance.
The wearing and safe clause is binding
The striking size makes the watch recognisable and therefore a target. Above a certain amount it almost always applies that the watch is in the safe when you are not wearing it, sometimes with a requirement for an alarm connected to a monitoring centre. After a theft that is the first thing you will be asked about, and it is the most common reason for refusal.
Document it at purchase
Chronograph mechanisms are complex; repair calls for a specialist watchmaker. Also keep the invoice, the box, the papers and the serial number, and photograph everything. After a loss the first question is whether the watch existed and what it was worth; keep that file digitally and not only at home.
What does your premium depend on?
Agreed value. The basis of calculation for the premium and for the assessment in the event of a total loss.
Complexity of the timepiece. A chronograph module or an extra complication makes repair more expensive than a watch that only tells the time.
Use and activities. Diving, flying, motorcycling and water sports are the circumstances in which most losses arise.
Maintenance status. Demonstrably tested water resistance supports claims and prevents the deferred maintenance exclusion.
Security at home. Safe grade and burglary protection determine the conditions for the periods in which you are not wearing the watch.
Area of cover. Worldwide cover becomes relevant as soon as the watch regularly travels with you and goes on expeditions.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
If it is a sudden event, yes, for example a knock against a rock or the strap breaking. If water gets in through aged gaskets, that counts as deferred maintenance and is excluded. Professional diving carries an exclusion of its own with some insurers; have that checked if you wear the watch during your work.
How important is the pressure test?
Important enough to keep the evidence. The test shows that the seals were in order at the time of the last service. If water damage arises later, that document is your support for the argument that it is a sudden event. Without a test, water in the case is almost always a discussion about maintenance.
What if repairing the chronograph costs more than the value?
Settlement is then made on the basis of a total loss up to the valued amount, and the damaged watch usually passes to the insurer. With a chronograph module that threshold can come into view sooner than with a simple movement, because the repair is labour-intensive. A current report under Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code then determines the amount.
Is my Breitling covered on my home contents insurance?
At home often up to a low sub-limit for jewellery and watches, away from home almost never, and loss is not covered anywhere. Because this make is worn precisely away from home, during activities where most damage arises, that policy is a poor fit. Valuables insurance is comprehensive and applies worldwide, including while the watch is being worn.
Read more
Within Art on home contents or valuables insurance
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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