Scratch on the inside of a new No Time to Die Seamaster crystal - always bring a LOUPE!

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EDIT UPDATE (22/6/21):

Roltime, Omega's importer and service center in Israel, replaced the watch to a brand new one factory fresh.


ORIGINAL POST:

Hi all.

Three weeks ago I bought a brand new Omega Seamaster 007 NTTD from an Omega AD. Didn't take long until noticing something on the crystal, from a certain angle. Upon closer inspection I found this:

pCFGzFX.png

With a macro lense:

dF9PXSh.png

So after attempting to wipe I quickly discovered, TO MY GREAT HORROR, that this was something from the inside of the crystal, and the macro tells me that it's some kind of scratch. I hurried to the Omega service center in my country (Roltime, Israel) and now I'm waiting on their answer about what's next.

I know these things are rare yet they do happen, but still personally disappointed that this watch made it to a customer, especially on a new $9k watch. From now on I'm going to take a loupe for each and every purchase of a watch, even if it's brand new from the factory.

This isn't something one could notice without a loupe or taking a very, very very close look at the watch (as it mainly appears in certain angles).

Conclusion is that nothing is perfect even if it costs over $9k and - always bring a loupe even to an AD!

I'll keep updating this thread as I get more answers from Omega, in case anyone is interested.

Thanks for reading, cheers.
Edited:
 
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Omega will change the crystal and that's that. It is a mass produced item after all (can recommend visiting the museum and asking for a tour), so some problems will slip through.
 
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so some problems will slip through.

Let’s not minimize this. It’s a 9k luxury item. QC should catch this type of thing.
 
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Good luck with that stance. Luxury items a worse in this respect than run of the mill ones as less are built and there usually is more manual work involved while the unit costs are higher already. Never buy an expensive car, you'd be surprised what you get from the likes of Ferrari. This is a trade off between cost of build and customer satisfaction. Swatch knows very well where that line is. Most people buy one or maybe two of these watches in their life and have no comparison, so most will be happy and the few having an issue will be sorted. Cheaper than spending enough time on each watch to make it perfect.
 
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Do you really feel that expecting a new 9k luxury item to be flawless is taking an unreasonable ‘stance’?

Ok.
 
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Yes, I do. Omega is a mass manufacturer of watches. If you visit their production line you'll literally see thousands of watches being produced at the same time from parts delivered to them from all over the place. Each part has been optimized for cost as has the production process. They have defined an acceptable rate of failures in the process which is actually pretty small. If you happen to receive such a watch they will make good on it (and/or lose you as a customer). That is built into the calculation. Assume you have a .1% failure rate (it is actually way smaller) and you have to spend 10$ per watch to really check everything "proper", you will still have defects and pay an additional 9990$ (i.e. one watch retail) per thousand watches. That adds up quickly. The 10$ on the other hand would have to come out of their 50% share of the watches retail value, so it matters to their bottom line. What would you do if it was your business?
Again, counterintuitively, the more upmarket you move, the more problems you get. Google McLaren or Ferrari and quality and see what you find. Think Patek is problem free?
 
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I agree with both views. Subjectively I would argue as the TS, objectively as drhex. It's just a matter of standpoint. Subjectively: As an Omega customer I would call for replacement in this case. I even wouldn't accept a repair; I just would have replaced the watch or go on to another brand (after repair and resell). I love watches, I trust Omega and others that they try to be perfect, but I also feel, that some brands are a little bit spoilt nowadays.
Edited:
 
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This is what the warranty is for. Take it in and they will correct it. No it shouldn't happen in a perfect world, but the world isn't perfect, so it does.
 
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I agree with both views. Subjectively I would argue as the TS, objectively as drhex. It's just a matter of standpoint. Subjectively: As an Omega customer I would call for replacement in this case. I even wouldn't accept a repair; I just would have replaced the watch or go on to another brand (after repair and resell). I love watches, I trust Omega and others that they try to be perfect, but I also feel, that some brands are a little bit spoilt nowadays.

Well in the years I have been here.

Scratched crystal on Omega
Red thread on Rolex marker
Dust on Breitling dial
Fingerprints on Panerai movement through clear caseback

And oddly these are all mass produced, production line watches. So price has nothing to do with it. They are all middle tier mass produced watches $10k yes but that $10k doesn’t make them anything else but what they are.
 
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I even wouldn't accept a repair; I just would have replaced the watch or go on to another brand (after repair and resell).

Exactly the same. Factory fresh, and without flaws, or ‘no thanks’.
 
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I'm not a lawyer, either on OF or in real life, @Sambation but I would refer to the consumer law in your region/country in this instance.

For example, In the UK we would be protected by the Sale of Goods Act 1979 under your circumstances. i.e .if the watch has a latent defect, you would be entitled, within a reasonable time period, to the following recourse 1/ Replacement with a new watch, 2/ A Full refund or 3/ repair - at the expense of the retailer in question.
In the UK many retailers seem to want to "send it back to the manufacturer for assessment" i.e. repair. But for for a latent defect you would be entitled to options 1 or 2, which they often don't willingly volunteer.

Good luck with your watch - yes, defects often slip through the QC process, but it is important that they're dealt with in the right way at AD level. Their priority should be that they would want you to go away happy, with your big £/$/EURO purchase and willing to tell others what a great watch it is.
 
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Yes, I do. Omega is a mass manufacturer of watches. If you visit their production line you'll literally see thousands of watches being produced at the same time from parts delivered to them from all over the place. Each part has been optimized for cost as has the production process. They have defined an acceptable rate of failures in the process which is actually pretty small. If you happen to receive such a watch they will make good on it (and/or lose you as a customer). That is built into the calculation. Assume you have a .1% failure rate (it is actually way smaller) and you have to spend 10$ per watch to really check everything "proper", you will still have defects and pay an additional 9990$ (i.e. one watch retail) per thousand watches. That adds up quickly. The 10$ on the other hand would have to come out of their 50% share of the watches retail value, so it matters to their bottom line. What would you do if it was your business?
Again, counterintuitively, the more upmarket you move, the more problems you get. Google McLaren or Ferrari and quality and see what you find. Think Patek is problem free?

The problem is their marketing (this goes for all brands) sell you a dream, but you purchase the reality.
 
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I remember seeing a Patek Philippe in its sealed PP sleeve which came from the factory with its strap installed inside out. It shouldn't happen, of course, but it does. Omega will fix it.
 
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This is what the warranty is for. Take it in and they will correct it. No it shouldn't happen in a perfect world, but the world isn't perfect, so it does.
As long as all these luxury watch brands (yes, mass produced, but quite expensive at approx 10k) hype their products in all media and marketing channels as "pefect", I don't agree. That's why I would insist on a replacement and not accept a "guarantee" repair.
Their priority should be that they would want you to go away happy, with your big £/$/EURO purchase and willing to tell others what a great watch it is.
That's what I meant with "spoilt" industry. They don't seem to be dependent on good Word-of-Mouth-Marketing with a multiplication effect via online. Interesting legal background info, Nathan, thanks. I guess, this varies from country to country.
 
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Omega will change the crystal and that's that. It is a mass produced item after all (can recommend visiting the museum and asking for a tour), so some problems will slip through.

True, some problems will slip through, everywhere anywhere and also in luxury items. I actually like to believe that I'm the "odd one out" in that regard when it comes to Omega, but they are still a mass producer of items as you've stated. Be that it as it may, I think that it's not far-fetched for me to expect better QC when a watch like that gets sold to me. Do I really have to take a loupe when I purchase a new factory fresh watch?

This is what the warranty is for. Take it in and they will correct it. No it shouldn't happen in a perfect world, but the world isn't perfect, so it does.

Indeed. Nothing is perfect. But when this happens on your newly +$9k purchased watch these harsh realities are less potent. 😀 Hopefully Omega will give this a proper and quick solution.

I even wouldn't accept a repair; I just would have replaced the watch or go on to another brand (after repair and resell).

That would be the ideal outcome but I will settle for a change of crystal under warranty, as long as it's done quickly and perhaps receiving some compensation, not monetary, for the bother, the anguish and the time not spent enjoying the watch due to it being wherever it may be right now.

I'm not a lawyer, either on OF or in real life, @Sambation but I would refer to the consumer law in your region/country in this instance.

For example, In the UK we would be protected by the Sale of Goods Act 1979 under your circumstances. i.e .if the watch has a latent defect, you would be entitled, within a reasonable time period, to the following recourse 1/ Replacement with a new watch, 2/ A Full refund or 3/ repair - at the expense of the retailer in question.
In the UK many retailers seem to want to "send it back to the manufacturer for assessment" i.e. repair. But for for a latent defect you would be entitled to options 1 or 2, which they often don't willingly volunteer.

Good luck with your watch - yes, defects often slip through the QC process, but it is important that they're dealt with in the right way at AD level. Their priority should be that they would want you to go away happy, with your big £/$/EURO purchase and willing to tell others what a great watch it is.

From what I understood they might send it back to Omega in Switzerland. The company that imports and handles Omega in my country, Roltime, did not give me any update about what's expected to happen. Which is quite disappointing, given that this is a luxury item I've paid a premium for. Part of my dissatisfaction is due to that in particular - the post-sale customer service. This is the first time I hand over a luxury item for service/repair, let alone a factory-fresh new one. I expect someone from Omega (or the company representing Omega) to update me on a weekly basis on what is going on with my watch.

Am I spoilt? Am I asking for too much? Again reminding us that I dropped +$9k of my hard earned money on this product?

How was your Omega customer service in your country of origin?

Opinions welcome.
 
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Since the OP quotes $9k as the price, I'd guess he was from the US. I will be surprised if Omega did anything else than change the crystal and frankly I don't see what anyone would gain from getting a completely new one.

It would likely take longer time, so why bother? To punish Omega in some weird fashion?
 
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Since the OP quotes $9k as the price, I'd guess he was from the US. I will be surprised if Omega did anything else than change the crystal and frankly I don't see what anyone would gain from getting a completely new one.

It would likely take longer time, so why bother? To punish Omega in some weird fashion?

No, because I experienced first-hand that repairs/service often do more wrong than right. It will return with dust under the crystal. And then there will be a stain on of the hands, and so on and so on (slightly dramatized, I know 😁) - this is not the type of thing you would want to deal with if you buy brand new.
 
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That would be the ideal outcome but I will settle for a change of crystal under warranty, as long as it's done quickly and perhaps receiving some compensation, not monetary, for the bother, the anguish and the time not spent enjoying the watch due to it being wherever it may be right now.



Opinions welcome.

My Opinion then…..

When they fix it, it will be all good.

Small gift for inconvenience would be nice and probably given without asking.

Compensation expected, your coming across as a spoiled brat.