New Planet Ocean 8500 has dust particle under crystal. What are my options?

[rahul718]

I bought this new from my authorized dealer about a week ago and just yesterday I noticed a small piece of dust under the crystal. Before you ask, no, it's not a scratch on the outside. I'm a little upset and I emailed my AD and am awaiting a reply. In the meantime, here are two pictures. The first is an up close (between and below positions 10 and 11) and the second is from a few feet away where it's not noticeable. The close up makes it seem much worse than it really is.




Am I making a big deal about this? Why didn't Omega quality control catch this? If my AD offers to send it back for service, I'm not sure how I would feel about a new watch being opened so soon after purchase and the possibility of more dust particles entering. Aside from losing the red dot, is there any harm in having Omega repair rather than replace? Or should I just live with it? If I choose to let it be, is there any chance of this dust spec to enter the movement?

Thanks

 

[Linzer]

I think there is a good chance it will be replaced if you prefer. Few years ago I purchased a PO at an Omega AD. Next day I took the watch back because I noticed that the triangle on the bezel was one click offset. Instead of messing with it, they gave me a new one. You should get one too. You're expecting an immaculate watch when buying new from an AD.

 

[jfo2010]

I would expect a new one


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rahul718]

AD is saying they will send it to Omega. I'm not thrilled with this...

Do the ADs work with Omega sales reps or account managers? Maybe I should write to omega directly.

 

[rahul718]

rahul718

AD is saying they will send it to Omega. I'm not thrilled with this...I don't want a new watch that's already been opened and serviced.

Do the ADs work with Omega sales reps or account managers? Maybe I should write to omega directly.

 

[VicLeChic]

So annoying especially considering how much they ask for a PO these days. Makes me think, should we carry a magnifying glass when picking up our watches at the AD and carefully inspect them before purchasing?

 

[Jones in LA]

It's definitely not something that should be expected or accepted from a high-quality manufacturer like Omega. Apparently someone in the QC department was snoozing the day that watch left the factory. But QC faults do happen from time to time so it's now up to Omega to make things right for you. Your AD should have no reservations taking your complaint to Omega, as an AD has high expectations as well.

 

[attilaracz]

Hi Rahul, Sorry but I'm happy to hear that i'm not alone, the exact same thing happened to me as well. (2 dust particles) I've picked up my watch (8500 - 45.5mm) last thursday, and went back to the AD today, they'll take it apart and clean it out. However i'm really upset for no longer owning an "untouched" brand new watch. If i would find any sings of the repair i'll consider to raise a claim directly to Omega. For the money spend on it i would expect a flawless piece. Could you please share your experience though how they treated your issue?

Edited: Jun 7, 2016

 

[EatMan]

Interesting timing. I also found this morning a little speck of dust and almost the same spot as you, between 10 and 11. Had this piece for a couple of months now but didn't notice this before (the dust particle shifted around inside?) bought mine at an OB. Emailing my rep about this.

 

[rahul718]

A attilaracz

Hi Rahul, Sorry but I'm happy to hear that i'm not alone, the exact same thing happened to me as well. (2 dust particles) I've picked up my watch (8500 - 45.5mm) last thursday, and went back to the AD today, they'll take it apart and clean it out. However i'm really upset for no longer owning an "untouched" brand new watch. If i would find any sings of the repair i'll consider to raise a claim directly to Omega. For the money spend on it i would expect a flawlass piece. Could you please share your experience though how they treated your issue?

I'll definitely share my outcome. Do you have pics of yours? I'd love to hear your outcome as well

 

[rahul718]

EatMan

Interesting timing. I also found this morning a little speck of dust and almost the same spot as you, between 10 and 11. Had this piece for a couple of months now but didn't notice this before (the dust particle shifted around inside?) bought mine at an OB. Emailing my rep about this.

Please share your outcome. This is totally ridiculous for the amount of money we pay for these pieces

 

[Nobel Prize]

While I don't think it is a big deal or dangerous for the health of your watch I agree at the premium price asked your entitled to a perfect watch and if it's a day old I would expect an exchange, not a 3 month trip to Switzerland.

As for quality control it's thousands of watches in production so this gs like this happen, but then they should provide the solution to the issue.

On your last concern, omega doesn't use the red dot anymore, and your watch will be as good as new up arrival.

 

[attilaracz]

rahul718

I'll definitely share my outcome. Do you have pics of yours? I'd love to hear your outcome as well

My photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2u77nau02bzuk2e/AADX2aFMoDy4hNCJONDIgMKea?dl=0
Mine didn't came with a red dot et all, as far i'm concerned they are no longer used, neither the blue ones after the service.

 

[rahul718]

A attilaracz

My photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2u77nau02bzuk2e/AADX2aFMoDy4hNCJONDIgMKea?dl=0
Mine didn't came with a red dot et all, as far i'm concerned they are no longer used, neither the blue ones after the service.

This is such a shame...Please keep us updated on your status.

Regarding the red dot, mine has one right now and that's what I'd like to keep intact, regardless of whether the new ones come with or without it

 

[EatMan]

To date, OB has treated me extremely well and if they correct this issue under warranty fine with me. (found some old photos of the watch and the spec is definitely there from early on. Just did not notice. But since I have noticed, it does bug me a lot)

 

[rahul718]

I called the Omega boutique in NYC that has a watchmaker on site. I explained the situation over the phone and they said to bring the watch in and the watchmaker could very possibly do the fix on site rather than sending it out. But of course they need to see it first. Would you guys trust an onsite OB watchmaker for this or an Omega service facility?

 

[STANDY]

rahul718

This is such a shame...Please keep us updated on your status.

Regarding the red dot, mine has one right now and that's what I'd like to keep intact, regardless of whether the new ones come with or without it

Just get some model paint and put a red dot on it. @Archer can even give you the brand they used to use...

 

[Archer]

rahul718

Would you guys trust an onsite OB watchmaker for this or an Omega service facility?

If it is a boutique watchmaker yes, if it is a boutique "technician" then no. I would verify that it is a boutique watchmaker before having them do the work.

Some general information on such issues...

With regards to the QC of the watches for things like dust particles, it may be useful to understand the criteria Omega uses for such inspections. They do not use macro photography, loupes, etc. when checking this. They simply check by eye from 30 cm away under specific lighting, and if the dial looks clean at that distance, the watch passes. This is fairly standard protocol from watch manufacturers.

With regards to Omega's obligation under their warranty, although different countries may have laws that modify it, Omega will repair or replace the watches at their discretion. If you read the warranty in your owner's manual, you will likely see text to that effect, so there is likely no legal obligation for them to replace a watch for something so easily fixed. If they do so, it will be as a courtesy.

Personally I would not demand a new watch for something like this. Although it's disappointing to find a problem like this, it's not like it's a malfunction of the movement, or something more serious. I'm not sure I quite understand this idea of an "untouched" watch, because honestly it's been touched by a whole whack of people at the factory when it was manufactured and assembled, but that's just my view. This seems to me to be like trying to return a new car because an overhead light inside was burnt out, and replacing the bulb meant the car was no longer "untouched" somehow...

Cheers, Al

 

[rahul718]

meganfox17

Everyone 's got me nervous now[emoji17]
I'm using a Watchmakers Loupe Magnifier to search for foreign body/dust particles under the crystal

Preliminary examination in the OB seems ok & the buck stops here !
Heck ! I have a 4 yr warranty on the GB ..so What ...?[emoji36]
I'm not going to send my GB to the Omega Service Centre in the capital Kuala Lumpur for detailed inspection that's probably going to take a waiting agony period of 4-6 weeks!

I love my GB very much & want to enjoy wristing it to work. The presence of foreign body /dust particles under the crystal wont make any difference to me , i can live with it !

If the only way I could see this was with a loupe I wouldn't even care. But when it's visible to the naked eye, that just irks me!

 

[rahul718]

Archer

If it is a boutique watchmaker yes, if it is a boutique "technician" then no. I would verify that it is a boutique watchmaker before having them do the work.

Some general information on such issues...

With regards to the QC of the watches for things like dust particles, it may be useful to understand the criteria Omega uses for such inspections. They do not use macro photography, loupes, etc. when checking this. They simply check by eye from 30 cm away under specific lighting, and if the dial looks clean at that distance, the watch passes. This is fairly standard protocol from watch manufacturers.

With regards to Omega's obligation under their warranty, although different countries may have laws that modify it, Omega will repair or replace the watches at their discretion. If you read the warranty in your owner's manual, you will likely see text to that effect, so there is likely no legal obligation for them to replace a watch for something so easily fixed. If they do so, it will be as a courtesy.

Personally I would not demand a new watch for something like this. Although it's disappointing to find a problem like this, it's not like it's a malfunction of the movement, or something more serious. I'm not sure I quite understand this idea of an "untouched" watch, because honestly it's been touched by a whole whack of people at the factory when it was manufactured and assembled, but that's just my view. This seems to me to be like trying to return a new car because an overhead light inside was burnt out, and replacing the bulb meant the car was no longer "untouched" somehow...

Cheers, Al

You make some good points Al. With regard to the OB in NYC, it's one of the VERY few in the tristate area to have an onsite watchmaker. The other OBs have technicians. Since this is your line of work, what's entailed with this? Does the movement need to be removed? The same OB informed me that to replace the sapphire crystal on my SMPc 300m (due to a scratch), the movement would need to be removed. Just wondering if that's standard practice. How straightforward is removal of a dust particle?

I was tracking the accuracy and this watch is at +1 second per day. My other PO8500 is at +3/day but it's also 3 years old. So I'm very happy with this watch aside from the dust mark. So I wouldn't want a replacement at this point. I just want the repair to be as good as new.

Regarding the idea of an untouched watch, it's just my (probably uninformed) view that pieces like this operate best when they come sealed from the factory and once they've been opened up it causes potential for more issues that weren't there before. I've gotten over the desire to have the red dot in place as I'm not interested in resale value - this is a watch I plan to keep for a very long time.