(Sorry for the long post. Please see TL;DR below for the gist, if you prefer it that way.)

I got my first speedy hesalite from a local Omega Boutique last year, but I didn’t notice a couple of issues until around seven months in.

First, the minute counter didn’t sync perfectly with the chrono second hand in that the latter was ~0.4 sec ahead, i.e., the the minute hand ticked at 59.6s instead of 60s as it should. I found out later that this was pretty common so I brushed it off and learned to live with it.

But then I noticed in at least two occasions that after fully winding the watch in the morning and activating the chrono to time my meds (chronic acid reflux), the watch would stall/stop running after a few minutes. I must add that in all occasions I was playing the guitar as I normally do every morning.

The watch was still under warranty but in my frustration I didn’t bother to use it and just sold the watch at a loss as I was also in the process of thinning down the herd. I told the buyer about the issues so he could use the warranty.

Fast forward to a year later almost to the day yesterday. I was at the same boutique looking for a mother’s day gift for my wife when I noticed the same standard hesalite version on the shelf and decided to give it another try. So I went home with the watch and a gold bracelet for my wife, fully wound and set the watch to local time, put it in the box and slept with a smile on my face.

This morning, I noticed the same sync issue mentioned above but I was ready to let it go just like the first time. I wound the watch again, pushed the chrono button, then proceeded to do my morning routine with the guitar. Six minutes in and you guessed it, the watch stopped running! Even the main second hand also stopped, just like before. I took a short video with my phone while trying to reactivate the chrono/the whole movement. After four attempts the watch sprung back to life, just like the first watch did a year ago. I’m crestfallen, to say the least.

I must mention that I play a lot of heavy metal on the guitar so it’s lots of going up and down the neck with the watch on. But hey, NASA tested this movement from 1-7g of gravitational acceleration and 40g of shocks, so what’s a bit of guitar mas**rbation going to do to the watch? Well, apparently it stalls the darn thing!

So my plan is to return the watch tomorrow and never look back, although part of me is grieving because I really wanted the moonwatch to be the one that my son will remember me wearing everyday before I hand it over to him when the time comes.

I would like some input from those who have had a similar experience, and from those wiser than me on how to deal with this. I’m on the verge of giving up but still hoping someone will convince and talk me out of it and offer a bit of hope based on their experience or technical expertise. I have a few other watches but this particular model is the one I’m always pining for. Sadly, it seems I have to look elsewhere.

Thanks for reading.

TL;DR I bought the speedy pro last year, it stopped working, sold it, bought the same watch yesterday, same issue, now on the verge of giving up but looking for wisdom/guidance on the forum.

 

You really have to sort out whether you really want the watch, or you don't. So many here have them, and they run just fine, so that can get sorted out. Now you need to sort out your end. Many worthwhile things in life cause some aggravation. Do you own a home?

 

If you play a lot of metal on the guitar I'm guessing you have a fairly big amp setup? I'm just speculating here but might the magnetic field generated by powerful loudspeakers cause issues such as these?

 

Head banging into the speedy?

 

Thanks. I do own a home, mortgage-free. Not to brag but I made it a point to sort out the more important things in life first, both material and otherwise.

I realize this is a hobby, but getting the short end of the stick twice on this watch is beyond frustrating for me. Some might even say its probability is off the charts (think of where my experience is on the bell curve).

 

What, and scratch the hesalite in the process? Hell no. LOL

 

You should use the warranty / hard to complain if you did not complain..... and sold the first problem on?
If you think it might be related to guitar playing try dropping a tweet to Mr Knopfler. I am told he can play a bit and apparently he is a Speedy fan.... https://www.fratellowatches.com/mark-knopfler-an-omega-speedmaster-fan/

 

In my experience, these are mostly trouble-free, and robust. So, yes, you probably represent the small fraction of people who this happened twice to. Maybe the magnistism issue is correct; maybe try a different boutique?

 

I play a good distance away from my decent rig, and most of the time I use headphones.

Besides, I would imagine the Faraday cage won’t let me down as far as magnetism from relatively weak sources. Even if it does, I can’t imagine it to cause full stoppage.

So it must be the motion of my left hand. Or something.

 

Luck of the draw, man. Luck of the draw.

Mark Knopfler, one of my heroes. Yet another reason why I wanted a speedy.

I probably will use the warranty, or ask for a full replacement. But at this point, a full refund is more likely.

 

Just get a quartz watch. It is unlikely to let you down, and function is obviously important to you. Mechanical watches are very bad at being reliable time keepers. Like fast cars, they turn heads, while being unreliable at the job.

 

Lot of magnets knocking about in my apartment mate??? I don't wear my Omega Speedmaster when I play. And it doesn't go any where near my amplifiers or speakers.

 

Either a terrible luck of the draw or a personal environmental reason for two Speedmasters to stop soon after purchasing. If you have a compass handy see if the watch is magnetized, if it is it is possible it was magnetized before it ever got to you. Demagnetize it and see if that cures the problem. I've only had one seriously magnetized watch, it was like that when I got it but after demagnetizing it the timekeeping was spot on. Worth a try.

 

Note it ticks over at 59.6, the minute hand does run at 59.6. There is a reason for this in regards to the cost of making the gears if I remember it right.

2nd stopping at 6 minutes is very very uncommon. I’ve got 2 watches with this movement one from 1977 and the other from about 89 and they run with zero issues.

 

Sounds like bad luck to have the same problem on two new watches. Return it to the store and ask them to replace it then buy a lottery ticket - you must be due some good luck!

 

AS said above suggest you check if your music setup has something to do with it

 

Update: I returned the watch. They took it to the service center even though I told them I might insist for a full replacement anyway. They said they would report back to me regardless, to try to make it right esp. since I was twice unlucky, and would gladly get me a new one if I wanted. I agreed.

I’m not giving up yet. Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.

 

Have you asked the owner of the first one you sold whether there were any results from their follow-on experience?

 

I never heard back from him so I assume everything is fine. Good point though. His input could be valuable so I’ll try to reach out. Thanks.