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Misaligned Hour Hand on a New Omega SMP Diver 300M?

O
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Roughly three months ago I purchased a brand new Seamaster Diver 300M from an Omega boutique (with a 5-yr warranty)

I’ve recently noticed that the hour hand is misaligned by about 3 minutes (evident in the photos). It’s obviously bothering me, how should I go about fixing this??

I would really hate having the watch opened up (creating a potential for scratches, dust, WR compromise, etc.), and a replacement seems far-fetched. How would you approach this? Thanks!
Edited:
 
dstfno
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Don't worry about the watch being opened. Online you will find many horror stories but in reality the Omega service is done very well in the vast majority of cases. If you didn't know, you wouldn't be able to tell that it was opened.
 
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dstfno dstfno
Don't worry about the watch being opened. Online you will find many horror stories but in reality the Omega service is done very well in the vast majority of cases. If you didn't know, you wouldn't be able to tell that it was opened.
This would require a full Omega service? I was under the impression that it would be a simple hand removal and replacement. I still haven’t talked to my service center as I’d like some guidance on how to approach such an issue first. I’ve never seen hand misalignments like this before (not even in $200 Seikos/Citizens autos).
 
C
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Send. It. Back. I know no company can be perfect, there will always be mistakes. However, that's a glaring flaw that would drive me batty. I just sent my Omega back to the service center after a full service because it came back to me with a misaligned bezel of 1 or 1.5 minutes.
 
C
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O Omega Fan1
This would require a full Omega service? I was under the impression that it would be a simple hand removal and replacement. I still haven’t talked to my service center as I’d like some guidance on how to approach such an issue first. I’ve never seen hand misalignments like this before (not even in $200 Seikos/Citizens autos).
If you bought it new 3 months ago, it's under warranty. I think misaligned hands should absolutely be covered. It is, after all, a watch in the end, and the hands accurately pointing on the dial is kind of the whole point.
 
O
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C ChiefMark
Send. It. Back. I know no company can be perfect, there will always be mistakes. However, that's a glaring flaw that would drive me batty. I just sent my Omega back to the service center after a full service because it came back to me with a misaligned bezel of 1 or 1.5 minutes.
Thanks. It really is frustrating, considering it isn’t the first QC issue on the watch as well. Would you be worried about the hands getting scratched from the re-application? That’s the reason I may hold off, or at least until the warranty is almost out.
 
Evitzee
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I'm not sure what the spec is on hand alignment but if it is out of Omega spec, and it is bothering you, then take it back to the OB and have them send it in for correction. I would normally overlook something like this because anytime you open up the watch you risk an errant mark or bit of dust under the dial, but everyone's tolerance is different.
 
O
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Evitzee Evitzee
I'm not sure what the spec is on hand alignment but if it is out of Omega spec, and it is bothering you, then take it back to the OB and have them send it in for correction. I would normally overlook something like this because anytime you open up the watch you risk an errant mark or bit of dust under the dial, but everyone's tolerance is different.
I read somewhere that it’s +/- 2 minutes. There’s also a lot of gear slack (it aligns when turning counterclockwise, but returns to the misaligned state when clockwise). I feel like this is a systemic issue with the 8800 movement, and many people haven’t realized it yet.
 
G
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send it back. it is a simple job to realign. if done correctly you will not be able to tell it hasd been opened
 
C
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O Omega Fan1
Thanks. It really is frustrating, considering it isn’t the first QC issue on the watch as well. Would you be worried about the hands getting scratched from the re-application? That’s the reason I may hold off, or at least until the warranty is almost out.
If they scratch the hands, which I doubt, they’re very likely to replace them, especially on a brand new watch. You’ll be without it for a bit, but in the long run you want to be satisfied when you check the time.
 
zeiter
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I would have to get that corrected, despite the inconvenience.

How much did METAS/COSC accuracy contribute to the consideration of this movement? It’s such a quality piece when correctly setup and adjusted.

Send it ——->
 
O
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zeiter zeiter
I would have to get that corrected, despite the inconvenience.

How much did METAS/COSC accuracy contribute to the consideration of this movement? It’s such a quality piece when correctly setup and adjusted.

Send it ——->
The movement is OK at best. It’s a stable movement, but it has very wide tolerances (across the adjusted positions). Night resting positions have a huge impact on accuracy, and it’s a watch you really have to “tame”. With effort, I gain 2 seconds during the day and lose 0.5-1 seconds at night (crown down). If left dial up, it gains 6 seconds in 24hrs. Hope this helps.
 
M
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Omega service is the reasonable alternative. It'll be perfect when it returns.
 
O
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M Mac-427
Omega service is the reasonable alternative. It'll be perfect when it returns.
Are you talking about the Omega service in Switzerland, or the local authorized Omega service centres?
 
dstfno
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O Omega Fan1
The movement is OK at best. It’s a stable movement, but it has very wide tolerances (across the adjusted positions). Night resting positions have a huge impact on accuracy, and it’s a watch you really have to “tame”. With effort, I gain 2 seconds during the day and lose 0.5-1 seconds at night (crown down). If left dial up, it gains 6 seconds in 24hrs. Hope this helps.
I think saying it's OK at best is quite harsh. In the end it's not the individual positions on paper that matter but the overall timekeeping when you wear the watch during your daily routine.

My 300M gains 1 second per day, which means for me that I don't have to adjust time for 2 months until the offset start bothering me. That's quartz territory and I really couldn't ask for more.
 
O
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dstfno dstfno
I think saying it's OK at best is quite harsh. In the end it's not the individual positions on paper that matter but the overall timekeeping when you wear the watch during your daily routine.

My 300M gains 1 second per day, which means for me that I don't have to adjust time for 2 months until the offset start bothering me. That's quartz territory and I really couldn't ask for more.
The movement has a 14 second tolerance across adjusted positions. I’m in the 2-3 s/d territory only because I’m always cognizant of not leaving the watch in the dial up position. Check the gear slack on your watch, I’ve tested several examples and it’s quite large.

I don’t want to bash this watch, I love mine despite the flaws. But next time I buy a modern Omega I’m bringing a loupe and a timegrapher
 
Archer
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O Omega Fan1
The movement has a 14 second tolerance across adjusted positions.

No, the tolerance is 12 seconds at full wind across 6 positions.
 
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Archer Archer
No, the tolerance is 12 seconds at full wind across 6 positions.
No, it’s actually 14. I’m referring to the delta. Here are my watch’s results via the Omega website:
204F95CB-A9A2-46D7-9063-17CADC7FE9FB.jpeg
 
Archer
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O Omega Fan1
No, it’s actually 14. I’m referring to the delta. Here are my watch’s results via the Omega website:
204F95CB-A9A2-46D7-9063-17CADC7FE9FB.jpeg

Yes, I know what that means. Omega's internal tolerance for this is 12.
 
O
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Archer Archer
Yes, I know what that means. Omega's internal tolerance for this is 12.
Well, it says 14 on the official paperwork so there’s no reason for me not to believe it’s 14. Never knew there were internal/external tolerances for these results. Thanks.
 
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