Hi
I bought my watch brand new and this is my first mechanical watch. All my previous watches were quartz or solar etc. so this is strange to me --

I adjusted the time on my Omega with the atomic time shown on the Watch Tracker app for iOS and started measuring the accuracy of my watch.
I found that after 15 days, my watch has gained 3 minutes. Is this normal ? Do I just need to adjust the time again ?

Thank you.

 

They run differently and sometimes get better over time. My new one runs at approx +12 sec a day so the 3 mins after 15 days seems ok. The one before that ran at about 5 secs a day.

I just set mine back every week or so.

 

Timing specs for the Cal. 1861 state that the average daily rate should fall between -1 and +11 seconds per day to be in spec. Target rate that Omega sets out is +6 seconds per day.

180/15=12, so you are just a bit fast and on the high side of the spec, but we don't know what you measured it against, so not sure how accurate the timing checks are...

Cheers, Al

 

Thank you. So should I just get the watch checked by someone at boutique ? Do they have hardware needed to check the accuracy in the boutiques or they will ask me to send it a service center in which case, I will probably just suck it up and keep on wearing it till something else comes up.

 

So that is an average of 12 seconds gain per day, it could be more accurate than that as the movement is capable of a lot better accuracy. Do you wear it on your wrist 24 hours a day? I only ask that as exactly 7 days ago I received a Steinhart watch with an ETA 2824-2 movement in it.
In 7 days it is 3 seconds fast to the Casio G shock radio controlled watch I own that I set it by. It went to 7 seconds fast at on point but I had taken it off to do a gym workout and forgot to put in back on for a couple of hours.
In other words it gained 2 or 3 seconds when it was just sat on a table but evened out over the 7 days to just 3 seconds.
If it bothers you then simply get it re calibrated with a watch guy.

 

It depends if the boutique is manned with either a boutique watchmaker or boutique technician - not all of them are. I would call ahead and ask, and if they are equipped to do the checks in house even a boutique technician should be able to regulate it if that's all it needs.

BTW ignore the advice to "simply get it re calibrated with a watch guy" because if it's anyone other than Omega, you will void the warranty.

Cheers, Al

 

I meant an Omega watch guy as he only had it 15 days

 

I'd just be patient with it. I had a different watch that when new ran +20 s/d, eventually it settled down to +12.

Maybe the new speedy just needs to break in a little.

 

Thank you so much AI (yeah I am new but have since known that you are a legend here ). I hope the Omega boutique near me ( Chicago ) has the hardware needed to check accuracy of this watch as I am probably not going to send it to any service center and be without it for days or weeks.

 

I’m with this. Let it settle down a few more weeks before you do anything.

 

Once again - ignore this advice. Only an Omega service center or boutique should be used, as they will be able to perform repairs/adjustments under warranty.

 

Blimey! Does this variation in accuracy apply to older Speedmasters as well?

Following it's service in March 2017, Swiss Time Services, UK, stated that my 50 year old 321 Speedmaster could vary by about 20 seconds in 24 hours?
Question for @Archer: (If you have time to answer this one please Al) Could the accuracy vary depending on if the watch is fully wound and worn on the wrist as opposed to being fully wound and placed in an Omega Pouch and carried around for the day?

 

Timing specs for the Cal. 321 call for the daily average rate to be between -1 and +16 seconds per day, with the target average rate being +8.

Of course watch movements are affected by the state of wind and positional variation. For the 1861 the watch can vary as much as 15 seconds (measured over 3 positions) at full wind, but that increases to 20 seconds 24 hours after full wind.

For the 321 the variation over 3 positions at full wind can be as much as 20 seconds, with the variation at 24 hours after full wind allowed to be as much as 30 seconds.

Cheers, Al

 

Ahhh...Very interesting! Thankyou for that clarification Al.

 

That is what I meant as clearly I said he only had it for 15 days so it is under warranty, he is not going to take it to someone who will charge him for the task is he? If he is correct in his assumption that his watch is running faster than the parameters set by Omega for a new watch then they will sort it out under warranty.

 

Hi,
And congratulations on your new toy!
First of all - as strange as it may sound - accuracy are one of the least important factors when it comes to mechanical pieces. I admit, however, this statement it’s more valid for vintage pieces that I’m into, few seconds here and there don’t really count.
Think of it as a tamagotchi. I read this somewhere ages ago: “I love my mechanical watch, because it needs me”.
Or, another metaphor, I like to think of mechanical watches bs quartz ones are like photos vs paintings. Might not be the most detailed, but they have a soul, a story behind them.
Anyways,12 sec/ day sounds a bit too excessive. Don’t forget, accuracy is extremely relative, can be affected by temperature, position, magnetic fields and so on.. although your watch was designed to reduce the affects of these all to minimal.
I had a modern 2005 Speedy that hadn’t been serviced for at least 5-6 years (possibly more), and yet it kept an extremely accurate 1-2secs/day time. So it’s definitely achievable.
If your watch is still under warranty, I’d recommend taking it back. If not, a plain adjustment might help. If that doesn’t work either, it will need a service..
Good luck!

 

It may be what you meant, but it wasn't what you said. Just trying to make sure everyone is clear that it needs to be a service center or boutique in order to maintain the warranty. There are many "Omega watch guys" out there who do not perform warranty work on behalf of Omega - I'm one of them - I work for myself, not Omega.

It's great that you are trying to help, but the details matter.

Cheers, Al

 

An "Omega watch guy" isn't necessarily an Omega Boutique or Service Center. Archer is trying to make sure the information is more specific, as others will come across this thread at some point down the road. For that reason, it is better to explicitly state something then to infer.

EDIT -- oops, too late!

 

Fair enough... it was just I took it as obvious that if the buyer thought that his watch was not performing to Omegas High standards that he would take it back to Omega as he only had it for 15 days.

I know that you know your stuff and I believe you but I must say that 16 seconds fast per day seems a bit much for a watch that costs so much.
They are certainly seeming to be covering all their bases on calibrating these new watches before they go out.

 

IDK whether you picked up the implication from Archer's post, but accuracy can be affected by the orientation of the watch. Assuming you're taking it off overnight, you might try lying it down in a different orientation overnight - on its back, face, or either side - and see if that helps the daily average. My NOS Tintin lies on its back on my bedside table overnight and gained ten seconds in the first two weeks, so decent accuracy is definitely possible.