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New Member, New Omega On The Horizon

OrangeSport
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Evening all, first post here. I am about to add an Omega to my collection, my first Omega in fact. I have decided to buy a Speedmaster Professional 3575.50.00. I have fallen for the history and glamour associated with this model, as well as the classic and clean styling. Am just looking for the best deal on a new piece, and a free day to get out and get it.

I am guessing there are a good few owners on here. Be interested in your thoughts on living with the Speedmaster. Any issues? Has it been reliable? Does the bracelet last well? Anything I need to be aware of?

Looking forward to adding this to the rotation, probably as my weekend watch. It should sit nicely with my other pieces.



 
dsio
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Speedmaster Pro is reliable as they come, thats why there are so many from the 1960s and 1970s in great condition still after daily use for decades. The modern bracelets are great, although a little difficult to size yourself. You'll never regret buying a Speedmaster Pro. You buying new or used?
 
OrangeSport
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Definitely new, I prefer to be the first owner and know the watch's entire history.
 
STANDY
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Only issue is your other watches will sit around for a few weeks waiting for you to take it off.
 
OrangeSport
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Ha! Maybe, but I tend to have watches for purposes / uses. I guess this will be in direct competition with my Sub 14060m though. I think it's the symmetry of the faces on both of these two which I really like.

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They are very similar in that respect. My Meistersinger, which is my dress watch, shares the same qualities actually. It's definitely something I look for in my better watches.
 
Privateday7
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Welcome and congrats on acquiring such fine time pieces with very rich history.
Several things for new speedy owners:
1. The watch need fully winding about 90-100 turns after full stop, and about 30 turns each morning. Make it as a habit, I found it as a relaxing and addicting ritual.
2. The hesalite crystal is very tough, but easily scratched. So if you use it as tool watch soon it will have many fine scratches. Don't worry, you can go to a decent watchmaker and asked them to polish the crystal to remove those scratches (you can do it yourself, but in my case I'll just leave it to the pro) or scheduling to replace the crystal altogether every service time (every ~5 years). The good news it is relatively cheap.
3. It is a space and speed watch, not diving watch. So once or twice for swimming is fine but not more than that. Never use the chronograph function under water.

I think Speedy pro is few of watches that looks cool with scratch and fading as much as when it is shiny new.
 
OrangeSport
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Thanks for the info. No worries re swimming. Although I have the Sub anyway, I actually use my Orange Monster or one of my G-Shocks for that. I find swimming really gets my watches bashed up, so i just use beaters. It won't be babied, but it won't be a beater either. Like my Sub though, it'll no doubt pick up some interesting reminders of its adventures which can be put right service time. It's just my dress watches that I really like to keep immaculate.

Thanks for the info on winding. Can these be over-wound, or is there a clutch system like an auto has? Does using the chronograph dramatically reduce the power reserve? Are they pretty well shielded against magnetism too?

I have seen some people report issues with the chrono hands not hitting the hour markers. Is that common?

Last question (for now), is it easy to remove scratches from the crystal with polyglass, or, I have hard, even toothpaste?
 
Privateday7
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OrangeSport OrangeSport
Thanks for the info on winding. Can these be over-wound, or is there a clutch system like an auto has? Does using the chronograph dramatically reduce the power reserve?

Nope, you will break the stem before you can break the mainspring by overwound, so no worry there. Never winding while in your hand!!! Somehow it may break the stem beacause the angle pressure created (I've never experienced it but heard other stories).

Running chronograph of course affecting the power reserve but I have not try it. Why dont you try some experiment and tell us the result? (My speedy pro power reserve is 58 hours)

OrangeSport OrangeSport
Are they pretty well shielded against magnetism too?
There are soft iron movement cover that supposed to protect the movement. But I guess only to ordinary magnetic expose such as speaker or household trafo. I doubt it could stand MRI, accelerator or industrial scale trafo.

OrangeSport OrangeSport
I have seen some people report issues with the chrono hands not hitting the hour markers. Is that common?
I am not sure what you mean by that. I expect you are familiar with chronograph function where the moving second is in 9 oclock subdial not the big second hand.

OrangeSport OrangeSport
Last question (for now), is it easy to remove scratches from the crystal with polyglass, or, I have hard, even toothpaste?



I don't know, I leave it to the pro. It is easy enough for them 😉.

Enjoy the speedy....cheers
 
cicindela
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OrangeSport OrangeSport
I have seen some people report issues with the chrono hands not hitting the hour markers. Is that common?

Last question (for now), is it easy to remove scratches from the crystal with polyglass, or, I have hard, even toothpaste?
Yes, over time the cam on the hour wheel can wear, necessitating replacement during regular servicing. This can cause "hour creep" and not hitting the 0 mark on reset. This is a maintenance issue not a defect. The skilled watchmaker is your friend.

Yes, the Hesalitecrystal can easily be polished with Polywatch
 
Archer
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Privateday7 Privateday7
Running chronograph of course affecting the power reserve but I have not try it. Why dont you try some experiment and tell us the result? (My speedy pro power reserve is 58 hours)

Enjoy the speedy....cheers

Actually, it doesn't affect the power reserve. The watch will stop sooner with the chronograph on than with it off (due to the added load of moving the chronograph parts) but the power reserve is still the same. If you run it with the chronograph on until it stops, then turn the chronograph on again, it will keep running.

Cheers, Al
 
Archer
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cicindela cicindela
Yes, over time the cam on the hour wheel can wear, necessitating replacement during regular servicing. This can cause "hour creep" and not hitting the 0 mark on reset. This is a maintenance issue not a defect. The skilled watchmaker is your friend.

Yes, the Hesalitecrystal can easily be polished with Polywatch

The cam wears (I replace them often) but that is not related to hour counter creep, since the cam is only used during the reset of the hand. Wear on the teeth of the wheel (which is where the brake contacts the wheel to stop it from turning) can cause the creep to happen. Usually creep is repaired by adjusting the brake slightly.

This photo may help explain things...



You can see the hour recorder wheel there and I have added a red arrow to show where the brake contacts the wheel to stop it from turning. The part with the red X is the hour hammer, which is what resets the hour recorder. As you can see with the chronograph stopped, and the hands reset, the hammer is retracted and not in contact with the hour recorder at all. On the seconds and minutes on the train side of the movement, the hammer stays in contact with the cams to keep everything in place, but not with the hour recorder. The green arrow shows the eccentric that is adjusted to eliminate the creep.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Al
 
cicindela
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Archer Archer
The cam wears (I replace them often) but that is not related to hour counter creep, since the cam is only used during the reset of the hand. Wear on the teeth of the wheel (which is where the brake contacts the wheel to stop it from turning) can cause the creep to happen. Usually creep is repaired by adjusting the brake slightly.

This photo may help explain things...



You can see the hour recorder wheel there and I have added a red arrow to show where the brake contacts the wheel to stop it from turning. The part with the red X is the hour hammer, which is what resets the hour recorder. As you can see with the chronograph stopped, and the hands reset, the hammer is retracted and not in contact with the hour recorder at all. On the seconds and minutes on the train side of the movement, the hammer stays in contact with the cams to keep everything in place, but not with the hour recorder. The green arrow shows the eccentric that is adjusted to eliminate the creep.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Al
Great clarification and correction, as usual Al. Is the adjust to the brake a positive or negative adjustment, that is, more or less contact? I would assume positive.
 
Archer
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More contact - however there is a limit to how far over it can go before it becomes difficult to reset. If you look just below the X on the hammer there is a small post, and this contacts the angled surface of the brake to move the brake out of the way when the hammer comes in contact with the cam to reset it. The post slides down that angled surface during the reset, and too much engagement here can cause the reset to be quite difficult.

In that case replacing either the hour wheel or brake would be needed, but that is pretty rare for the creeping issue.

Cheers, Al
 
cicindela
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Archer Archer
More contact - however there is a limit to how far over it can go before it becomes difficult to reset. If you look just below the X on the hammer there is a small post, and this contacts the angled surface of the brake to move the brake out of the way when the hammer comes in contact with the cam to reset it. The post slides down that angled surface during the reset, and too much engagement here can cause the reset to be quite difficult.

In that case replacing either the hour wheel or brake would be needed, but that is pretty rare for the creeping issue.

Cheers, Al
Yes, I have had to deal with the critical angle of attack of the brake with that post on the hammer, quite tricky until I figured it out. This was when I replaced that 321 hour zero out stem and hour pusher lever that you helped me with. Sure could have used you over my shoulder 😁
 
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