Omega Co Axial Speedmaster Racing winding

Hi guys,

I’m sure you had this question a million times already, but: I have this Omega Co-axial speedmaster racing (38mm, 3300 calibre). And the manual says wind the watch until it gives resistance. However, on the other calibres in the manual it says wind clockwise or counter clockwise. In my manual, it just says wind without specificing which way. If I try to go up, I feel immediate ressistance and it feels unnatural. If I go down, I get that sweet clicking sound but it does not seem to do anything. I feel like it starts running just because I move the watch while holding it.

Going up seems to be almost locked at any time? No matter if it’s full or empty. I read on other forums it’s just very sturdy but I feel like I break it going up.

For now I will just wind by wearing to avoid damage. Anyone has the same experience?

With a modern Omega automatic movement, you won’t hit a hard stop or even feel a significant change in resistance, most likely. Winding is clockwise. I don’t think you’ll hurt anything winding counterclockwise, but you also won’t wind the watch that way.

Some Omegas (like an Aqua Terra I had recently) can be incredibly stiff to wind—like you can’t believe how much torque it takes to turn the crown. Others are smoother. Just varies.

Give it about 50 good turns and it should be good, especially if you wear it.

Appreciate the reply @Annapolis. Thank you!

It was indeed just stiffer than expected and I was maybe a bit too careful. When turning clockwise I managed to wind it up and hear the sound as well when putting it near my ear. It worked.

Last question: does it matter if I let it go empty once in a while? It’s not my daily watch for me. Is it better to have a watch winder? Just like to know how to keep it in mint condition.

Cheers

No problem to let it wind down. No need for a winder—other than to get around the annoyance (if you find it annoying to do so) of having to wind and set the watch every time you bring it back into the rotation. The wisdom here seems to be that the winder just adds more wear and tear (like keeping your car running). But know that wearing the watch less will not mean that it won’t need a service every decade or so—the oils will still dry out whether you wear it or not.

Re: the stiff winding issue, some reading:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/aqua-terra-stiff-wind-anyone.110571/

I see. Everything seems normal now. Thank you!