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Dropped my speedmaster 3861

hook785
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Heya,

Just want to share my experience and advice to who like me might replace the bracelet/strap without paying attention the spring bars are full in place 😀

Be careful or this can happen!!

I replace the bracelet with the rubber strap. I’ve done it many times, but this time I didn’t pay attention at the spring bars were not fully in the lugs. Went on the street … and it just dropped 🙁

Now the watch is in the service center, I asked to replace the case and the bezel, plus a full service.

At the end these are just watches, but such a pain to wait for it to come back 🙁


IMG_7484.webp
 
STANDY
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Would have enjoyed those battle scars 😉
 
YY77
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Maybe you'll be lucky and this will be considered accidental damage covered by Omega or did your insurance already cover this?
 
hook785
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No insurance and I don’t think it would be covered by the warranty. I didn’t even ask, after all it was my fault. But, going forward I will consider insuring all my pieces. Is the first thing I thought: if I only had the insurance … 😢
 
JwRosenthal
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I had this happen with an old Tudor when I put the bracelet back on- was fine around the house, went to the car and as I was pulling the car door shut the flex of my arm popped the spring bar and down it went onto the asphalt. Luckily (if in can use that word) it landed directly face down on the pavement and cracked the crystal but didn’t do any other damage. That was a cheap lesson learned. Now I give a twisty- tug a few times on all of my watches when I change out straps/bracelets and wiggle the endlinks around just to be sure.
 
MauricioNO
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
I had this happen with an old Tudor when I put the bracelet back on- was fine around the house, went to the car and as I was pulling the car door shut the flex of my arm popped the spring bar and down it went onto the asphalt. Luckily (if in can use that word) it landed directly face down on the pavement and cracked the crystal but didn’t do any other damage. That was a cheap lesson learned. Now I give a twisty- tug a few times on all of my watches when I change out straps/bracelets and wiggle the endlinks around just to be sure.
That post process is imperative. I never conclude a strap change before trying to gently rip it off the case to make sure it is tight.
 
Donn Chambers
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MauricioNO MauricioNO
That post process is imperative. I never conclude a strap change before trying to gently rip it off the case to make sure it is tight.
Even then, I always visually inspect that the ends are seated. On many bracelets, it can feel good with the “pull” test, but you can see that the end isn’t fully seated. I use a magnifying visor to get a good look. Better safe than sorry.
 
bsowers34
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hook785 hook785
Heya,

Just want to share my experience and advice to who like me might replace the bracelet/strap without paying attention the spring bars are full in place 😀

Be careful or this can happen!!

I replace the bracelet with the rubber strap. I’ve done it many times, but this time I didn’t pay attention at the spring bars were not fully in the lugs. Went on the street … and it just dropped 🙁

Now the watch is in the service center, I asked to replace the case and the bezel, plus a full service.

At the end these are just watches, but such a pain to wait for it to come back 🙁


IMG_7484.webp
Ouch. I don't trust myself to change straps for just about this reason. I bashed my new hesalite and scuffed one of the lugs but the jeweler at my dealer was able to polish it out. Don't think yours will. Sometimes we have to pay the dumba** tax and move on...
Edited:
 
redzer007
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How much is new case??? Ouch. Personally I'd rather live with the scars and spend $$$$ on a different watch. But I get why you don't want to look down at a damaged case repeatedly.
 
bsowers34
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Yes, I'd be interested to know the price of the case as well.
 
Evitzee
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Ouch, that's very unfortunate. I've never dropped a watch or had a springbar give way, but I had a horror experience two weeks ago in the Zurich airport. I was wearing my new Sedna/steel Speedmaster that I got at a bargain price. Security at the Zurich airport has always been a pretty low key affair, no need to remove, shoes, belts, or empty pockets. But for some reason I tripped the metal detector, the security guy asked me to remove my wallet, and my watch. He held a small blue tray in which I put my wallet and I carefully placed the watch in it and said, "be careful". As I removed my hand and for some unknown reason the tray he was holding flipped forward and we watched the watch do a swan dive 4 ft to the hard terrazzo floor, splat, face down. Uh,oh, that can't be good. He was very apologetic, " I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was very clumsy, sorry" I reached down and picked the watch up expecting to find a shattered crystal, but no, it was intact. I quickly went back through the detector, grabbed my wallet and watch and sat down to do a thorough inspection and I could not find any ding, dent, scratch or rash anywhere. And it was still running. That was two weeks ago and it is running fine at +2 sec/day and there just is no mark on it. Why there was no damage is a mystery. Talk about luck. But I will have to start carrying a service pouch or box and take the watch off before going through security in the future, a hassle, but a necessary one.

IMG_1584.webp
 
JwRosenthal
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Evitzee Evitzee
Ouch, that's very unfortunate. I've never dropped a watch or had a springbar give way, but I had a horror experience two weeks ago in the Zurich airport. I was wearing my new Sedna/steel Speedmaster that I got at a bargain price. Security at the Zurich airport has always been a pretty low key affair, no need to remove, shoes, belts, or empty pockets. But for some reason I tripped the metal detector, the security guy asked me to remove my wallet, and my watch. He held a small blue tray in which I put my wallet and I carefully placed the watch in it and said, "be careful". As I removed my hand and for some unknown reason the tray he was holding flipped forward and we watched the watch do a swan dive 4 ft to the hard terrazzo floor, splat, face down. Uh,oh, that can't be good. He was very apologetic, " I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was very clumsy, sorry" I reached down and picked the watch up expecting to find a shattered crystal, but no, it was intact. I quickly went back through the detector, grabbed my wallet and watch and sat down to do a thorough inspection and I could not find any ding, dent, scratch or rash anywhere. And it was still running. That was two weeks ago and it is running fine at +2 sec/day and there just is no mark on it. Why there was no damage is a mystery. Talk about luck. But I will have to start carrying a service pouch or box and take the watch off before going through security in the future, a hassle, but a necessary one.

IMG_1584.webp
Watch always goes in my manpurse before I go through security- I do it discretely as I’m in line- nothing to see here, no production at the magnetometer for others to see what’s in the bin.

I had my gmt hit the tile floor going through the mag’s at work. Set it on the side stand they have for keys and phones, walked through, didn’t close my grasp fast enough in my haste to grab it and flew off the stand and down it went with gusto. It was dead- off to a $500 service it went.

The officers at work told me that the mag’s read metal in a plane and its quantitative. So if you have a belt and watch and walk through with your hands to your side- it will set it off. But if you walk through with your hands up at your chest it won’t. So now I keep the watch on and walk through like I’m doing the cha-cha.
 
Scarecrow Boat
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redzer007 redzer007
How much is new case???
bsowers34 bsowers34
Yes, I'd be interested to know the price of the case as well.
@Archer would be able to answer this, but just about 2 years ago I was quoted $̶1̶,̶0̶0̶0̶ for a new 1861 case. So I have to believe it is at least around there, if not a little more. I imagine the OP is looking at a ~$̶2̶,̶3̶0̶0̶ +/- service bill.

*Well, I was off by $1,000 😲
Edited:
 
Archer
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Scarecrow Boat Scarecrow Boat
@Archer would be able to answer this, but just about 2 years ago I was quoted $1,000 for a new 1861 case. So I have to believe it is at least around there, if not a little more. I imagine the OP is looking at a ~$2,300 +/- service bill.
Case would be around $2k US for a acrylic crystal version...
 
JwRosenthal
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This is all the more reason to have multiple Speedmasters so each one can wear the bracelet or strap of your choice rather than changing them all the time….it may be cheaper.

Would this be a possibly scenario where laser welding would be cheaper than a replacement case?
 
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