So without incident while I am sitting at my desk at work I hear a plop and found my upper pusher button for the Chronograph on my desk. It causally fell out. It did not seem, to my surprise, that it is a screw-in push button and when I called my watch guy at the local Omega Boutique he said to push it in really hard until it sticks. He also said to bring it in to him when I can so he can take a look but there was no need for alarm.

Beside my fear of it falling out again while walking in the street my new fear is after I pushed it in the button now it seems to be deeper seated than the lower button (see pictures).

The chronograph functions still work so that is good.

But is this a comment ailment of Omega Speedys?!

 

It's not all together unknown... how old is it, and has it ever been serviced?

 

I'm also concerned the watch is currently NOT waterproof since I can clearly see the ebauche when peering inside the vacant push button hole.

What do you guys think?

 

Well that's a bummer - it is under a 2 year warranty though (if it's just been serviced by omega as your post previously said)... and a full service on one of these includes crown and pushers... so suspect either something wasntbseated correctly, or a duff part.

You're 100% on it no longer being water resistant... I'd get it back to them ASAP.

 

Just put it in a ziplock bag so everything stays safe and use another watch until it's fixed.

You do have another watch.................don't you?

 

Or if you're a technically McGyverishly oriented person, then............

 

Looks like this one was bought from my Ebay store. All bets should be off after almost a month but what the hey - @delmarco send this back to me and I'll have it fixed gratis and sent back to you.

 

Thanks!!!! you guys are awesome!
I highly recommend watch vault!

 

Not when they are serviced correctly...

I just replaced 2 sets of these on watches last week, and they should not press in as easy as that one did (with your fingers) as they are an interference fit that requires a press to install. Also as Jim noted, Omega specs call for Loctite retaining compound to be applied, so it's possible that was not done, or things were not properly cleaned/prepared before application.

Looking at the exact same model I just replaced the pushers on, it appears that the lower pusher may not be fully seated, as I can see what looks like a gap there between the shoulder on the pusher tube and the case - a clear shot of both pushers from the back side of the watch will show the situation better if you can post one. The angle makes it difficult to tell, but it seems to be sitting higher than normal from the case (bottom of the pusher cap should be slightly below the cut out in the case, and it looks even with the case in that angle).

As noted the watch is not water resistant now, and there is a chance debris (either external or residue from the Loctite if it was applied) has entered the case/movement. Omega would likely insist on a service if you brought it to them.

Cheers, Al

 

Good eyes Archer it is seated very high.
I left the watch home and sealed in a Ziplock bag today and wore my Orient Bambino II to work today so I won't be able to take a picture until tonight.
Yes the lower pusher is seated high. I'm utterly surprised these pushers (on a $2,000+ Omega) are not factory-screwed in. I'm not even sure after service that I would ever take this watch into water (well I definitely won't be using the pushers under water).

 

Well, ironically these are rated for more depth/pressure than a Speedmaster Pro is (100m for these and 50 for the Pro), which has pushers that screw into the case. If done properly press in pushers and snap on case backs (your watch has both) can be quite water resistant, but the watch has to be in good condition. I don't know who serviced this watch last, but unless the repair for this is just someone sticking the pusher back in, the case will have to be opened, and a new case back gasket is required when that happens. The gaskets are plastic and compress when the case back is installed (again using a press) and once they have been used once, they never seal the same again, so the gasket should be replaced if the case is opened.

By the way the pushers on this watch are fine if seated properly, but even so they are not rated to be used under water. Once the repair is done you should get pressure testing results back to prove that the watch has been properly sealed.

Cheers, Al

 

I had NO idea that there are recent Omegas that have snap backs!

 

All the various "Sides Of The Milking"...errr...I mean "Sides Of The Moon" watches have snap on case backs, plus the Silver Snoopy, just to name a few even more recent than the OP's watch...

 

If I was to use Loctite 680 to put back in the pusher so it sits securely on the case. Is there any method or tricks to this or is it as simple as dabbing the pusher neck in loctite and putting it back into the hole and waiting for it to dry?

 

Step 1: Send it to a watchmaker who know's what they're doing.

Step 2: Success.

 

Don't want to do the Omega Boutique for this one since it seems like a simple enough job since these pushers are not screwed in and are just wedged in with friction and loctite.

Any recommendations for local TriState/New York watchmaker shops!? I am sure 100% of watchmakers out there will say "we know what we are doing"

 

So a year later and this hasn't been fixed? Didn't the seller fix this for you as he promised?

As I mentioned last year, the pusher should not just push in easily, so it should go in the hole maybe 1/3 of the way, and then require significant force to go in the rest of the way. My concern here is that this is not just an absence of Loctite, but possibly an incorrect pusher was installed, or the hole in the case has opened up and is now oversized. The Loctite is not meant to be the sole thing holding the pusher in place, but a "belt and suspenders" approach.

If you insist on doing this yourself (not recommended) then you apply Loctite to the portion of the pusher that seats in the case only.

Cheers, Al

 

Archer I decided against sending it back to WatchVault in California (since I was not sure what their turn around was and who would be repairing the watch). I figured to send it to my local inside guy, who at the time was a watch master for Omega's NYC Boutique, to attach the pusher back on free of charge. I even made an appointment to take it to him but he abruptly left the company (and moved out the country) days before my appointment.

The very young and brand new employee who took me on literally had no option but to quote me $719 for full Omega service ( 6 to 8 weeks). I did not want to fully service the watch so tucked it away in my safe deposit box with hopes of doing it myself or taking it to local shop. Incidentally I had a busy year with a new born baby, promotion at work and buying a house so I completely forgot about my Omega speedy until this very week.

I would love to take it to Omega but my current budget no longer allows me to give $719 to repair a solitary watch pusher. Surely after the holidays and by next year summer 2018 I can afford to have Omega service my watch but until then I wanted a quick fix that allows me to wear the watch to Thanksgiving Day dinner at my in laws and over the Christmas holidays on vacation!

I think I will buy the Loctite 680 and add a dollop of it on the neck of the pusher and push it in. I inspected the watch before storing it away and there was no water or moisture damage and no hint of debris falling into the ebauche.

 

Isn't WatchVault in New York? His username is WatchvaultNYC after all...

 

Nope! They moved from New York to California literally a month before I had this issue. Also the guy I spoke with was not sure of the turn around repair time nor was he sure who would be repairing the watch. Which is why I decided to have my NY watch guy fix it for me.

Like I said this has been an unfortunate series of events that led me to where I am now.

I did some research on the loctite and it seems straight forward....I just don't have a chronograph pusher press but I do have other watch presses for case backs and links.

By the way my level of expertise with watch repairs and DIYs may not be expert but rather 'experienced' ..
video below shows some of my recent work...I assume putting a pusher back in should not be much more difficult.