Question re: Servicing Bond SMP and Crown

bsowers34

Probably due to a new seal on it.

akong71

akong71

Hello fellow Omega enthusiasts! This year I took my Omega SMP Bond (2531.80) to the local Omega Service Centre for a full service. The process took about 10 weeks, and I think they did a really nice job. One thing I noticed is that the crown no longer screws down so it is flush with the case. I discovered this while setting the time to the atomic clock. I went back to the service centre and they explained that on older Omega models, some of the parts are no longer available and Omega now supplies "updated" or "replacement" parts, which resulted in my crown no longer screwing down flush to the case. They further explained that this does not affect the performance of the watch, as it still passed the water/pressure test. To be honest, this issue is hardly noticeable, but I (being a watch nerd) notice it of course.

My question to you (more knowledgeable folks like @Archer), does the above explanation from the Omega Service Centre make sense? Anyone else experience this issue?

And I'll add some photos of my freshly service watch:

just for fun!

Hello fellow Omega enthusiasts! This year I took my Omega SMP Bond (2531.80) to the local Omega Service Centre for a full service. The process took about 10 weeks, and I think they did a really nice job. One thing I noticed is that the crown no longer screws down so it is flush with the case. I discovered this while setting the time to the atomic clock. I went back to the service centre and they explained that on older Omega models, some of the parts are no longer available and Omega now supplies "updated" or "replacement" parts, which resulted in my crown no longer screwing down flush to the case. They further explained that this does not affect the performance of the watch, as it still passed the water/pressure test. To be honest, this issue is hardly noticeable, but I (being a watch nerd) notice it of course.

My question to you (more knowledgeable folks like @Archer), does the above explanation from the Omega Service Centre make sense? Anyone else experience this issue?

And I'll add some photos of my freshly service watch:

just for fun!

U UKsandman

Sorry, I can’t help with your question but interested to know what service centre you used. My SMP has been with Omegas UK service centre for 5 weeks now and I’m trying to gauge when to expect it back.

R Richard_C

I sent my Omega in at the beginning of September. The paperwork included with their return envelope/price list said current UK lead times 10 weeks for battery/water resistance, 10 weeks warranty repairs, complete service current calibres 18 weeks, if it's a vintage calibre that has to be sent to Switzerland, it's 40 weeks.

Mines a 1992 Seamaster Polaris, which is a quartz movement, no idea if it will be done here or sent away. First service since new, but if I had a new one under warranty I wouldn't be impressed with that. I'm not expecting it back this year.

Depending on what yours is in for, don't wait in for the postman just yet.

Archer

In short, no.

Did the paperwork you get back indicate the specific case number for your watch? There were 3 different versions used, so it would help to know what case number yours is. It will be one of these 3:

168.1503
168.1603
168.1623

All three cases show that the specific case tube and crown are still available, so nothing is discontinued that I can see, and these parts have not changed for the last 15 years at least.

You can have issues if you mix the wrong case tube with the wrong crown, but that is not a common cause of this sort of issue. Keep in mind that a crown that doesn't screw down fully can be caused by very simple things - the most common cause is that the winding stem was replaced and was cut just a bit too long, which is likely the case here.

The "new seal" as someone suggested won't have anything to do with this, and the seal contacts the outside diameter of the case tube, and there is no seal that contacts the face of the case tube (the only way a seal would cause this).

The service center was correct about one thing - this will not affect the performance of the crown. It will still seal just fine, even with the crown unscrewed and pulled out to the setting position.

If the gap between the case and crown is excessive, has to be judged by looking at if from the case back - that is the only way you can really see what the gap is, without the bezel getting in the way. If you can show a photo of the back that clearly shows the gap, I can tell you if it looks normal or not.

Cheers, Al

akong71

Thank-you @Archer and others for replying. This is quite educational!

Unfortunately, the paperwork I got back is just an invoice showing I paid for a complete service by Omega. There's no detailed information such as the watch case number. Just some general information that they conducted a complete service, water resistance maintenance including crown, gaskets, valve, and set of hands.

I received some "old" parts back including the original crown and He escape valve/crown, bezel spring, hands, and some gaskets.

I'll include a photo of the case back. You are correct. The gap between the crown and case is more prominent from the back. Your explanation of the winding stem being a bit too long is interesting. Would this be an easy fix? I certainly paid handsomely for the service, as I elected to to with Omega over an independent watchmaker.

Thanks again.

Archer

It's out a bit farther than I would make it, but honestly it won't do any real harm - I would just refrain from cranking down on it too much, as this will want to push the stem into the movement.

U UKsandman

I guess mine will be about 18 weeks in that case. It’s a 2531.80, the same as the OP.

R Richard_C

A bit of an update. Got an email today saying it was ready, so that was about 10 weeks. They will despatch it early next week, just about to pay them. It's a quartz movement and they have put a new one in so it might be a bit quicker/shorter queue than one with a mechanical movement.

Archer

It's out a bit farther than I would make it, but honestly it won't do any real harm - I would just refrain from cranking down on it too much, as this will want to push the stem into the movement.

Archer

Yes the crown and stem can be separated. If the watchmaker used Loctite on the stem threads, it might require some heat to break that bond. The only concern with doing that is possibly damaging the crown seal, so I would remove it from the crown first.