Anyone venturing a guess as to whether or not the micro adjustable clasps on the new POs will fit the previous 8500 models?

 

Good question. These clasps are really attractive. I approached my AD about a related matter recently. I own a Speedmaster 9300 which I bought new and which is still under warranty. After seeing a couple of threads here about the new micro-adjust clasps (some of them pretty amusing!), I asked the AD to check out their suitability for my watch. They contacted Omega who said that these clasps had not been tested or authorised for use with my watch and that I *could* have one supplied and fitted by the AD, but that doing so would void my warranty. As an alternative, Omega offered to supply, fit, and test it themselves and said that if I chose this course of action - and if they judged that the clasp performed satisfactorily - the warranty would stand. Interesting response. I'm not particularly keen to void my warranty or to pay for the privilege of being a test case. Full disclosure - I'm not sure whether I would have been expected to pay for the clasp if it ended up being rejected. I'd have to clarify that. Since it all seemed like a bit of a hassle I've not looked into it any further.

 

That really is a strange response. You'd think they would have plenty of examples on hand to do the testing. Unfortunately I'm guessing we will have to buy at least a whole new bracelet if we want the newer clasp. Profit -profit -profit.

 

Void the warranty? That is absolute madness. Honestly, if that is true OMEGA is full tilt boogie nuts.

 

That's absurd. It's almost like going out of their way to punish you.

 

Seems to make corporate sense, but very little consumer sense. In my experiences Omega's been WAY more restrictive with AD policies as opposed to OB - this is obviously a move to further consolidate and streamline their operations. Also, by restricting accessory and parts purchases to case/serial numbers it makes it easier for them to log and monitor spending habit data.
Over at WuS there are many mentions of users having modded or retrofitted the new superior ratcheting clasps to their PO's at either AD's or OB's - maybe the "warranty voiding" policy is only due to @WurstEver wanting to mate the clasp to a Speedmaster? I have no idea, just asking.

 

I don't understand your logic. Corporate sense would be to sell as many clasps as possible. Unless of course you want people to have to buy an entire watch just to get the clasps. It would generate business for both AD and OB alike. The increase in clasps sales would also indicate market demands, another piece of valuable data.

By voiding warranty, you're actually ignoring consumer wants and discouraging it at the same time. They rather you be unsatisfied than have a proper fit for their greatly overpriced product.

 

Since when does changing a strap void warranty? The only thing I could see it void would be wear near the bracelet meets the clasp. Or if the bracelet fails at the clasp point and is dropped. Which I don't think is covered anyway.

 

Come on. Paying extra should make you happy. Don't be angry. Be happy.

 

I've seen people retro fitting the adjustable bracelet on older Omega watches. Heck, someone put it on a Speedy pin style bracelet!

 

Ive emailed Omega directly 3 times with this question. No response

 

Just received a reply from Omega. Short answer is that the hew micro adjustable clasps cannot be used on previous versions of the PO

 

Their official policy may not completely reflect reality...

 

Corporate sense would be to upsell you as MUCH as possible. They're in the business of extricating funds from consumers, and whether the best method of extraction is volume, customer service, or limitation of features via warranty policy is up for debate. Obviously through their own internal research they've found that direct point of sales, tightening of endorsed modifications through warranty reversal and consolidation of supply channels was the best way to maximize their ROI, so that's what they're officially implementing.

I'm 100% sure that Omega knows the new ratcheting clasp is far superior to previous models. However, why try to sell you a $120 clasp when they can say that it's ONLY available on a new SM300 MC at $6600? Even if the margins are 75% (somewhat likely) on clasps and 20% on watches (I've heard closer to 40% at MSRP) they'd need to 15 claps for every 1 SM300 to turn a greater profit. By them threatening to void the warranty they're effectively dangling the purchase of new timepiece, and their sales and negotiation tactics are then put to work.

Now, I FULLY DISAGREE with all such tactics but they make sense in purely capitalist terms. If you really want the clasp the easiest route would be to borrow a friends SM300, remove the clasp and go to an OB or AD for a replacement. Say you broke it, say you want an extra, whatever - they never check if said watch is officially owned by you, then only match parts to serial numbers. The thread on WuS clearly states that PO bracelets work with the clasp.
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f20/planet-ocean-fitment-issues-problem-solved-pics-inside-2938834.html

 

Not only do they make sense, but it the responsibility of any corporation to maximize shareholder value, and any decisions made by these large companies that people on watch forums question need to be looked at in that light.

 

It was a long, very nice email I got. I believe Archer is right. It's not that the new clasps won't fit the old models, they just don't want the old watches to be "modified". At least that's what I got from the email. On some level I get it, it's a business...

 

The clasp works, period, end of story. WUS is flooded with posts from people who have done it. Heck, I am going to do it on the Planet Ocean I am in the process of purchasing! The clasp that came with it from the factory will never even be worn on my wrist. it'll go into storage.

 

Update: I took this up with Swatch group and my AD again over the past few days. Swatch group were very nice, but were uninterested in even thinking about whether these clasps would be compatible with my Speedmaster bracelet at a technical level. They didn't have the part, so couldn't try and test as described in my earlier post. And as for ordering it in? Well, the fact that there is no adjustable clasp in the parts catalogue for the Speedmaster 9300 was really the end of the story. As discussed above, it's clear that the mothership will not endorse or facilitate this mod.

Nevertheless, as stated above, it also seems clear that folks over at WUS are having success with a few different watches including both the Speedy 9300 and the newer Professionals - each of which use the 1958 bracelet with screws. See here for example: http://forums.watchuseek.com/f20/sp...dy-pro-1814434-post29758753.html#post29758753

My AD is typically great to deal with, so I went back to see them to clarify what had been said about the warranty and to ask whether they would supply and fit parts. Turns out that the assertion that this mod would void the warranty was really only intended to apply to situations where the clasp failed and the watch fell off my wrist. Otherwise, the warranty *should* actually be unaffected. Now, that makes much more sense! So I have gone ahead and asked the AD to order the clasp (Part 117STZ01154) and two attaching links (Part 118ST1589). The AD will be fitting these parts to my Speedy 9300 for me when they arrive, which will probably be around 4-6 weeks. I'll report back when it's done

 

Good to hear. How much for the clasp?

 

All told, parts and labour should total just a touch over $300 USD.