I am contemplating on getting a dive watch in the near future, and the retro Seamaster looks really appealing. However, I come across this during my research. How durable is the caliber 8400? Is it a tried and tested movement?
It's literally an article man. You want a screenshot of an article? Basically the reviewer thought the movement is not very durable long term.
Do the caliber 8400 and 8500 have good reputations? I know the co-axial tech is supposed to be revolutionary, but how are they at the consumer level?
The article's author writes about having issues in the third year of ownership without describing any unusual actions he might have taken to cause said issues. He had the watch serviced under warranty and everything was fine. The bezel disintegrated and Omega quickly replaced it. Watches are machines that run 24/365 if you wear regularly and need to be serviced accordingly. Some watches go without issue for years, some don't. Omega have done a great job of engineering the movement to last. The co-axial movement has been around for 20 years. If there was 20 years of failure or losing money or service issues, the watch community and watchmakers would have made the public aware and they would need to change. The fact is Omega is continuing to role out the co-axial movements across almost all model lines. There are PLENTY of articles applauding the movements and a few discussing issues, some relating to claimed service intervals or abnormal wear on certain parts. Omega is the second largest mechanical watch manufacturer in the world and out of the thousands of watches they product, there are going to be some issues. The company and service centers handle customer service and address those concerns. You've done your research and could probably site other articles about the 8400 movement that were not negative. If not, look around the forums, here, WUS, and you'll see there are plenty of people that enjoy their Seamasters. Some of us have stories of frustration, but that is common among people passionate about their products.
Someone else needs to chime on the movement question, as that is beyond my expertise. However, my takeaways from reading the "article" are: - First, this quote "Written contributing writer, Furry Wrist Abroad" Written? Writer? Written by perhaps? English your first language is not? - Second, Furry Wrist? Come on. This Internet anonymity is getting out of hand. If you want to present yourself as a serious professional writer, you need to share your entire name. Otherwise, you don't stand behind your work. - Third, numerous references to "other watches" that are experiencing the same issue. Is this hundreds or two? One or two people with a bad experience does not a trend make. OK, I'm done.
The most interesting part of the “article” was the comment that the bezel had “disintegrated.” That’s a very dramatic term, and I find it hard to understand how that happened unless the ceramic shattered — and that suggests an impact of some sort. And an impact could have easily caused the problem with the movement. Wish he had described that in more detail and maybe included a picture.