Dropped my Speedmaster and cracked the crystal, but Omega want to charge me 800 usd, advice

[ninman]

Larry S

A watch is a precision machine requiring skill to fix. I don’t begrudge my watch service for charging me to properly repair them. A drop onto a hard surface is gonna hurt.

Yeah, I guess it's worth it to make sure my watch is in perfect working order.

 

[chiefenergy]

N ninman

So I dropped my watch on a hard tile floor and put 2 massive cracks in the hesalite crystal.

I went to the boutique and they told me they're going to have to open the watch up to check it all, so the total cost is going to be about 800usd.

Is this normal, or am I getting screwed here?

Normal. Get the service. Move on. Enjoy the piece.

 

[Dan S]

It's not always necessary to pay the largest possible amount of money for a repair, just because the first place you went told you that's how they do things.

 

[Gav1967]

It's a simple choice as far as I am concerned

1. Pay $800 to fix it now and ensure you keep a warranty for another possible repair in the near future which would likely otherwise cost $800.

2. Pay much less for a crystal replacement and run the risk that if it breaks down in the future it might cost you $800 then.

I know which option I would choose

 

[Dan S]

Gav1967

It's a simple choice as far as I am concerned

1. Pay $800 to fix it now and ensure you keep a warranty for another possible repair in the near future which would likely otherwise cost $800.

2. Pay much less for a crystal replacement and run the risk that if it breaks down in the future it might cost you $800 then.

I know which option I would choose

#2 seems most logical. Is that what you would choose?

 

[Gav1967]

Dan S

#2 seems most logical. Is that what you would choose?

Absolutely. No brainer as far as I'm concerned

 

[Archer]

N ninman

Yeah, I'm not a watchmaker, but the watch was still running normally afterwards.

The problem is it's still under warranty, so if I let someone else touch it I'll probably lose that.

They said that because I dropped it they have to open it up to inspect it for any other damage, hence the bill.

They are likely doing a precautionary full service. Omega is not going to take the chance that something might come back to bite them later if they just change the crystal, so for them it's less hassle just to charge you for a full service, and they know it won't come back again.

That's good for them, but not necessarily good for you.

While it's possible that something was damaged, I've seen plenty of dropped watches where nothing but the crystal was cracked. It's very possible that since the watch is still running well, that all it actually needs is a new crystal. Any watchmaker with an Omega parts account can source the crystal directly from Omega, and install it for you. It would have to be with the understanding that if something else goes wrong, it won't come back on the watchmaker - otherwise they will protect themselves just like Omega does and charge you for a full service.

 

[Archer]

Ali Haas

Your average watchmaker cannot be stocking FRESH, proper gaskets, for a million different watches. Your water resistance will be at risk. This is why I never get a watch that needs a service repaired by anybody but the OEM company. The watch was injured. Face the facts. You need to pay for a full service and know that it is truly OK. Ask yourself - what's the right, proper thing to do? Sometimes shortcuts work, sometimes they don't.

I always try to do the right thing.

Ali

A million different watches? No, no watchmaker is going to have that. In fact Omega doesn't have that.

However, I have gaskets for I would say many hundreds of different watches in stock:



And anything I don't have for an Omega is a few mouse clicks away from landing at my door...

If your choice is to always use the brand, well that's grand. But Omega doesn't have the capacity to do it all, and they know that there are plenty of watchmakers out there who are more than capable of servicing their watches. So Omega spends a lot of time, energy, and money to train and certify watchmakers outside their own service centers to service their watches...

 

[7enderbender]

Sounds ok to me. You’re lucky that the hesalite crystal took the hit and nothing else requires major surgery. Having it serviced and checked for 800 and coming back with a new warranty seems fair all things considered. I’d chalk it off as a 800 dollar lesson and move on. I wouldn’t have a third party touch it.

 

[Duckie]

chiefenergy

Normal. Get the service. Move on. Enjoy the piece.

Agreed.
And make sure you aren't wandering around or handling your watch willy nilly over tiled or concrete floors.
There are countless stories on these forums of grief when a watch meets hard surfaces. Especially from a height.

 

[kilofinal]

Not an issue at 1.62 m/s²

 

[BlackTalon]

It's the deccelleration that'll getcha...

 

[keepsonticking]

I'm still shocked that someone managed to crack one of those super plastic crystals without using a hammer. I've dropped and whacked them 100s of times, got many scratches, coupla gouges, but NEVER did one crack. Who else has actually cracked one by just dropping? Was the hard tile 50 ft from the drop point?

 

[jjen]

Completely ridiculous. Find a watchmaker with an Omega parts account. If you have trouble finding an independent watchmaker you can ask at an Omega AD or at a jewelry store that sells preowned watches

 

[ErichKeane]

Archer

A million different watches? No, no watchmaker is going to have that. In fact Omega doesn't have that.

However, I have gaskets for I would say many hundreds of different watches in stock:



And anything I don't have for an Omega is a few mouse clicks away from landing at my door...

If your choice is to always use the brand, well that's grand. But Omega doesn't have the capacity to do it all, and they know that there are plenty of watchmakers out there who are more than capable of servicing their watches. So Omega spends a lot of time, energy, and money to train and certify watchmakers outside their own service centers to service their watches...

There's only like 5 silicon o-ring manufacturers in the world, and they all make them to the same standardized sizes. Just about every watch made is going to use an 'off the shelf' o-ring made by one of those manufacturers. I'm guessing if you have ~500 different sizes, you have enough for basically every watch (as long as you're ok ignoring the name on the package that it was sold in for 30x markup ).

 

[502 to right]

J jjen

Completely ridiculous. Find a watchmaker with an Omega parts account. If you have trouble finding an independent watchmaker you can ask at an Omega AD or at a jewelry store that sells preowned watches

It's not completely ridiculous. Because the watch suffered a strong enough blow to crack the crystal Omega doesn't know what else, if anything, is wrong with the mechanicals unless they tear the watch down and rebuild it. If they just replaced the crystal without a service, which they certainly could do, if something were to go wrong with the watch once it got back to the owner they would have a complaint that Omega caused the problem even if they didn't. So it's cautious of them to require a full service.

An independent might just replace the crystal but they have one-on-one interaction with the customer, and would no doubt advise the customer to get a full service, and if the customer declined, explain that the watch would have no warranty if something were to go wrong in the future. I have a good relationship with an Omega trained/certified independent watchmaker and he's willing to do work for me that is less than a full service, but every time he explains to me there's no warranty if something comes up in the future. I think Omega prefers to avoid the possible hassle given they are dealing with thousands more customers per year than a one man independent shop. I don't think it's simply a cash grab.

 

[RI Omega Fan]

N ninman

So I dropped my watch on a hard tile floor and put 2 massive cracks in the hesalite crystal.

I went to the boutique and they told me they're going to have to open the watch up to check it all, so the total cost is going to be about 800usd.

Is this normal, or am I getting screwed here?

In the future, make it a habit to wind your Speedmaster over your first cup of coffee at the breakfast table.
DO NOT wind your Speedmaster while sitting on the toilet a little while later.

As for the cost of the repair, a wise man once said, “You pay for your lessons.”

 

[hen]

RI Omega Fan

In the future, make it a habit to wind your Speedmaster over your first cup of coffee at the breakfast table.
DO NOT wind your Speedmaster while sitting on the toilet a little while later.

As for the cost of the repair, a wise man once said, “You pay for your lessons.”

Or get a deployant strap?




or a seamaster automatic

 

[Pastorbottle]

D Duckie

Agreed.
And make sure you aren't wandering around or handling your watch willy nilly over tiled or concrete floors.
There are countless stories on these forums of grief when a watch meets hard surfaces. Especially from a height.

Ceramic floor tiles are bastards of things, anything dropped onto them shatters to bits…. Drop a diamond onto them and sweep up the dust!
Seriously if you drop a glass onto a wooden floor it may break but it usually breaks into a few pieces, easy to pick up.
Drop a similar glass onto a ceramic tile floor and it shatters into tiny shards, almost impossible to pick up, you usually find them next time you walk on that floor in bare feet!

 

[ninman]

Just a quick update. I got told that they checked the watch and it needs a complete service. However, they're having to order parts from Switzerland, so it's going to be delayed. That means they're waving the cost of a new crystal.