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  1. OneEyeMan Jul 26, 2017

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    What's the concensus on Omega service centers in the USA?
    I've heard some horror stories from various service centers but I'm sure there must be a few good ones around.
    Or, should the watch just be dropped off at an Omega boutique and sent to Switzerland for service?
    I'd like to hear your experiences either way, cost, time away, satisfaction with the job, communication, etc.
    Thanks all,
    Lenny
     
  2. Foo2rama Keeps his worms in a ball instead of a can. Jul 26, 2017

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    Really depends on age and model of watch.
     
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  3. sgrossma Jul 27, 2017

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    Depends if it is a vintage or modern watch. They, just like IWC and many other brands are required to swap hands, etc. during routine service... hand swap is mandatory. So if its a modern watch, no worries....
     
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  4. OneEyeMan Jul 27, 2017

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    OK, this would be for a modern watch.
    What's the best choice then?
     
  5. shutterlife Jul 27, 2017

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    If you're in the US, your OB will not send it to Switzerland for service. The will take care of all the shipping expenses for you though. Which one they send it to, is based on the OB location. I had my Seamaster Pro serviced at Culver City a couple years ago without any problems.
     
  6. Foo2rama Keeps his worms in a ball instead of a can. Jul 27, 2017

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    Modern watch with s co axial, no issues going through omega.
     
  7. ras47 Jul 27, 2017

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    I took my 44.25mm Co-Axial Moonwatch Chronograph to the OB in Short Hills NJ and they sent it to the NYC 5th Ave. service center. Took 2 weeks to get the bezel replaced but the service was superb. Highly recommend. The delay was due to nobody realizing that the watch needed several bezel components that have to be ordered individually. They thought gaskets and washers would be included with the new bezel but that is not the case.

    I've heard nothing but horror stories about Rolex Service Centers, but Omega seems to be the polar opposite.
     
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  8. OneEyeMan Jul 27, 2017

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    This is good news as I live in NJ and have 2 newer Omegas.
    Thanks
     
  9. ctpete Jul 27, 2017

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    I've had several modern Omega watches serviced in the USA by having an OB send them in for service. I have never had anything but a perfect experience doing this.
     
  10. yinzerniner Jul 27, 2017

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    Have heard nothing but horror stories regarding the Seacacus Swatch service center, but my rudimentary reporting is certainly skewed towards the negative as most people don't report when they've had adequate or even good service experiences.

    The service center in the OB 5th Ave nyc has provided nothing but incredible work when I've utilized them, but I don't think the do full mechanical services, only some parts replacements, hardware fixes and the like.

    That being said Nesbitts in Seattle is Omega's west coast service center and have heard nothing but great things about them. And I think that you can request which service center to use when doing a full mechanical service through OB's, with the only caveat being different delivery/wait estimates.

    I don't think OBs send pieces to Switzerland anymore unless it's an exceedingly difficult circumstance or a much older timepiece.
     
  11. ras47 Jul 27, 2017

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    10+ years ago my Seamaster was sent to Switzerland for maintenance. Now the OBs do some work themselves and send pieces to a service center only if the in-house tech can't handle the job. My Co-Axial Speedy went to NYC only because the OB didn't yet have the tools to work on the relatively new 44.25mm models.
     
  12. glownyc Jul 27, 2017

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    You can find a price list on the Omega website.
     
  13. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Jul 28, 2017

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    I don't believe Nesbitts has been an official service center for a few years now.
     
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  14. 2ar2c1 Jul 28, 2017

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    the local Culver City service center has good and very bad reviews, so the experience is mixed.
     
  15. sarir97 Jul 28, 2017

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    That's correct. I just sent in a modern coaxial watch through my local OB for service and it's going to the Swatch Group US service center in Seattle.
     
  16. sevenhelmet Jul 28, 2017

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    They may not be "official", but are definitely still an authorized service center. My Speedy is up there right now for repairs.
     
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  17. yinzerniner Jul 28, 2017

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    Dern, that's too bad, but not surprising considering the consolidation Swatch group enacted a few years ago.

    But they still have another service center in Seattle I believe, right?
     
  18. Thrasher36 Jul 28, 2017

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    Use Archer, I did and the service is #1. A friend of mine used him also and was super happy
     
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  19. sevenhelmet Jul 28, 2017

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    I chose Nesbit's over Omega official service for my watch mainly due to all the positive reviews I found. My experience with Nesbit's so far has borne that out- they've been great to deal with, especially since my situation involved an insurance claim.

    The only downside was the wait for parts- almost 4 weeks (!!!). The folks at Nesbit's apologized for the delay and said Omega has been very slow with parts lately. No big deal to me- I expected this to take a couple of months, watches always seem to take a long time.
     
  20. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Jul 28, 2017

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    I guess it depends on what you mean - it seems like semantics but there is a difference. The easiest way to describe it is in terms of the relationship to Omega. An official service center is a place that offers a warranty that would be honoured at any official Omega service center around the world, and a place that will perform repairs under an Omega warranty. That's what they used to be, but as noted have not been for a while now.

    They are now the same as any other watchmaker (like me) who has met Omega's requirements, and has access to purchase parts and equipment from Omega. They no longer repair watches under Omega's warranty, and watches that they repair will not have an Omega warranty, but a Nesbitt warranty. So you can't take a watch repaired by them to another Omega service center for repairs if needed, and get it repaired under warranty. They can now charge whatever they want for a service, rather then use Omega's standard service pricing - however it looks like for the most part they charge what Omega does, and have the same sort of policies with regards to replacing parts that a service center would, at least from what I've seen so far.

    Not saying that this takes away from the quality of the work they do, but there is a difference.

    Cheers, Al
     
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