Has anyone encountered the 4-5 year service requirement recommended by Omega? I have a Constellation purchased new in September 2009 from reputable Perth jeweller. For the first time I have just lodged the watch with Omega for battery replacement. They now advise that it requires an entire movement exchange - for around $600.

Is my Constellation going to cost me this much money every few years? I thought it could be something I could leave to my grandchildren, but I can't burden them with this ongoing expense. I believed that the movement was quality - but how is this defined if it doesn't work after 4 years?

I have a Seiko purchased new in 1982 which still keeps perfect time and looks beautiful, with nothing but battery replacement undertaken. I also have a Citizen (which I have given a hammering) purchased new in 2000 - after many years of daily dips in the ocean and gardening and renovating wearing this watch, it has never required anything more than replacement battery - and pressure testing still confirms it is just fine. I love watches and the first watch I ever purchased (a Swiss Felicia wind-up, and, I still remember exactly how much it cost) was in 1963 - it lasted for 16 years working perfectly until I leant it to my sister who didn't like it and threw it away. I have had cheap Asian knock-offs for fashion purposes which lasted more than 4 years.

In 50 years I have never had a watch that has failed as spectactularly as my purchase of a lifetime!

 

Why would it need an entire movement change? Was it keeping time correctly?

 

BTW, if you want a TRUE heirloom buy a mechanical, not quartz.

 

it was keeping time until the battery died..... the service department tell me that service is necessary and they don't service the movement due to labour costs, and it needs replacement.

 

I took it in immediately it stopped.... yes, it seems that water has entered the watch as the movement is corroded, but, my instruction manual simply stated that it should be rinsed in warm water after bathing in the ocean. It also stated that service required 4-5 years. They now tell me that the seals need to be replaced every two years..... while it may have had an excursion at the beach it was not frequent and I usually wore the good old Citizen

 

There is nothing in the instructions that states this.....how is anyone to know? this is what they tell me now..... and you are repeating the Omega story, which is not mentioned in the manual, and was not advised to me at the time of purchase

 

By the way, my Mecedes is still going well and costing me less than this watch after almost 20 years of good service ..... I take care of my investments and usually get good wear out of them. This has been a major disappointment.

 

Omega used ETA quartz movements for most of their "modern" quartz watches. If you check with an independent watchmaker he may swap the movement for an equivalent ETA movement. As an example the Omega caliber 1532 should be equivalent to a ETA 255.111. The complete ETA movement should as parts retail around GBP100 or less (depending on your watchmakers markup).

 

thank you for your advice.... however, I am curious to know what people think about the claim to superior workmanship when this happens .... and, it seems to me from this forum to be accepted as the norm with this item.

I am still questioning why I spent money on what I thought was a quality item only to find that the ongoing maintenance costs are so high. If it is really a quality item I should be able to rely on it to perform for many years

 

The Connie range was never really a sports watch as such. I guess it will handle a round on the golf track, however for swimming the Seamaster range is the way to go.

I do fully understand your disappointment though.

Water ingress is something of the worst that can happen to a watch movement.
Waterproof capabilities has little to do with the price. You can buy GBP 50.000+ watches that should be kept far away from water, and you can pick up cheap ones that will happily join you on a scuba trip (Seiko/Citizen or even cheaper).
Workmanship and waterproofness is not really connected. One of my dream watches would be the Breguet classic tourbillion chronograph. Nobody(?) would question the workmanship of such a delicate watch, but it would be total lunacy to bring along for a swim.
A little like taking your Ferrari around an off-road track.

 

One thing to take note if you own an expensive quartz watch is to change you battery every maybe 2-3 years. Never wait for the battery to go entirely dry. Could it be a battery leak that warrants the entire movement to be replaced?

 

Can you please tell me what is the point of having a watch which simply can't cope with daily wear?

 

This has not been my experience with other watches. Why is it that this supposedly high quality watch requires this attention?

 

do you work for Omega? why does the Omega require more maintenance than other watches? As well as the 30 year old Seiko, and the 13 year old Citizen, I also have a 6 year old Skagen which is working perfectly without any other attention.

Are you saying that to keep this watch I will need to pay this kind of money every couple years?