It sounds to me that due to the poor outcome the first time around, they might be trying to go the extra mile to make sure they do a spectacular job this time. I suppose that's a good thing, but I totally hear you regarding the frustration of the time required.

 

An update! I was advised today that during service, additional components were found to need replacement, beyond that which was faulty upon return. An additional two weeks was estimated to be required. Keep in mind, I sent in a fully functional Speedy four months ago, that I simply wanted to get a good service. It was returned with damaged hands, a damaged day window, dust under the crystal, and swirls on the side of one of the lugs where someone got in a hurry during the case refinish. The watchmaker has now found additional damage beyond that? At my shocked silence the customer service rep said, “The good news is, we’re not charging you.” I maintained my composure, but just barely. I guess I have no choice but to continue to wait. Anyone else have a story like this one?

 

There once was a guy around here like that, yes. Super nice, actually did some terrific work for me as well. But sloooooooow, and eventually not all that great either. Some think he was overwhelmed with work requests. Who knows?

 

I would be absolutely livid. Hoping for a good outcome for you.

 

I had this with a Cartier I had serviced last year. Took it to Bond Street and was advised 6 weeks. I collected it 6 weeks later. Then took it back in the following week when it stopped working. 12 weeks later I got it back with a brand new movement installed. I have to say, the customer service was excellent from start to finish and now I have no problems. However they also took 4 months to finish a service on another watch as they didn't have the right replacement hands!

 

Four collinear shafts. PIA on older watches but should be pretty straight forward on a newer Omega, especially by the people that make and service them. That sucks but they will use new hands and be more careful the second time around. Hopefully quicker than 17 weeks this time.

 

Gosh, this a painful story... I'm not really surprised however as I had some bad experiences with watchmakers so far... But I wouldn't have expected that from an official Omega service center.

 

I have owned a Speedmaster Mk40 for many years. It was my first Omega. In September 2016 I had my Omega AD service this watch. They sent it off and after about 3 months it came back with a bag of parts (seals, hands, crown, pushers, misc wheels) and a two-year warranty card showing a successful pressure test to 3 BAR.

After a couple months the crown stopped turning and the watch couldn’t be wound manually though it would set fine. My AD confirmed, and the watch went back to Omega. Another couple of months go by and it comes back, but this time Omega said there was nothing wrong, though the crown was working again.

Around this time I got some new additions to the collection and the Mk40 sat in the watch box most of the time, though I did wear it occasionally. On one of those occasions this August I was at a cookout and stuck my hand into a cooler of ice water to grab a drink. Later, I noticed condensation under the crystal. I took the watch back to my AD and explained what happened and they sent it to Omega who said it required a new case and a service for $1200.00. I asked them to explain what was damaged and another month went by when my AD called and said Omega was now going to service the watch and replace the case under warranty. I asked for the old case, but they refused saying the new case would have a new serial number and they were keeping the old case and caseback. I received the watch back in late December 2018 along with another bag of parts (seals, pushers, crown, and crystal) and a new warranty card with a new serial number for my watch. 9 of the past 24 months it was at Omega being serviced for one thing or another but I’m glad to finally have this watch back. It was interesting to me that the serial number changed. I think the only original parts on the watch now are dial, movement, and bracelet.

I thought it was good of Omega to repair this watch under warranty. I’ll likely never know why it leaked but it does illustrate that even a recently serviced watch can develop water resistance issues with no outward signs.

Pic before most recent service.

Pictures after service with new case and serial.

 

Wow! Glad I'm not the only one who has experienced long delays. I spoke with Omega again this morning, as my service has been stuck on "waiting for parts" for some time. They were able to elaborate today that they had to order a new dial. I found that a little odd, as the dial was pristine when I sent it in both times, but I'm willing to believe that somehow it was damaged while dealing with the rest of the other damage previously done in service. I'm still frustrated, but they're promising it will be returned to me next week. I'll report back with photos if and when that happens. What a long ordeal. Beautiful Speedy by the way!

 

Is there anyone out there with any connections to the Swatch Group? Just found out my repair was pushed to 3/29, making it six whole months since I sent the watch in through my AD before I get it back. Keeping in my that I sent it in for a bezel replacement and regular service, received it back damaged with a promise to be expedited, and am now getting delayed. I called respectfully, but expressing my heightened frustration, and literally received little more than "we don't know what's going on, someone will review this." I asked what had happened, if anyone could speak to why my watch was so badly damaged during the last repair, or what the cause of these delays were, as I can have whole machines shipped from across the globe faster than this dial can apparently be. I was told they couldn't tell me anything, and that I could not speak to a manager. Maybe I'm being oversensitive, but my watch will now have been in service for 3/4 of my ownership. This was a late Father's Day gift that I might as well not own. My emails have been ignored, my attempts to reach out on Twitter have been ignored, and now my phone calls are getting blown off. I don't know what else to do.

 

I feel your pain. My watch has been with the OMEGA SA going on 5 months. I have asked and the OB just tells me they are working on it. It takes time. It is a rare watch so it should be expected. I stopped asking after the third time. You would think they would have some kind of tracking system that would update the status as it worked though their systems.

Good luck. Happy belated Father's Day. You will get it in time for this upcoming Father's Day and you and your family will always have a good laugh about it.

 

Hope whoever did it will make it right

 

They do, and if you send the watch in directly (rather than through an AD or OB) you will typically get a number that you can use to get the status of your watch via a service tracking web site Omega has for just that purpose...

 

After it came back damaged, the AD and I got on the phone, and I sent it to the service center directly. So I do have the portal login to track status. That's how I found out the delay had happened. I spoke to someone at the beginning of the week because I'd noticed it went from being in service status to waiting for parts, and they told me the delivery date was still a go. I like to think I'm a pretty patient individual, but I'm not sure it's eternal. @Archer , I know you're a watchmaker and are super helpful around here. Is the 3606A movement far more complicated than I've thought it to be, from a watchmaker perspective?

 

There's nothing in your posts to indicate that this has anything to do with the complexity of the movement. The 3606 is pretty much the same as the 1151, which is pretty much the same as the ETA 7751. There is nothing special about them in terms of challenges for a watchmaker. As I've said many times, the 7750 series is the one movement that if I have it on my bench, I know the chances of it being a trouble free service are very high. Having said that I have a 7753 on my bench right now that is worn out completely, and is being a complete pain in my arse...but that's another story...

So a few things I want to mention, just to give you some perspective/information that Omega isn't giving you:

1 - The fitting of dials, hands, and the final casing of the movement is not typically done by a trained watchmaker at the service centers. This work (as well as the steps in reverse when the watch first comes in) are done by people that Omega have hired off the street, and trained specifically for these tasks. The actual watchmaker would typically only service the actual movement, and others do the rest. This also applies to the refinishing of the case. I've been to the NJ service center for training and the people who refinish cases, that's all they do - they are again not watchmakers but people trained specifically to refinish cases.

2 - Although the dial may have seemed "pristine" to you, note that as part of the job to assess the parts, if even a small amount of finish is able to be flaked off the edge of the dial (where you would not see it) during the assessment the dial would be considered a required replacement. Also since you are unable to see the condition of the dial feet (the posts that are used to attach the dial to the movement) there's a chance that the dial had a post that was either broken off or nearly broken off. So although to someone not familiar with watches and how they are repaired might find it odd that a dial suddenly needs replacing, to me it's not particularly surprising.

3 - When I order parts from Omega, if the parts are in stock at the Canadian headquarters, I can have them in my shop the following day if I order in the morning. However if they are not in stock and have to come from Switzerland, then all bets are off. First I suspect just like the Canadian headquarters does, the NJ service center would order parts once a week from Switzerland, so if your damaged dial was discovered the day after that weekly order gets placed, it waits a week until the next order is placed. Then delivery to headquarters takes 2-3 weeks - it's just the way it is. Note that on occasion (thankfully not very often) I have had items that even the HQ in Switzerland doesn't have on hand, and in that case the delay is even longer, so that is certainly possible with this dial or some other part they require.

4 - When the dial arrives it has to be installed, the hands installed, the movement cased, the watch pressure tested, and then it's run through a series of QC/timing checks, including a power reserve check. So the watch doesn't get shipped back right away when the work is done. My own QC procedure lasts at least 10 days, and although Omega's isn't that long it does take time.

Now just my own thoughts on your situation - I understand this is frustrating, but I think once the watch is back and working properly (fingers crossed!) the delays you have experienced will quickly fade away. It seems like a lot now, but really in the big picture it's not, and honestly I don't think pushing harder on Omega is going to give you a better outcome - the last thing you want is them rushing through this IMO. Maybe once it comes back ask for some type of compensation - some Omega swag or something.

Cheers, Al

 

Thank you. I appreciate the point of view tremendously. It's certainly hard from my perspective to have to wait so long, but the aggravation is abated some by your explanation of the process. My wife spent so much on a gift she knew I'd wanted most of my life, and everything is being colored through that lens. I wasn't aware of how the watch moves through the service, and I can certainly see where those non-watchmaker employees could have caused the damage I observed when the piece was returned. I also had no idea that parts shipments from Switzerland take so long. Chalk that up to being spoiled in the era of Amazon Prime and quick shipments from overseas for the manufacturing company I work for. I will be getting back from a business trip the day before 3/29, so perhaps my first day back will be infinitely improved by having my long lost Speedy back in hand.

 

I hope you didnt buy an ETEC..... If only BRP spent as much on development as they do on marketing.....

 

All good have a Honda now.
(Other brand started with Suz...)

 

Are the guys refinishing the cases really well trained and good at it, or is it a bit hazardous ? In other words would you trust Omega to polish a case or could it get a bit tricky at times ?

 

I feel for you. You don’t expect this to happen and it’s frustrating You want it fixed, but don’t want to wait all that time again since you just want to enjoy your piece since it’s been gone for so long. You will be happier in the long run if you just get it sorted out