Hello all!

I know this has been discussed before, and I did do a search. However, I got mixed answers, so I contacted Omega directly, and was further confused! I am hoping all you fine people can help me out!

I have an Omega Seamaster Professional 300m that I bought in June 2019. At the time, I had no idea what the “master chronometer” meant, and I much preferred the clean blue dial vs the wave dial. I ended up purchasing reference 212.30.41.20.03.001 with the Omega 2500 movement. Had I known the characteristics that make the master chronometer movement so great, I would have gone with that, but hindsight is 20/20!

The question I have is how durable and shock/magnetic resistant is my watch with the 2500 movement? I have seen everything in here from “handle it with silk gloves” to “they used to wear mechanical watches in war, so you could go to battle with it” and everything in between!

I contacted Omega directly and asked specifically about durability during activities like playing drums and going to the shooting range as well as magnetism while going through metal detectors and screenings at airports and government buildings (I go through these frequently for work). The response I got from them was that without the Master Chronometer designation, I shouldn’t take my watch hear speakers, handbags, or even a refrigerator! With regard to shock, they said I could wear my watch while golfing or sailing, but said nothing about the specific activities I asked about, not any general “it can handle this much of a hit/bump.”

The final statement they said was that Omega watches are built to stand the test of time and are all tested to official NIHS as well as internal Swatch Group norms. However, when doing a search, I cannot find what the NIHS or Swatch criteria are for my movement!

All of this is very confusing for me. I would love to wear my Seamaster every day and with all activities, but I also want peace of mind that it will be accurate and I will not destroy the movement! I don’t care about the cosmetics of the case or bracelet, as I believe the more scuffs, the more it is loved. I just want to make sure it can handle everything on the inside.

I appreciate if anyone has any insight or personal experience with the Omega 2500 movement, or if anyone has any information on the NIHS and Swatch testing.

I do plan on having my watch serviced at the recommended 5-8 year intervals (recommended by the Omega rep I communicated with).

Thanks everyone!

 

I have no specific knowledge or advice re. the 2500, but I jog, mountain bike, sail and swim with my 2018 SMP 300 Diver. I don't golf, but do play squash and tennis, and was told that the percussive shock of a club hitting a ball might be a problem for mechanical watches generally, if not the Omegas in particular.

Mine has held up beautifully through some pretty heavy-duty activities, but I stay away from those where short, sharp shocks are involved. There I use a Seiko or G-Shock built for that kind of rough stuff.

 

Hey mate

Your Omega can handle pretty much anything your prepared to put your wrist through. These watches are designed for everyday wear and handle anything that entails including sporting activities etc.

Whilst i cant profess to being a one watch person - i certainly have a watch on my wrist 24/7 and do most of the activities you have noted. In my profession i also regularly drive on severely corrugated roads (better known as washboard roads in the US) which will rattle your car to bits. My predominantly steer with the same arm on which i wear the watch and have no ill effects to date.

Enjoy wearing your watch and stop stressing about this.......

Cheers
Jeelan

 

I would defer to others on the specifics, but suspect the magnetic resistance is fairly low, around 4,800 A/m, which is close to 60 Gauss. That’s low enough that magnetic iPad covers, speakers and similar devices could magnetize your movement or parts thereof depending on proximity and duration of exposure. I haven’t had an issue with my watches (including the 2500D Seamaster Pro), but your mileage may very. I wouldn’t worry about avoiding refrigerators though, unless you’re on a diet.

As for resistance to shock, I think you’re probably going to be okay with either movement. The 88XX movements have a bridge mounted balance wheel, which is more ridged than a cock-mounted balance wheel...but the Speedmaster went to the moon and back using a balance cock, so surely it’s durable enough. With the exception of the escapement, I think much of the 2500 architecture is based on the ETA 2892A2 movement, which is a very reliable workhorse.

I’d be more worried about a hard knock chipping or cracking the ceramic bezel on either version rather than adversely affecting the movement. Archer has serviced 2500 movements before; you might want to search for his threads.

 

I echo the advice to not overthink it, and just enjoy the watch. You can buy a demagnetizer for under $20 and when I do anything that I think might adversely affect the watch (shooting, using a hammer drill, oscillating polisher, etc.) then I simply take it off and slip it into my pocket.