Hi all,

After a deal on a Moonwatch sprung up (specifically a 3572.50), I ended up ditching my 3594.50 project and sold the watch and the accessories. The sale for the 3572.50 fell through, so I took the advice from a few members and purchased a 3570.50. The watch was recently serviced (three weeks ago), and with the sale came paperwork from the watchmaker who serviced it. I decided to go through with the purchase. After paying very close attention to it, I have noticed the following:

1) The light "refinish" the watchmaker did is not so much of a refinish as it is an overall light polish. For example, the 1998 bracelet was not well done (though, to be fair, I don't know if that was worked on). The case (in the brushed areas specifically) was not a very high-quality finish, either. The brushed finishes were not properly restored, and in some places were not restored at all.

After playing with some masking tape, green Scotch Brite pads, and a few hours of my time, I was able to restore a very good finish to the bracelet and sides of the case (much better than before, at least).

2) The watch has consistently lost 10 seconds per 24 hours for the last 48 hours (so -10/day). My thoughts are that either (a) the watch is magnetized, (b) the regulation was thrown off, or (c) a mix of both of these. I know magnetization and deregulation can occur during shipments quite regularly. The watch is under warranty for a year from the maker who serviced it, so I could send it in. The person who sold it to me last claimed it was running between -6/+6 seconds per day.

3) When engaging the chronograph, the chrono second hand "jumps" forward about 1/2 second about every third or fourth time I engage the chronograph from a stopped position. I have looked into this phenomenon and have realized that opinions on it tend to be very split: some say, "don't worry", and others say "get this fixed ASAP!". Here is a video that perfectly demonstrates what I am talking about.

As said in the title, I am being quite paranoid. I know a Speedmaster is the Omega I want to own and keep until I can afford to build and sustain a nice collection, so I want to ensure that I can get it set up as well as possible so that it can serve as a reliable daily-wearer without being super fragile.

Any thoughts, advice, and critiques are greatly appreciated. I'll be giving the watchmaker a call this Tuesday to ask about the slow timekeeping, but other than that, I will not be making any big moves. I wanted to say what the Speedy experts had to say first!

Thanks guys,

Jeff

 

Hi Jeff

Can't answer all your questions but I bought a new 3570.50 from an AD last year and it to jumps sometimes when engaging the chronograph. But the excellent description below from @Archer describes what I think your seeing.

So my guess is don't worry. Timing wise and I could be wrong (wait for the experts to comment) but I think if a watch is magnetised it would only run faster?

Hope this helps.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/chronographs-vertical-and-horizontal-coupling.5539/

 

Hi Matt, thanks for linking that! Very helpful indeed. I always thought magnetized movements only would run faster as a result, but I wasn't 100% sure.

I'm not too worried, just want to make sure there are no big problems I am over looking!

 

Hey guys,

I'm taking in the watch either today or tomorrow to have the serials checked to make sure they match (the previous owner did not have the ability to open the caseback). I'll have the watchmaker take a look at the movement and make sure nothing stands out with it as well.

As far as the -10 goes, I'll call the guy who serviced this and see what he'll offer as far as fixing that goes.

 

Jeff, sorry to hear the deal fell through on the 3572.50... You'll be happy with the 3570.50 and if you want to see the movement just get another exhibition case back... As far as being 10 seconds off, I'd have him try and get it a little better considering it was supposed to be serviced recently... Welcome to the Speedy club!

 

Thank you! I'm glad to be part of it

So, you don't think I should worry about the jumping chrono second when starting it? I've looked around, and it looks like a very common thing.

I'll call up the maker and see what he can do. Maybe it needs a new mainspring.

 

You know, I can't say mine doesn't do it.. I'll check when I get home.. My Speedy is definitely due for a service so it's probably not a good comparison.. I'm sure others will chime in with advise or input but after reading Als post it seems normal..

 

To the OP, please don't take offense at the following:

It seems to me, and this is just an opinion, that youre either very unlucky, very obsessive or are looking for deals so aggressively that you keep running into problems.... Or most likely a combination of all.

I don't think -10 de a day consistently would be acceptable, or at least I'm lucky enough that none of my watches have such variant.

But I am wondering how you're measuring such variant. Are you wearing the watch or storing it on one place and staring at it? Because the variants differ depending on position and perhaps if you wear it it may gain and loose in a more balanced way.

Also a word of caution; if you look at anything long enough for defects you will find defects and make yourself crazy. You are what I call a "tinkerer" like my brother was. I admire that quality to an extent, but on the big picture he broke more things than he fixed trying to improve them or simply understand them.

You switch case backs, polish bracelets, switch bezels, hands etc with staggering ease. Then Flip, rinse and start all over again. Again, pretty amazing and I suppose that is just how your hobby and passion translates ( I suppose I'm very experimental with photography) But, I always feel you may be spending money and time unnecessarily as there are always models in good condition around.

To be honest, as I write this Im realizing there is nothing actually wrong with your aproach. Who knows, maybe you'll end up as a major designer one day, certainly tinkerers are the leading force behind technology and mechanical advances, but the image of you sitting in your kitchen with table and a scotch brite pad polishing your bracelet or obsessively turning on and off the chrono makes me cringe a little. Probably me being stupid.

 

Maybe the mainspring is new and has too much tension in it? ( I have only a 20% knowledge of what I just said)

 

Sergio, I can definitely see why you think that. I do obsess over stuff like this, as little issues can bug me. Issues with internals are much worse to me than issues with the externals. For example, I don't care if there's a scuff on the case or crystal, but if something doesn't seem right with the functionality, I treat it as a bigger issue. Heck, external blemishes I rarely even care about (unless there's something on the dial, like a spec of dust).

As far as the bracelet finishing goes, I just do that because I find it fun, and the bracelet looks 100x better with the appropriate brushed/polished surfaces.

I don't take offense to what you've said. it was quite reasonable, honestly.

Let me get the back opened by a watchmaker, and I'll see if there are any notable issues with the mainspring or anything else.

Thank you for the input!

Edit: on the unlucky/lucky part - I think some things are just out of my control, like my brother dropping my watch, or a freshly serviced watch running at -10 seconds. Luckily, nothing REALLY bad has happened, and I'd like to keep it that way!

 

If your watch is running constantly -10 secondS a day then the movement would appear to be very healthy. All that should be required is minor adjustment of the regulator. If the regulator is all the way towards "F" then some more attention may be required.

The depth of mesh with the chronograph wheel may or may not need adjustment, either way it should be a simple job for a competent watch repairer.

Don't lose sleep over any of this, there would appear to be no real issues with your watch.

 

Jeff, my Speedy does not exhibit the condition concerning the chrono hand... I only tried 3-5 times... Does yours do it every single time?

 

It does it every 3-5 times, only when engaged from a stopped point (doesn't have to be at the 12, only has to be stopped first!).

If you watch the YouTube video in my original post, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. It's not my video, but is almost 100% identical to what's happening with mine.

 

I think I've used the chronograph 3-5 times TOTAL for my Speedys!
But for real I like the reasonable discussion going on between perfectionist tendencies that sometimes materialize as nitpicking or even paranoia. It seems like you just really love your piece and want it to be as healthy as possible.
As for diagnosing the two mechanical issues you're having an outside watchmaker voice might be needed. Try contacting a few including those that frequent these forums and hopefully they can give you some semblance of clarity for what steps to take next.

 

Update: after the 3rd day in a row of testing, it is, once again, at -10 seconds. I'm getting the feeling that this is a simple regulation issue as @Geo! said. I'm imagining that if I can get it on time, it will keep very consistent time.

I'm taking it into a maker tomorrow to get a definite diagnosis – I'll let you all know what the verdict is!

 

Hope it gets sorted mate. Sounds like it could be a regulation issue. My Speedy is currently running at a consistent +1.5sps, which I am very happy with. I do 'suffer' from that chrono second jump when starting the chrono though. As long as it isn't indicative of an actual problem with the movement, I will see it as part of the character of the movement.

 

Update: brought into a jeweler today who opened the caseback, looked at the movement, said everything looked good and freshly serviced, and tightened up the regulation screw almost all the way. He said that should boost the timekeeping between 10-20 seconds and to come back if need be. Also, the serials match on both the lug and movement, so that's good news!

The only thing that persists is the jumpy chrono second hand, but again, that seems like a very normal thing for a Speedy. If anyone has suggestions for this, let me know!

Thanks guys!

 

Good to know that your watch is in order.
This is a long shot, from my assumption on things mechanical with multiple gears, but it is worth a try.
Wind up the watch 100%, let go the chrono.
Run it till the end ~50 hours.
Restart and wear as normal.

 

I've got a feeling we're going to be reading your next post about your watch running a minute a day fast a day before too long

 

I'll give that a try. I did read one thread on WUS about a guy who did this and it actually solved the issue! Does the power reserve wither with the chrono running? It seems like it would!

@dennisthemenace You're probably right! [emoji23] he seemed to be confident it wouldn't over adjust. I've never regulated a watch, but I'd assume you can only change timekeeping so much with a regulator alone!