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Disappointed with Omega QC and Swatch Group Support - Misaligned Hand Brushed Off

DougPhx
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TheChosen1! TheChosen1!
I understand the risks you’re pointing out—opening a watch and removing hands always carries some chance of introducing scratches, dust, or even making the alignment worse. That makes sense.

But just so I’m clear—are you saying it’s essentially impossible for a trained watchmaker to reset the hands cleanly without damaging the dial or hands? If that’s the case, then it seems like Omega is admitting they don’t have the capability to perform a fairly basic adjustment at their own standard.

I’m not expecting perfection, but I do expect that a brand like Omega should be able to both acknowledge a visible misalignment and correct it properly without creating new issues.
After 3 pages I don't remember seeing what you decided to do? Live with it until regular service interval, send it in now, or sell it?

That was the point of the post right? To get feedback to help you determine what comes next? What say you!
 
Evitzee
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DougPhx DougPhx
After 3 pages I don't remember seeing what you decided to do? Live with it until regular service interval, send it in now, or sell it?

That was the point of the post right? To get feedback to help you determine what comes next? What say you!
It appears the OP is selling it. I think his real issue was Omega didn't show enough interest or attention to the issue when he brought it to their attention. He wanted immediate sympathy and hand holding and Omega didn't comply. The world goes on.
 
DougPhx
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Evitzee Evitzee
It appears the OP is selling it. I think his real issue was Omega didn't show enough interest or attention to the issue when he brought it to their attention. He wanted immediate sympathy and hand holding and Omega didn't comply. The world goes on.
 
DougPhx
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Evitzee Evitzee
It appears the OP is selling it. I think his real issue was Omega didn't show enough interest or attention to the issue when he brought it to their attention. He wanted immediate sympathy and hand holding and Omega didn't comply. The world goes on.
So true, world keeps turning despite 1st world disposable income problems! 🍻

I feel 100% confident Omega would take care of it if OP sent it in because he does not want to wait until next regular service.
 
Archer
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YVR785 YVR785
If you want perfection from the factory, try Patek or Lange.
I’ve mentioned this in the past, but a friend of mine was at one time a Patek collector. He was a heavy hitter, being offered pieces that only went to the top customers. This is long before the craziness with more pedestrian brands like Rolex.

He bought an expensive PP chronograph, and when it arrived he was shocked to find that a bridge on the movement had been installed that wasn’t completely finished. He took photos and sent it to PP, who asked him to send the watch and everything that came with it back, and they would send him a whole new watch. They also insisted that he delete all photos of this defect…of course he didn’t and he showed them to me.

This watch was many, many times the cost of the OP’s, but he wasn’t upset really. He realized that no matter what company it is, no matter what price pint it is, since there are humans involved it will never be 100% perfect every time. People who expect that won’t ever get it though, and often live stressful lives.
 
YVR785
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Archer Archer
I’ve mentioned this in the past, but a friend of mine was at one time a Patek collector. He was a heavy hitter, being offered pieces that only went to the top customers. This is long before the craziness with more pedestrian brands like Rolex.

He bought an expensive PP chronograph, and when it arrived he was shocked to find that a bridge on the movement had been installed that wasn’t completely finished. He took photos and sent it to PP, who asked him to send the watch and everything that came with it back, and they would send him a whole new watch. They also insisted that he delete all photos of this defect…of course he didn’t and he showed them to me.

This watch was many, many times the cost of the OP’s, but he wasn’t upset really. He realized that no matter what company it is, no matter what price pint it is, since there are humans involved it will never be 100% perfect every time. People who expect that won’t ever get it though, and often live stressful lives.
Just out of curiosity, is it tough to get the chrono second hand centred perfectly? To me as a layman, it seems like a near impossible task for a human to get it to line up perfectly like the OP wants (versus an hour hand misalignment for example).
 
Canuck
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I think the guy with the complaint failed to get the sympathy he was seeking, here. He’s now likely at the BMW dealership complaining about inconsistent panel gap, or wind noise at speed.
 
Archer
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YVR785 YVR785
Just out of curiosity, is it tough to get the chrono second hand centred perfectly? To me as a layman, it seems like a near impossible task for a human to get it to line up perfectly like the OP wants (versus an hour hand misalignment for example).
Not that difficult really, although at first it seemed to not be easy. I recall being in school having the instructor call us up one by one, to put our chronograph movements with the dial and hands on, placing it under a microscope that had a camera attached, so the result was on a screen for all to see how good you were.

It was good motivation to be accurate in placing the hands.

It’s done by watchmakers all over the world every day. I suspect that watches at the factory are having the hands set on by machines. Omega has published videos in the past showing this, plus machines doing the oiling of the movement…
 
TheChosen1!
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Let me clear up one thing right away: I never turned down the adjustment. I’m still waiting for Omega to explain exactly what it involves and how we’d move forward if I decide to do it. That’s all I’ve been asking for from the start—details and clarity.

Now, for everyone who actually offered thoughtful replies, thank you. Whether you agreed or disagreed, at least you engaged in good faith. That’s what a forum is supposed to be about.

For the rest? The ones who decided the best use of their time was to sneer, dismiss, or act like noticing misaligned hands on a $7,000+ watch makes me the problem—congratulations, you’ve managed to set the bar for contribution so low it’s practically underground. Imagine being part of a community built around obsessing over fine details, only to mock someone for… obsessing over fine details. The irony writes itself.

And no, this isn’t me being “too sensitive.” This is me pointing out that “lol it’s fine, stop looking so close” isn’t a clever counterargument. It’s just intellectual laziness dressed up as snark. If that’s the best anyone can do, then maybe the issue isn’t that I expect too much from Omega—it’s that some people here expect far too little from both watchmakers and themselves.

At the end of the day, I expect Omega to stand behind the precision they advertise. If that’s controversial, then I think we’ve uncovered a bigger flaw than a slightly misaligned hand: the fact that some of you are more willing to defend mediocrity than hold a luxury brand accountable.
 
Archer
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TheChosen1! TheChosen1!
At the end of the day, I expect Omega to stand behind the precision they advertise. If that’s controversial, then I think we’ve uncovered a bigger flaw than a slightly misaligned hand: the fact that some of you are more willing to defend mediocrity than hold a luxury brand accountable.
Well, I think what you are running into both here and over at WUS where the thread there has taken a similar path, is that most people understand that things are not always perfect. These brands all advertise “perfection” and “precision” in one way or another, but that isn’t reality, in particular with a mid-tier (some might even say entry level) massed produced brand like Omega or Rolex.

Look as a watchmaker I wouldn’t let a watch leave my shop with a hand that looks as misaligned as yours does, but at the Omega factory they churn these out by the many thousands and sometimes one that isn’t perfect gets through. Some low level customer service person gave you an answer that wasn’t satisfactory at the start, and you pushed back as you are entitled to. In the end, you are getting the watch adjusted, even though it may have taken more pushback on your part than is necessary.

You clearly feel this is egregious, but if other people do not, that’s up to them. We get lots of threads like this with all kinds of production issues, and whenever the level of outrage shown doesn’t match what the OP feels, the threads go like this. Don’t take it personally…you are not the first, and you surely won’t be the last,

As I said over on WUS, they will replace the hand and hopefully align it better. It’s really not a big deal…
 
noelekal
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Disappointed with a pompous original poster who is trying too hard to appear discerning and relevant while heaping disdain on any Forum members who do not validate him and his lofty expectations, which are abundantly demonstrated throughout this thread he started.

I would hate to have to be his wrist watch, wouldn't you?
 
TheChosen1!
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noelekal noelekal
Disappointed with a pompous original poster who is trying too hard to appear discerning and relevant while heaping disdain on any Forum members who do not validate him and his lofty expectations, which are abundantly demonstrated throughout this thread he started.

I would hate to have to be his wrist watch, wouldn't you?
Wow. Let’s unpack this. You call me “pompous” for pointing out a misalignment on a $7,000+ watch, yet the entirety of your contribution to this thread is a smug, baseless character attack. You’ve spent more time insulting me than actually discussing the subject—quality control, customer service, or the watch itself. That’s not discernment; it’s intellectual laziness masquerading as superiority.

You claim I’m “heaping disdain” on forum members who don’t validate me, but the irony is delicious: you’ve just demonstrated exactly what I was criticizing in some replies—dismissiveness disguised as authority. Instead of engaging with the actual topic, you chose to lecture and mock. Congratulations, you’ve contributed nothing of value except a textbook example of the problem I highlighted.

The bit about “I would hate to have to be his wristwatch” is peak absurdity. A luxury watch forum exists precisely for people who care about precision and detail. If caring about alignment, tolerances, and accountability makes me pompous in your eyes, then clearly your standards for what matters are laughably low. You’ve proven the point I was making: some people here have zero interest in scrutiny, yet they’re eager to posture like arbiters of taste and logic.

Here’s the reality: your “critique” is the weakest kind of forum contribution—no insight, no facts, no reasoning—just cheap mockery. You’ve not only failed to engage with the topic, you’ve undermined your own credibility. If this is your idea of adding value to a discussion, maybe the forum would be better off if you stayed in the background.
 
noelekal
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We're not here to validate you no matter how chosen and special you consider yourself to be. You do not desire "authoritative," but you like to posture a lot.

You also like to project.
 
TheChosen1!
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noelekal noelekal
We're not here to validate you no matter how chosen and special you consider yourself to be. You do not desire "authoritative," but you like to posture a lot.

You also like to project.
Funny—your entire post screams “projecting” while adding zero substance. I never asked for validation; I asked for reasoned discussion. If pointing out facts and expecting accountability makes me pompous, then your inability to contribute meaningfully just proves my point.
 
noelekal
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You don't ask for meaningful, reasoned discussion. You attempt to manipulate discussion of the topic into agreeing with you.
 
TheChosen1!
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noelekal noelekal
You don't ask for meaningful, reasoned discussion. You attempt to manipulate discussion of the topic into agreeing with you.
Interesting claim. Can you point to a clear example where I “attempted to manipulate discussion” rather than simply stating my experience and asking for clarity? I’m curious which part of this thread you see as manipulative, because from my perspective it’s been about facts, photos, and reasonable questions.
 
YVR785
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Seems like we're well past the point of necessary here... maybe time to call it a day?
 
Dan S
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If we stop feeding him, he may just go away.

Or we can gift him an upgrade and hope that he will be a perennial source of entertainment.
 
TheChosen1!
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Oh please, don’t stop now. Watching you all trip over yourselves trying to out-snark each other has been the best entertainment in the thread. By all means, keep “feeding” me - it’s the only interesting thing you’ve contributed so far.
 
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