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[RESOLVED] Brand new Omega has a very unpleasant metallic odour from the bracelet.

UCZ_15
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As the title says - I purchased an Omega Planet Ocean earlier this week. Totally brand spanking new from an official Omega stockist near me. It has this absolutely awful metallic smell - the sort of smell you have on your hands after touching scaffolding or something. I should stress that it isn't my first Omega. I've purchased 4 since 2019 - and this is the first time I've experienced this.

Obviously, I don't want to do anything stupid with chemicals or try anything rogue from a YouTube video or a Google search so I'm going to stay away from there. Is there anything intelligent I can do to try and relieve the metal smell?

I am actually wondering if my watch is brand new at all now - or if it has been worn by someone, returned, polished and then repackaged and sold as brand new. That would really suck.
Edited:
 
JimInOz
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Seal it in an airtight container, take it back to where you bought it and open the container and ask "does this smell right to you?"

Look for evidence of polish in any gaps and joins and around the case, but don't spend too much time unless you have a good microscope.
 
UCZ_15
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I called the AD and they've apologised lol. Looks like they'll be getting a fresh one delivered and they'll take this one back.
 
M
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Obviously perspective is everything, just funny seeing a post complaining about a metal bracelet having a metallic smell to it. I’m happy as long as mine doesn’t smell like sweat/funk
 
rob#1
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RESOLVED/IGNORE in the title made it a compulsory click for me 😗

(Glad this is being resolved, OP - any story revealed as to why it was so smelly?)
 
7enderbender
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I’m still curious now what would’ve caused this. Which edition/materials is this? Sorry, I could look it up but not all to familiar with the PO series.
I heard people say this about the various brass watches such as the Tudor models. Which makes sense. I would expect any smell from high grade steel and or precious metals.
 
UCZ_15
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Hi all. Sorry - just seen all these replies. It’s a 39.5mm Planet Ocean that I bought. It looked and felt used - there was no 2 ways about it. The spring bars didn’t feel clinically tight like they should on a new watch, the inside of the clasp had lots of marks. I think this watch was worn and returned - then polished, and put back in a new box with a new warranty card.

The smell was what I would call an odour - it was as if the watch had accumulated someone’s sweat and then put back into an airtight box until my AD ordered it ‘brand new from Omega’.

Anyway - they have taken it back and ordered a second one which is coming this weekend. They said I can take the second one with zero chance of future returns or swaps OR if I have the same bad feeling, then I walk away with a full refund.
 
UCZ_15
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So... I've heard nothing from the AD so far.

Nice comfortable position to be in 😀 they have £5k of my money 😀 and my 'used' watch that they're holding onto while they get another one in 😀
 
BlackTalon
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Wait until you order an Omega LE and they have your money for 6 months to a year before the watch shows up. 😎
 
UCZ_15
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BlackTalon BlackTalon
Wait until you order an Omega LE and they have your money for 6 months to a year before the watch shows up. 😎

That doesn't sound like fun at all.

thelinendial thelinendial
Please do share back. I hope this is resolved to satisfaction.

Not to worry, I will do. At the moment we are heading into a long weekend here in the UK (today is the last working day until next Monday). If it isn't miraculously delivered to the AD this afternoon, then I am looking at a whole week from now. Very strange situation. I just have an empty box and the warranty cards but no watch. Will let all know what happens.
 
UCZ_15
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AD has blanked my emails for the past 6 days. Giving them the benefit of the doubt because it was the jubilee week here in the UK and we had a national 4-day weekend. Disappointed though.
 
Evitzee
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UCZ_15 UCZ_15
AD has blanked my emails for the past 6 days. Giving them the benefit of the doubt because it was the jubilee week here in the UK and we had a national 4-day weekend. Disappointed though.
Might be time for a visit to the AD if they are ignoring your emails. It looks like its been around ten days since they took it back.
 
UCZ_15
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Update: I've had an email that a second watch has been delivered this morning. I'm going in my lunchbreak to check it out. I'll either be coming home with it, or a full refund.

EDIT: I've picked up the watch. This one has wayyyyy less marks and imperfections. Bezel has a nice tight action with no play. The clasp is nice and tight. Spring bars feel solid. It feels a lot newer than the first one they sold me. Most importantly, this one doesn't have a lingering metallic odour that the first one does.

I could have got a full refund and got the watch from somewhere else but it would've meant waiting another 3-6 weeks as this 39.5mm reference isn't very readily available. Stockists prefer the 42mm SMP or the 43.5mm POs.
Edited:
 
D
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UCZ_15 UCZ_15
As the title says - I purchased an Omega Planet Ocean earlier this week. Totally brand spanking new from an official Omega stockist near me. It has this absolutely awful metallic smell - the sort of smell you have on your hands after touching scaffolding or something. I should stress that it isn't my first Omega. I've purchased 4 since 2019 - and this is the first time I've experienced this.

Obviously, I don't want to do anything stupid with chemicals or try anything rogue from a YouTube video or a Google search so I'm going to stay away from there. Is there anything intelligent I can do to try and relieve the metal smell?

I am actually wondering if my watch is brand new at all now - or if it has been worn by someone, returned, polished and then repackaged and sold as brand new. That would really suck.


May it was polishing compound/rouge?
 
UCZ_15
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morethan1 morethan1
I love these threads with no pictures... :whipped:

Haha my apologies! The main and biggest issue was the smell so it was a weird one to explain to the internet.

Watch my Whisky Watch my Whisky
This is an olfactory thread, not a visual thread.

Exactly! 😀

D Downer
May it was polishing compound/rouge?

It is entirely possible y'know... because the watch looked brand new but didn't feel it. And there were small bits where perhaps they couldn't be bothered to polish that they thought no one would see.

A few photos of a very happy new owner below:

45CE3882-2C7D-4559-8A09-8B95DC4FF361.jpeg 67629526936__5C3A4723-90B2-4E36-B1BC-D8D4C5BA5568.jpeg IMG_6355.jpeg IMG_6356.jpeg
 
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