Hello OF,

I bought a 1998 2531.80 back in April and the watch was running +45sec/day and with no prior servicing history I decided to have the piece serviced (by a local watchmaker, because I did not want the dial / hands replaced).

I got the watch back today and there is a gap between the case and the crown. The crown was replaced and I wonder if that has anything to do with it? I've read that the crown should not be touching the case when screwed down as this is a sign of worn out seals, but the amount of stem I can see feels significant enough to make me ask here.

Is this normal or should I speak with the watchmaker? Any info would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Alex

Pictures:

 

Was a waterproof test done?

 

Once the repair is finished and the new crown screwed onto the case tube (without the movement in the case), a mental note should be taken as to how close the crown is to the case when tightened on the tube. The aim should be to have the same amount of gap once the movement is fitted into the case, and the crown and stem fitted. If the distance is the same before and after the movement is fitted, you should be okay.

 

He mentioned that waterproof testing would be done as part of the service, but it was not spoken about when I picked up the watch. This is why we decided on initially replacing the crown, as I wanted to be able to swim with the watch, or at least have less fear about rain, etc. I could of course just go and speak with him about this -- I just wonder if this was due to "fresh" gaskets or anything like that.

 

The crown was right against the case (or it looked that way) before servicing - that is why I wonder if this is something that is the watchmaker's "fault" or if it an aspect of a fresh service. I just wonder if this affect any functionality of the watch or is it only me being bothered by it visually.

 

Looks goofy to me. Is there some reason you don't want to ask the watchmaker about it?

 

Not at all, I'll be heading over there as soon as I'm able to. I agree it looks funny.

 

Simple! Ask him to test how close the crown screws on with the movement OUT of the case. It should be the same with the movement IN the case as it is with the movement OUT of the case He might have to shorten the stem a bit. The key here is that the crown must screw on far enough that it “bottoms out’ when it tightens against the outer end of the tube.

 

Definitely talk to your watchmaker, something isn’t right, and of course don’t get it wet.

 

It needs to have the winding stem cut about 1-1.5mm, and I am not going to comment aboutk the poor workmanship. Definitely get some proof like a receipt from the Water-resistance test. That is basic watch repair skills. If it was sent to a service center it should have been checked by quality control before leaving. The screwdown crown should screw tight to the crown and release when unscrewed into the winding position.
I am a level 5 Omega watchmaker so I am 100% confident there was some sloppiness there.
Ari

 

Just FYI the idea that new seals will cause the crown to stick out from the case is not really true. There is only one seal at work here, and it goes over the case tube, so being new or not has no affect at all on how far the crown screws down. The only time this would be an issue is if there was a seal inside the crown that butts up on the face of the case tube - Rolex does this on some models, but not Omega (at least not that I can recall off the top of my head).

For the 25318000 there were 3 different cases used on this model over it's lifespan. Do you know what the case number is for your watch? It appears to be an early one but knowing the number would tell me for sure which crown goes on the watch. The early versions used crown 069ST42123 rather than the later version 069ST42147. The 42123 is a shorter crown than the 42147. So although it's probably the stem not being cut to the right length, there is a chance that the wrong crown was fitted and it may not fully screw down onto the case tube.

Cheers, Al