Some of you guys have kindly been helping me pick a Speedmaster as an engagement gift. Finally received my 3861 Pro on 2nd June. It was/is even better than I thought it would be. On the day I received it I swapped the bracelet to a leather strap, intending to take the watch to an OB/AD to have the bracelet re-fitted and sized properly. I did this on 4th June.

They told me they were unable to fit the bracelet as they didn't have the correct tool, so put the leather strap back on (in the back of the shop). Initially this was the wrong way round necessitating they gave it another go. Shortly after that I inspected the watch and this is what I found.

Problem is, they are not the AD I bought the watch from otherwise I would automatically be seeking replacement. They have suggested sending it to omega for a full case refurbishment. What do you think about this? Sufficient? Does it affect the value of the watch at all? What’s the right action here?

Needless to say, I am devastated. First really nice watch, engagement gift from the other half.

Bad day.

 

I'm not one who cares too much about minor scratches but this seems unacceptable. Whatever the solution, the store should be paying for it so I would file an official complaint.

The fact that they didn't have the proper tools or skills to do something as simple as changing a strap/bracelet should raise some eyebrows.

 

Yes. Something seems "off" about this and there are a few scratches apparently from a couple of attempts. Nice watch regardless.

 

Yeah so they said they tried with a standard spring bar tool and couldn't do it so abandoned and put the leather strap back on. Guy was gone about 15 mins with it. Then had to take it back again as the leather strap was the wrong way around.

Probably wouldn't be so upset if it was just the scratches. Am very upset about the dents in the lugs.

 

It always hurts the first time...

 

I'd email your pics to the customer service address on the Omega site for wherever you live. Be super-calm and chill but don't apologize for anything either. Just ask if they can help you.

 

So sorry to hear about it. Superficial scratches are easy enough to deal with but the deeper ones will need a lot of polishing to get rid of. That may in turn reduce the sharpness/definition on the case so it will probably affect the value of the watch. I'd definitely file a complaint with Omega and ask if they'd offer a replacement as it was brand new. After all, it wasn't your fault but the fault of the AD. As they say, "if you don't ask you won't get".
Good luck and hope that this issue is resolved to your satisfaction.

 

Certainly no harm in contacting the OB to see if and how they can resolve this. Frankly I think the best you’ll get is an apology and offer to polish the case. Ultimately it won’t be the last scratch your watch will encounter so you’re best off accepting it in the same way the first rock chips your new car.

 

Act quickly and decisively.

 

Very sorry to read about your experience mate!!!

Don’t want to add oil on the fire, but this would be unacceptable for me as well (not even sure how one can damage/gouge the lugs so badly when attempting to swap a bracelet!), because even with the bracelet back on, some of the scratches on the side of the lugs would still be visible.

Do they have a Speedy Pro in their inventory? I would ask for a replacement/refund... and seek support from Omega as back up.

 

That makes me angry I would demand a replacement.

 

Did they use a chisel and hammer because they “didn’t have the right tool”??!!

I can’t imagine how else they put those dents in almost every lug. I wonder if they dropped it to do that much damage. I would demand they pay for a full service and send it to Omega myself — not depend on them to take care of it. That level of damage for a simple strap change is not acceptable — and I have no issues with scratches on the back of lugs.

this is one reason I do it myself.

 

If they were attempting to just help you out of good faith, i.e. no charge, I'm not sure you really have much recourse. I would take it to an OB and see what they can do for you. Probably send it to service center.

 

It's too bad about the damage. But never assume that the 'experts' (an overworked word for the last year) at a boutique or AD know what they are doing. I doubt you will get much satisfaction in the end, you certainly aren't going to get a new watch out of it, and I doubt Omega is going to do a complete case refurbishment, either. You can try, but expect to be disappointed. In the future buy a Bergeon 6767-F springbar tool and do these swaps yourself, you can practice on another watch, and use tape if you feel hinky about it. Strap changes, and bracelet resizing, is something every owner should be proficient in.

NB.....I've seen a lot worse damage by people trying to change a strap.

 

Learn to do it yourself. The next time it happens you will only have yourself to blame.

 

Ouch, that sucks - commiserations.

How can this happen at an AD? No tools, strap the wrong way around, scratched lugs... Just unacceptable, after the first attempt the doofus who had a go should have stopped. Why don’t they have the right tools?

It’s almost like a car mechanic saying they couldn’t change your battery because they didn’t have a spanner / wrench (this presuming there was someone who knew how to do it), then hooking up the wrong terminals, then scratching the paint on the bonnet.

 

I mean this is true, but the damage here is just plain obnoxious. +1 on @Donn Chambers' remark about the hammer and chisel.


The lug has been dented to hell and there's a deep scratch on the outer side...

 

Sorry to see this. That is really ugly.
No idea how one can manage to get this damage to the lug, looks like the watch slid out of hand, the force on the spring bar tool caused it to slip and it went across the lug, followed by the fliyng watch hitting the ground...seek retaliation or replacement.