3861 movement broken? *Update: Read First Post*

B Bry

Enjoy the read concerning the issues I ran into with the New 3861s I purchased and exchanged/returned for. I know this is going to read like a rant but have been trying to work with them on this since I had the problem and still after the exchange/return of the timepieces. For those curious…this was not my first Moonwatch, I have an 1861 as well as other OMEGAs.

Below I added the email “traffic” with the Boutique, and their respective boss and OMEGA Customer Service email address. I feel leaving the names, email addresses at this point are warranted with the lack of response. The boutique could not authorize a full return only exchange or store credit until I called their boss (Ms. Hayes) and gave her authorization.

The only response I received was the automated message from OMEGA Customer Service that they got my message and they would “get back to you shortly”.

Going to add some other points to the post below that point out other questions or concerns I’ve read in this forum.

- According to the METAS certificate for the two watches I had, the Calibre is 3861 (Cat. 1a). I don’t know if the 1a is a revision from 1 but either case these were fresh from the factory.

- The original post on the forum was 19 Sep 2020. The problem has yet to be resolved or addressed as far as what I have experienced 9 months later (June 2021) with the ones I purchased/exchanged for.

---------3nd email OMEGA Customer Service and OMEGA Operations Director (the boss of the OB Store Manager--------
From: ME
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2021 2:18 PM
To: OMEGA Watches; [email protected]
FW: Speedmaster Pro 3861 Follow-up

Please read the message traffic below concerning the recent purchase/exchange of the New Speedy Pros 310.30.42.50.01.002 from the Omega Boutique in Chicago, IL. I’m forwarding because I have not received any follow-up from the boutique.

The two copies I received were “fresh” from Omega. Without the chronograph released/running, both were in tolerance for daily variation and deviation as per my timegrpher and by manually hacking to the atomic time via my phone Atomic Time Tracker app then verifying visually by checking sync.

Both pieces would intermittently lock-up (fully stop the escapement) when engaging the chronograph (pressing the Start Stop Button. The watches never got below 24 hours since last fully winding them, so they should have had plenty of time/torque in the mainspring to function properly. When they would lock-up, the escapement would start operating again once I pressed the Start Stop button which would normally disengage the chronograph.

Example would also be that if you were timing something say 40 seconds long. As you watched the event Pressed the Start, watch the event, pressed at the end, and then see the chrono had not stopped but was still running and your time piece is now behind 40 seconds of sync accuracy.

Setup for the videos…

They were running
- I pushed the start/stop button to engage the chronograph
- Escapement stopped
- small seconds hand is no longer running
- I press the start button and they run again

83230699 – Purchased 25 May 2021 exchanged 28 May 2021
https://1drv.ms/v/s!ArH7Zzd1fsIO9TOeXmRnKNT5zHNu

83230166 – Exchange timepiece returned on 1 June 2021. Larger file may take some time to download
https://1drv.ms/v/s!ArH7Zzd1fsIO9TQJhzsFo8vczvwa

Bry
PHONE NUMBER

---------2nd email to Store manager and original sales person at the Omega Boutique--------
From: ME
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2021 9:27 AM
To: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: FW: Speedmaster Pro 3861 Follow-up

Please see message traffic below from prior email with questions/concerns about 3861.

Bry

---------1st email to Store Manager at Omega Boutique, these points brought up during exchange/return--------
From: ME
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2021 12:51 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Speedmaster Pro 3861 Follow-up

Fanglu,

Thanks again for your assistance in resolving the purchase, exchange and return of the Speedy pros on 1 June. Sadly, the fresh 3861s were not working as they are supposed to. There are a few things I wanted to follow-up on concerning the timepieces.

1. Was you technician able to replicate the problem of both watches locking up intermittently when pushing the start button for the chronograph?

2. Has Omega isolated the problem and fixed the situation (see links below concerning others who are seeing the problem)?

3. Since the copies I purchased and exchanged for were factory fresh, how long till the issue is resolved?

4. During the COSC/METAS certification procedures, does the Chronograph function get tested as well? I can see the data concerning certification of the movement timing, but I am unable to find information concerning the chronograph.

Thanks in advance
Bry.

Other people on forums having similar issues.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/3861-movement-broken.120071
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?p=11382829#post11382829

Evitzee

That's a shame, the reseller should have checked that all functions were working, but I'm never convinced that they do much checking before shipping a watch out. My 3861's card is dated January 2022 and so far it's working fine (knock on wood), it's really a hit or miss affair with these early production watches. Some work fine, some have issues. Try again.

R RWDOFR

My first post, so go easy.

I bought a new Speedmaster from an AD in March 2022. As a bit of background I wear it on rotation (weeks at a time) mostly with my Aqua Terra. When wearing the Speedmaster I do occasionally use the chronograph (usually only a few minutes), for amusement as much as anything.

A month ago I noticed that the watch had stopped over night and assumed I mightn't have wound it enough recently - which was strange as I usually wind it fully every morning when I put it on, except on the very odd occasion when I may be running late. So I wound it fully and went about my day - however the amount of turns required to reach a stop was about a third of what would normally be required if full power reserve had been expended, so this did concern me. The watch stopped again later that day. I wound it fully again at 19:44hrs and awoke in the morning to find it had stopped at 00:42 hrs.

I researched the issue on here, which overall was really useful and informative, so I was/am reasonably calm about the situation knowing it is not unusual to encounter this development in new movements, and it was "comforting" to know it was at least now a known issue, and a solution was available.

I took the watch back to the AD, no hassle, straight back to Omega under warranty in early September. I then received a call three weeks later to collect it - great! Except.....the chronograph hand is resting fractionally before 12, (a cog or two?). I though I was imaging it at first, but then once seen etc etc. I told the AD, they confirmed they could see it too and so right there and then, back in the box (nice red Omega Speedy type box) and straight back to Omega.

That was the weekend, so I'll update here on the happy resolution, when it happens.

R RWDOFR

Further to my last post above, I just thought I would provide an update on my watch and see if anyone else had had anything similar.

After my watch had been serviced to rectify the issue of the watch stopping (4 weeks with Omega) and then returned immediately because the hands were not aligned when it came back (6 weeks with Omega), I finally got my watch back a couple of weeks ago.

I did a couple of simple checks such as power reserve on full wind (67 hours), running chronograph etc, no problems.

I then measured the accuracy a number of times over the last couple of weeks just using the WatchTracker App and unfortunately it is measuring +5.5 spd when it was previously +2 to 3 spd (in same position overnight, crown down). Which doesn't feel great.

But more worryingly I used my chronograph the other day whilst watching a football/soccer match to time the second half (just out of interest). I checked the watch as the game was coming to the end and noticed that the chronograph was registering about 3 minutes fast. I was genuinely shocked and took a photo next to the clock on the tv screen (see below). My watch reads 53 mins 43 secs against the time on TV of 50 mins 50 secs (ie 95 mins 50 secs minus 45 mins for the first half).

Has anyone experienced something like this, or have any advice?

Archer

I would hope so, but no way of knowing really...

R rslev

I’ve never had a chronograph run fast - just slow usually because of chrono lag. Try rerunning the test but against your stopwatch on your iPhone. Check it periodically. My experience with Speedys, vintage and new (I have 13 of them, ranging from 321s to 1861s, is the chrono runs spot on with the main hands.

YY77

Regarding accuracy maybe test by winding the watch to full stop, lay it away for 24 hours dial up, check the gain/loss and same again for the other 5 positions and calculate the average. I'll bet it will be within 5s.

R RWDOFR

Yeah, you're right, I thought that too, but maybe not so stringent. I have recorded it in 6 positions when I take it off at night, giving the following:
12U 1.1 spd
6U 6.8 spd
3U 4.8 spd
9U 2.7 spd
DU 5.5 spd
DD 5.8 spd
Ave = circa 4.5 spd

Granted this is not particularly scientific, but it is consistent insomuch as in all instances the watch is laid down at 11pm and then measured at 7am (and then fully wound straight after). I'll maybe try your suggestion and set the watch in each position for 24 hrs after fully winding, to see if their will be much difference. I am also now laying my watch down in the 12U position at night to counter some of the daytime rate of over 6 spd (assume due to general movement and my wrist position on my desk/keyboard/scratching my jacksie all day long)

However the main point remains - real world wearing used to be a very happy 2 to 3 spd. And now, after the service, the real world is a deflating 5.5 spd. First world problem, but still....

Archer

The 3861 has had a few cases where moving your arm around can cause the minute recording hand to jump, so that's likely all it was.