Bought a brand new Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch a few days ago and the next day it stopped 9 or 10 hours after I had fully wound it with the chronograph running. It was supplied by an Official Omega Agent and is the latest version with the bracelet with screws that comes with the big box. Is there a design fault that has never been sorted? Surely not after this movement has been in production for nearly 50 years? Has the quality control at Omega taken a dive on this latest version? Has anyone else had a similar problem? I'd like to know as I need my watch to be totally reliable and will get something else if there is a known fault or downturn in quality control.

 

Does your speedy powered by movement 1861 or 1863? Both are very stable for many operating years.
If there’s any problem, maybe take it to the store for check as soon as possible, even change the other brand new one~

 

It's powered by the 1861 movement. Yes, the store I bought it from will change it but although I love the Speedmaster I need a reliable watch and will get something else if one of the quirks on this latest version are that it stops now and gain.

 

Do you mean that you had the chronograph running constantly for that time?

 

Yes.

 

I think that @Archer may be able to offer some advice ...

 

I hope so.

 

You have a rare bad piece. Just get it swapped now. The 1861/861 is robust and reliable.

 

I remember Al saying that running the chronograph would reduce the running time by only a couple of hours on a full wind.
Are you sure you are fully winding it? New Speedmasters are notoriously stiff to wind. How many turns of the crown are you giving it after it stops?

 

It was fully wound 9 or 10 hours before. I am 100% certain.

 

Unfortunate bad unit. Exchange and move on.

 

Describe for us what you define as a “full wind”. The manual wind Speedmasters have a very long mainspring, and fully winding one from totally run down can involve about 60 twists of the winding crown to bring the crown to a full stop when fully wound. Typically, a watch that stops because something is wrong, after a 10 or 12 hour run, cannot be re-started until whatever is wrong, is fixed. Sounds to me like a winding problem. By the way, don’t count the twists of the crown as you wind it. Just wind it FULLY. “Til the crown stops turning!

 

It was wound FULLY to the stop 9 to 10 hours before and started working again when I was winding it when stopped.This time it took only about 15 turns of the crown before fully wound.

 

15 turns? When I wind my speedy pro, it takes me 80+ turns. Maybe my turns are short, but 15 doesn't sound right to me.

 

The 15 turns was from when it had been running for 9 or 10 hours when it stopped after it had been wound fully 9 or 10 hours before.

 

It's very likely a small issue such as hand interference that slipped through the QA tests. They make a lot of these and it's bound to happen but, sad for you that it's your watch. They have a good reputation and mine, for example, has been faultless for 20 years from new. It's hardly a cutting edge calibre so, there is not an underlying design fault, just that yours has an issue.

I'm surprised they offered to change the watch but, I'd just do that and write it off to experience.

It sounds like it is 75% wound when it stops so, it's probably a small interference (probably the hands - what time did it stop?). When you start winding it again, you are just dislodging it slightly and it starts to run.

Runningthe chrono should not dramatically reduce power reserve. The extra moving parts need a little more torque from the spring to run them so, it will stop before it would without the chrono simply because as the mainspring torque reduces close to the end of the wind, it cannot overcome the resistance of the basic calibre plus the chrono. Nowadays, mainsprings are designed to be as close to constant torque as possible so, it will be close to the end of the reserve anyway.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

Regards, Chris

 

Thanks for your reply. It stopped around 7.40. Out of interest have you worn your Speedmaster constantly for 20 years? How many times serviced and by who?

 

As you seem 100% positive that it's fully wound, just take it back and have them sort it. No watch company is perfect, even though they market themselves as such...

Cheers, Al

 

This one is mine (on the left). I've worn it off and on since I bought it and it's never been babied. Serviced after 6 and 12 years (approx) by Omega in Eastleigh, England as I'm a Brit. I'm a watchmaker now so, no-one else touches it...

At 7:40, the hour hand is approaching the continuous running seconds counter on the left of the dial. If that hand is a little high, or more likely rising away from the pivot so it's not parallel to the dial, it will contact the hour hand and stop the watch. With no further details, I'd put a small bet that is the problem. Bet if you start it at 10:30, it will run until 7:40 again..

Cheers, Chris

 

It could be a little problem on the movement (a little external residue could cause something like that), but according to me you should be able to have a brand new watch swap!

In my experience the 1861 showed a really high reliability, even on very worn, not serviced and old watches!

Cheers