Hello all!
I have had my Speedmaster for close to 4 years now (love it) and never had a problem with the chronograph until today. When I press the chrono pusher to start the chronograph the seconds hand sometimes jump 4-10 seconds before it starts running normally.

I have noticed that if I push the chrono pusher as fast as I can there will be no jump, and if I press it very slowly the jump will be significant. Also, when I press the pusher down but not enough for it to start the chrono, I can get the second hand to move forward like 5 seconds, it will then spring back to twelve when I release the pressure.

I uploaded a video on youtube showcasing the issue:

I have not done anything special to the watch recently for it to have this problem. What is the cause of this issue and do I have to send it in for repair? If so, in what ballpark would the repair cost?

P.S. Excuse any misspellings and bad grammar, English is not my first language. I hope I posted in the right forum section and that I have not broken any forum rules.

Thanks for all input!

Best regards,
Kevin

 

Although four years is slightly less than the service interval that Omega recommends, I think it can depend a lot on how you use the watch and the environment that it is used in. So it looks like it's probably time for a service. The prices for a service in the US are here, but you will need to look up the costs for your country.

 

I was thinking this was that characteristic horizontal-coupled chronograph thing, but then I saw the video and was like

...yep, service...is it under warranty?

 

Thanks for the input guys (girls? )! I searched for similar problems online but all I could find was the normal half-second jump many people experience. I was hoping to avoid a service but maybe I have no choice. I bought the watch new and at the time Omega only had 2 year warranty, so sadly the warranty has expired.

Since the only issue is the first couple of seconds and the rest of the functions work properly, i.e. timekeeping, and all the chrono counters, would it be any harm to the movement to postpone service a year or two?
I mean I have the money for a service but as a university student, I would gladly wait to spend money xD.

 

If you can live with that issue, you can probably defer the service, especially since the watch is less than four years old. I think that a complete service from Omega is pretty much a fixed price, so if some additional wear and tear occurs in the mean time, it probably won't be reflected in what they charge you.

An alternative would be to take the watch to an experienced independent watchmaker, who can inspect the watch and perhaps make a repair or adjustment without a complete service. It will depend on what the watchmaker is willing to do, but they are often more flexible than the official Omega Service Centers.

 

If it was me I would get it serviced straight away.
That click when you hit start sounds quite loud also.

 

Okay guys thanks for everything! I will have to think about what to do.
I think it sounds louder on video because the watch was so close to my phone.

One would have thought that more people would have had similar problems in the past but it seems the most common problem people have is when the chrono counters show incorrect time.

 

When you press the start button, several things are happening. One is that the reset hammer is lifting off the cams of the chronograph seconds and minutes wheel. The coupling yoke wheel is also moving to come into contact with the chronograph wheel to drive it. If the hammer or cams are magnetized, they won't release cleanly and can cause the hand to move around before the coupling yoke wheel makes contact, in particular when you press the start button slowly. This can also be caused by gummed up oil on the hammer or cams, but I would not expect that in a 4 year old watch.

So the first thing I would do is demagnetize the watch, so if you have a demagnetizer or can find a local watchmaker with one, give that a try before you send the watch in for service. The watch doesn't need to be opened for this.

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks Archer! Little bit too complicated for my full understanting hehe.
I do not have a demagnetizer but I can indeed buy one, I have seen a lot of youtube videos of the blue one with the red button that is very inexpensive. Would that do the trick or is there quality differences between more expensive demagnetizers?

Since you are "on the line", I have a question regarding demagnetizers: Some people online claim that you should not demagnetize a watch that is not magnetized and that it can cause "harm". While others claim that you can demagnetize watches as much as you want (magnetized or not) and it would not be "harmful". Perhaps you have answered this before but could you shed some light on this matter?

P.S. Of course there is no point demagnetizing a watch that is not magnetized. My question is regarding the scenario that you might have a watch which you are unsure if it is magnetized or not, and you demagnetize it to be "safe", just to find out that you caused more problems.

Kind regards,
Kevin

 

No harm in doing it, even if you are not sure the watch is demagnetized.

 

Thanks for clearing it up! I will buy one and try my luck.

 

So to back up a bit and simplify this a bit, think of any ferrous object as having a bunch of small magnets inside it. Every magnet has a North and a South Pole. If the small magnets inside the object have their poles all lined up in one direction, so all the North are pointing in one direction, they all "pull together" and the object is magnetized.

What demagnetizers do is subject the object and the little magnets inside, to an alternating magnetic field. If that field is strong enough, it causes the little magnets inside to swing back and forth 180 degrees as the current flips back and forth. Depending on where you are in the world that will be 50 or 60 Hz. The idea is that you want to get those magnets swinging back and forth in the strong field, and then slowly reduce the strength of the field. As the field doing this swinging gets weaker and weaker, the little magnets will stop their poles flipping in pretty random orientations, and in this sate the object is not magnetized.

So there are two common types of demagnetizers out there. One has a field that is a constant strength, and in order to gradually make the field weaker, you have to move the object away from the field slowly, while keeping that field on. So place the object near the demagnetizer, press the button to turn it on, and slowly move the object away as far as your arms will allow before you release the button. Note that if you put the item near the demag, press the button, leave the object there and let the button go, you have likely just aligned all those little poles, and the object will be magnetized.

The second type of demagnetizer (the kind I use) is called an instantaneous style. When I place a magnetized object on the unit and press the button, it starts an oscillating field that slowly decays on it's own over time (when I say slowly it's pretty much immediate in real time). So I don't have to move the object away from the demag unit. So just make sure what type you are getting, and use it appropriately.

Cheers, Al

 

That was a very informative well written text about demagnetizers. I learned a bunch! Hopefully, others might come across this thread aswell and find it as useful as I did.
Your help is much appreciated.
Thanks for everything!

 

UPDATE!!

I followed Al's (Archer's) suggestion and purchased a watch demagnetizer which just arrived. I successfully demagnetized my Speedmaster and to my suprise the chronograph issue was gone. To be honest I did not think that it would work, but I am so happy it did. I just saved both time and money.
I am so grateful to all who chimed in to help and special thanks to Archer! I love this forum!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Best regards,
Kevin

 

Glad it worked out.

Cheers, Al

 

Reviving this thread to give a big thanks to @Archer

I noticed a similar problem with my Speedmaster, where if I pressed the start button slowly enough the chrono seconds hand would move backwards by a second before starting.

Luckily before I took it to a watchmaker I found this thread, a quick buzz in the demagnetizer and the watch is working perfectly again.

Thank you!

 

Speedmasters and magnets can be problematic (I imagine most non-METAS mechanicals are also similarly affected) My Speedmaster started running over 10+ sec/day, my AD demagnitized it and it returned to it's usual 3-4+ sec/day. I discovered that I had surrounded myself with magnetic devices, the case clasps on my tablet, Kindle & cellphone are all magnetic and were (until I became aware of the problem) spending time in close proximity to my watch. Other innocuous things, like my Olite pocket flashlight have strong magnets, now kept in my right pocket instead of my left. We are literally surrounded by magnetic sources, which, naturally, don't effect quartz watches AFAIK. So, if you have a movement watch that is not made to be used in a magnetic field, awareness and a $10 demagnetizer are your friends as well as folks like Archer who help demystify our dilemmas. There are phone apps that will detect a magnatized watch, also a cheap non-dampened small compass will work.
I'll add my thanks to Archer for being a generous source of help for this forum.

 

Had the same thing first happened to me a few years ago.

Lurking these forums clued me that maybe it was magnetised.

I downloaded an app called Lepsi to test it and ko and behold it said it was magnetised!

And as pointed out that $10 demagnetiser is one of the best investments to make.

On a side note the sapphire sandwich seems more prone to being magnetised than a closed caseback model.

 

Just to clarify one thing - METAS watches include a bunch of parts designed to make them resistant to magnetism, but these are only timekeeping related parts. So the balance spring is made of silicon, the balance staff is made of an anti-magnetic material, as well as parts of the pallet for and co-axial wheel, and even the shock absorber springs for the jewels on the balance. However, every other parts in the watch is the same as what's in a normal watch, and that includes the chronograph parts on the METAS chronograph models.

So this same issue with magnetism between the hammer and cams can happened on a METAS chronograph. The only other difference is that the current calibers are vertical clutch chronographs for the 9900 series, so they don't operate in the same way as a horizontally coupled chronograph does. You won't see the symptoms of magnetism on these watches, but it will still be there if the watch is exposed to a magnetic field sufficient to magnetize it.

The interesting thing is the new 3861 movement. It operates the same way as the 1861, and is 15,000 gauss resistant, but there no indication that this includes the chronograph parts. So I can see this same magnetism problem cropping up on those as well, even though the timekeeping won't be affected. So METAS is really about timekeeping, and not about all functions on the watch.

Cheers, Al

 

Again, Al, you've added knowledge and understanding to our "database". This forum is truly a resource, thanks so much for taking the time to fully explain these issues. I was convinced, watching the METAS certification process, that any watch with that certification was immune to magnatizism in all it's functions. I can understand why Omega wants to METAS certify across the board, if nothing else, for the bragging rights of building to a higher standard. I just purchased a 38mm Speedmaster with the 3330 movement, which is COSC but not METAS, so I'll still have the same cautions to observe as my 1861. Beware the deadly Kindle clasp and keep my $10 Ebay demagnetizer handy.
Again, thanks
Phil