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Question about service under warranty

K
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Hello, I bought a new Speedmaster about a year ago and sent it in for service a few weeks ago. It was running about 8 seconds per day fast and had an issue with one button on the bracelet's clasp sticking. I sent it to Omega (the service center in New Jersey) and just now got an estimate back which shows regulating the watch (free) and a water resistance service (~$270 with tax and shipping). No mention of a fix for the bracelet's clasp.

I'll be calling them when they open today, but I was curious to hear from others if this is typical. I was a bit puzzled by the water resistance service.
 
WineGuyd
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If your Omega was purchased new through a boutique or AD then you should still be under warranty. What Model speedster is it and did you buy it new or used?
 
ostneb
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I would be interested to hear if the "water resistance service (~$270 with tax and shipping)" is standard for all warranty repairs. GL!
 
WineGuyd
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Omega charges a flat fee of $750(plus tax) on chronographs that don't have precious metal parts. This price is all inclusive unless there is damage such a cracked crystal, worn out bracelet, or signs of water damage to the dial in which case individual part replacement costs will be added. The service includes a new crown, new hands, new gaskets and every other movement part that the technician deems worn or might fail in the near future.(BTW: the hesalite crystal on Moonwatches get replaced for free). The watch will be totally disassembled and every part will be cleaned and inspected. The movement will be rebuilt, lubed, and regulated back to chronometer or master chronometer accuracy. If there is a metal bracelet it will be disassembled and re-pinned to tighten it up(although very warn bracelets will still have play because they are worn inside)

The watch will be reassembled and then tested for water resistance to it's original stated depth. Finally the entire watch will go through professional re-polishing. You will get the watch back looking 95-100% showroom new(95% because deep gauges to metal can't be polished out) your watch will come with a plastic bag containing every part replaced. Your serviced watch will come with a 24 month international warranty, should an event occur that requires Omega to repair the watch again within the 24 months they will do so for free and reset your warranty for an additional 24 months. Lastly, if you do not live close enough to the boutique to pick it up they will ship it FedEx 2nd day to you for free.
 
Meme-Dweller
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Tell them to skip the water resistance svc and do the free regulating only. A lot of places, ironically such as the Omega Boutique, do water-resistance testing for free and if it fails, it's not a difficult fix. Don't let them make you pay that much for a rubber gasket, crown, and two pushers.

The clasp just needs a new spring. I did mine myself by ordering the part (~$30 shipped) and hammering out two pins to open the little metal cover. Took me 20 mins. If you don't know how to do it, it should be a quick and cheap job by an experienced watchmaker.
 
WineGuyd
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Omega boutiques with an on premise technician will do a 6 point inspection on your watch for free which includes ultrasonic cleaning and pressure testing your watch...but the the pressure testing only tells you if there is a water resistance issue...they do not do seal repairs on premise, it will be shipped to Seattle or possibly Secaucus NJ for the actual repair you are paying for. Testing is not repairing.
 
jetkins
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ostneb ostneb
I would be interested to hear if the "water resistance service (~$270 with tax and shipping)" is standard for all warranty repairs. GL!
My Seamaster 300 was running 8-10spd slow so I sent it to the West Coast service center to be regulated under warranty. It received a Water Resistance Service at no cost. Perhaps the difference is that the SMPc is a chronometer and was running outside the published accepted tolerances, or perhaps it was because it was a dive watch and they had to re-certify it after opening it for regulation. Or both. Who knows.
 
K
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Thank you for the advice, everyone.

My watch is a Speedmaster Pro sapphire sandwich (the newer reference ending in 006) purchased new at the beginning of 2017 through an AD. I contacted the Swatch Group customer service phone line Friday morning and was told they were going to perform a partial maintenance on the watch, but for whatever reason those show up on the invoice as a water resistance service. These are normally covered under warranty, but for some reason my watch's warranty was not fully confirmed prior to sending the watch in. They asked me to email in a photo of my warranty card, at which point they will presumably waive the maintenance fee.

I called back Friday afternoon to confirm, but their customer support system was down. I'll be calling back once they open today and hopefully this will be sorted out.

I would generally be happy to replace a spring in the clasp myself, but I was hoping they would do it since the watch is still under warranty.
 
K
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Just an update: they verified my warranty and everything looks good now. It'll take another month until I get the watch back, which is a bit of a bummer, although that's probably a typical time frame.
 
C
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WineGuyd WineGuyd
Omega charges a flat fee of $750(plus tax) on chronographs that don't have precious metal parts. This price is all inclusive unless there is damage such a cracked crystal, worn out bracelet, or signs of water damage to the dial in which case individual part replacement costs will be added. The service includes a new crown, new hands, new gaskets and every other movement part that the technician deems worn or might fail in the near future.(BTW: the hesalite crystal on Moonwatches get replaced for free). The watch will be totally disassembled and every part will be cleaned and inspected. The movement will be rebuilt, lubed, and regulated back to chronometer or master chronometer accuracy. If there is a metal bracelet it will be disassembled and re-pinned to tighten it up(although very warn bracelets will still have play because they are worn inside)

The watch will be reassembled and then tested for water resistance to it's original stated depth. Finally the entire watch will go through professional re-polishing. You will get the watch back looking 95-100% showroom new(95% because deep gauges to metal can't be polished out) your watch will come with a plastic bag containing every part replaced. Your serviced watch will come with a 24 month international warranty, should an event occur that requires Omega to repair the watch again within the 24 months they will do so for free and reset your warranty for an additional 24 months. Lastly, if you do not live close enough to the boutique to pick it up they will ship it FedEx 2nd day to you for free.

This is 100% accurate!
 
ac106
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WineGuyd WineGuyd
Omega boutiques with an on premise technician will do a 6 point inspection on your watch for free which includes ultrasonic cleaning and pressure testing your watch...but the the pressure testing only tells you if there is a water resistance issue...they do not do seal repairs on premise, it will be shipped to Seattle or possibly Secaucus NJ for the actual repair you are paying for. Testing is not repairing.


So which boutique do you work for?
 
A
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8 seconds fast requires servicing??? You can definitely regulate it but I do not think it warrants any special attention. Mine is currently at about 6.5 on average and was about 8.5 the first week I owned the watch.

The clasp however makes a little more sense. Good luck, glad it is a cost-free service albeit you will be out of a watch for a few weeks!
 
Archer
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A an1030
8 seconds fast requires servicing???

No - the second post in this thread made by @WineGuyd is more of a non-sequitur advertisement than specific advice pertaining to the situation that the OP is in.

I would not expect a watch that is 1 year old to require servicing - it can be regulated. The fact is the OP's watch is running well within Omega specs, so if they are doing anything it is being done as a courtesy repair rather than a warranty repair. Omega specs for the 1861 are that the daily average rate should fall between -1 and +11 seconds per day, so +8 is within that spec.

Cheers, Al
 
K
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Yeah, the clasp was the primary reason I sent the watch in. When I called the customer support number for the Swatch Group, the rep said it should run between -4 and +6 seconds/day (which I thought was wrong at the time) so they'd take a look.

There is another reason I sent the watch in not mentioned in my original post. I often run the chronograph second hand because I enjoy watching it sweep (I know this is somewhat controversial). I've noticed it gets out of sync with the primary second hand on the 9 o'clock subdial over time; after two weeks they might drift 3-4 seconds. This didn't bother me until I talked to someone else with the exact same watch that also runs the second hand constantly; he said that his does not get out of sync even after running this way for several months. I mentioned this when I sent the watch in, but does anyone here know if this is normal?
 
jetkins
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K knmorgan
I often run the chronograph second hand because I enjoy watching it sweep (I know this is somewhat controversial). I've noticed it gets out of sync with the primary second hand on the 9 o'clock subdial over time; after two weeks they might drift 3-4 seconds. This didn't bother me until I talked to someone else with the exact same watch that also runs the second hand constantly; he said that his does not get out of sync even after running this way for several months. I mentioned this when I sent the watch in, but does anyone here know if this is normal?
If you start them in sync, they should stay in sync - they're both driven from the same source.
 
K
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That was my assumption as well, but they definitely drift over time.
 
Archer
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K knmorgan
Yeah, the clasp was the primary reason I sent the watch in. When I called the customer support number for the Swatch Group, the rep said it should run between -4 and +6 seconds/day (which I thought was wrong at the time) so they'd take a look.

There is another reason I sent the watch in not mentioned in my original post. I often run the chronograph second hand because I enjoy watching it sweep (I know this is somewhat controversial). I've noticed it gets out of sync with the primary second hand on the 9 o'clock subdial over time; after two weeks they might drift 3-4 seconds. This didn't bother me until I talked to someone else with the exact same watch that also runs the second hand constantly; he said that his does not get out of sync even after running this way for several months. I mentioned this when I sent the watch in, but does anyone here know if this is normal?

The problem with the people you speak to on the phone or that take your watch from you when you take it in is that often they have very little or no technical knowledge. No Omega caliber has a timing spec of -4 to +6 seconds per day average rate, so for them to quote you that indicates clearly that they really don't understand Omega's specs. Take the information they give you with a grain of salt certainly.

Regarding the sync issue between the chronograph seconds recording hand and the constant seconds hand, theoretically they should stay synced certainly. But the connection between the coupling yoke and the chronograph wheel is held in place by a spring - it is a connection that can be disturbed. So if you say bump the watch when wearing it and the chronograph is on, a momentary disconnection between the coupling yoke teeth and the chronograph wheel teeth is possible - the teeth on the chronograph wheel (on the right here) are very fine:



It's possible for the wheel to skip a tooth or two if there is a shock to the watch. My guess is that for that problem they will tell you that there's nothing wrong with it. When you get it back and you want to test this, wind it fully, start the chronograph when the constant seconds is at 60, lay it dial up, and let it run - it will stay synced. From what you have described the only real issue with this watch appears to be the clasp.

Cheers, Al
 
K
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Wow that was a much more detailed answer than I ever hoped for. Thanks so much; I'll stop worrying about the chronograph's second hand.
 
Meme-Dweller
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Archer Archer
No Omega caliber has a timing spec of -4 to +6 seconds per day average rate, so for them to quote you that indicates clearly that they really don't understand Omega's specs.
Most people, Omega employees included, won't have the timing specs of each caliber memorized. -4 to +6 is just the industry standard COSC rate that they're quoting (even though it's incorrect for the 1861/3 since they're not chronometers).
 
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