I’m after a bit of advice, if anyone can help.
When I took my wife’s La Grand Classique in for a battery replacement recently, I was advised that the movement needed replacing (and that it might be better to get a new watch ) - the last time the battery was replaced there were no issues, other than the relatively short amount of time the battery had lasted.
At an OB today I was told that this is a common practice with quartz watches, Omega included, in that they need to change the movement every second battery replacement. This was explained by stating that the movements wear out, and that replacing them every few years roughly equates to the cost of servicing automatic and/or mechanical movements.
Is this advice correct?

 

I can't provide an authoritative answer, but I can provide an anecdote.

I own two Seiko 7A48-7009 mecca quartz moonphase/date/chrono watches built between 1983 and maybe 1986. The first of the two I purchased new in 1984 and I've not stopped the movement except for time setting twice a year coincident with daylight savings and while changing the battery..

I bought the second 7A48 in 2014 (later serial number) manufactured during the same period largely on impulse . . . and only because I liked the first one and wanted a spare.

I've changed the battery in the 1984 watch four or five times and the movement in either watch has never been changed. I don't use the chrono function very often - hardly at all - and so I probably get about 7 or more years use per battery

I can't see why anyone would change a quartz electronic movement until the day that it dies - if ever during your lifetime. Maybe others will have a different opinion?

Cheers,

Joe

 

A lot of questions to answer. Only rarely do I find a quartz movement with an abnormally high current draw that would kill a battery in a few weeks, or months. When a circuit kills batteries, you can replace the circuit and service the movement, or simply replace the movement. Depends on what movement you are dealing with.

On occasion, when owners find a watch stopped, they assume it is a dead cell, and head for the store. Quartz watches will often stop for reasons other than a dead cell. Either they will re-start, or fail to start, with a new cell. If they start, they may quit again in days, or weeks. Or sometimes longer.

In my experience, most stores don’t have a proper environment for battery changes. And store staff usually do the cell changes. Most staff handle the cells with bare fingers. It doesn’t take much for button cells to lose contact, and the oil and dirt on fingers will do it. Some staff handle the cells with metal tweezers, shorting the terminals. Some staff lose the negative cell insulator, or bend the negative cell contact when inserting the cell. Depends on the movement.

When I replace a cell, I never handle it with metal tweezers. I make certain no insulators have disappeared. I make certain to not distort any cell contacts, and lower the cell into place. Then, I do something that rarely if ever get done by battery changers. Using two tiny scribers, I turn the cell back and forth a few times to make absolutely certain there is good, clean, metal to metal contact. Surprisingly, many quartz watches will not start with a new cell. But when you do this final act of turning the cell, they run. If they don’t run, decide whether to service it, or replace it.

But don’t permit anyone to suggest that a movement be replaced with every second cell change. If they run with a new cell, fine. If they don’t run, there could be solutions other than servicing or replacing the movement. If the movement HAS failed, then decide whether to service the watch, replace the movement, or replace the watch.

 

No - Omega will not automatically replace the movement every second battery change if that is what they are suggesting, The fact that they told you the reason for this is that the movements "wear out" tells me the person you were talking to has little technical knowledge.

The movement will be run through a number of electrical and performance checks - some detail on what is involved can be found in this thread:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/quartz-watches-some-information-some-may-find-interesting.5475/

Only when it is determined that the movement has a fault that can't be easily fixed, will the movement be considered for replacement.

Cheers, Al

 

My La Grande Classique lasted approx 10 years on the original movement (battery leak killed it). Probably about 4 or 5 battery changes in that time. I googled the movement ref no. and managed to find a matching eta movement on eBay for £25. Even had the Longines stamp on it. Swapped them over and good as new.

 

My wife's Grand Classique is about a decade old and has only had batteries.

 

I think you need to give this OB a wide birth in future, that is plainly nonsense and completely at odds to one of the main raison d'être that positioned quartz watches as the way forward all those years ago!

Paul

 

Thanks for the replies and advice, I thought it was a bit strange and knew that the wise folks on OF would be able to set things straight. Chapeau!

 

Never heard that before. If the quartz movement is broken, most people say it's not worth fixing them. They will just replace it.