In general, they have a pretty solid CS department, which is what I think you/I believe is going to come into play. They won't admit any amount of fault (or even the existence of a problem), but will do what they can to appease those who complain/send their watches in.
Yes, as I think I was the first to let people know about this policy change of Omega being quite generous with owner inflicted damage. But as much as that is a big positive, I’ll just point out that this is a different thing entirely to that policy.
If I recall, these dials are somewhere close to $3k each as a replacement part. Having to swap out a large number of these is going to add up quickly…
I understand that Omega recently updated their warranty to even cover accidental drops.
If I recall, these dials are somewhere close to $3k each as a replacement part. Having to swap out a large number of these is going to add up quickly…
Oh wow that’s crazy good customer support, I absolutely wouldn’t expect them to do this. Really cool of Omega
This is great information - very cool to know how much a specific component like the dial actually costs.
Technology is great, and things like CNC machines can be very useful in the watch production business. I’ve seen it used many times in factories, and one example comes to mind.
I was in the Patek factory and came to a CNC station where bridges were being engraved. They were held in a very expensive to make vacuum fixture, and then all the text was engraved. Here’s the fixture…you can see bridges in there as well:
There were two ladies unloading the parts and they mentioned to me that the bridges were all scrap, because the engraving that had just finished was too deep. I asked if I could have one, and they obliged. Here it is:
So, they had cut the bridge out, bored all the holes, installed the jewels, chamfered the edges, added countersinks on the holes. All that work on 25 bridges and they were all scrap likely because someone put in an incorrect Z axis offset. Having programmed CNC machines and run them, it’s easy make such a mistake on a run of parts like this.
Computer controls do not eliminate human error. Again to me this is far more likely a machining issue than a little used die wearing out.
By the way I’ve posted about this factory before, and have mentioned that they ran some of the CNC operations “lights out” meaning that they pushed the start button at the end of the day, then turned the lights out and let it run unattended. Watch production is very unglamorous in real life.
By the way, rejection rates are an interesting topic. Back before I became a watchmaker I was a full time engineer for an automotive parts supplier, tier 1 if you know what that means. I went through the introduction of quality systems, such as ISO 9000, TS 16909, etc. In all the watch factories I’ve been through, there was a dearth of quality information posted in the factories. I was used to seeing it on information boards all over the shop floor. The exception was at Patek, as they had quality information on several boards. When I looked at the numbers, they were atrocious compared to the types of numbers that would be barely acceptable in the automotive world.
I know you have mentioned that these are Veblen goods, and you expect tight tolerances and top quality at least in part because of that. In my experience the reality doesn’t match that expectation, unless you get to a much higher tier than Omega sits at.
These are made in factories, and those factories are not much different than any other factory making some other widget. People there are factory workers just like those who assemble your cars, washing machines, TV’s, etc.
This is a heckuva thread.
I’m presently getting over a Japan Racing Dial obsession by falling head first into a 220 bezel obsession, so I’m not ready to go whole hog down this particular rabbit hole quite yet. But as a recent graduate from Omega ignoramus to budding neophyte collector, I’ll say this:
1. Anyone want to offload their “no zipper” or “club foot” or “trick knee” 50th Snoopy for scrap value, please DM me. I pay cash.
2. I recently purchased MWO 3rd at a really good price and now I feel like the fourth edition is eminent with 34 pages of new material dedicated solely to this topic, so thanks for wasting my money. Anyone interested in trading their defective Snoopy for a soon-to-be outdated copy of MWO 3rd, please DM me.
3. I love OF. It’s one of the few sites that give the modern internet any redeeming value.
4. Below are two pictures of the same cat. Is he blue or grey? Hint: ignore what my wife says. He’s blue.
That doesn't surprise me. No lives are going to be endangered by a component in a luxury watch being out of spec. With an automotive component on the other hand...
That doesn't surprise me. No lives are going to be endangered by a component in a luxury watch being out of spec. With an automotive component on the other hand...
Agreed. I only bring it up because people buy the marketing that these brands put out about quality and precision, and in reality it's just not as good as what they would lead you to believe.
Absolutely understood, and outliers are one thing, but I’ll say I was surprised (and subsequently educated) that such a loose, IMO obvious-to-the-eye variance could be so widespread. This has been an eye-opening thread though so I have no regrets with surfacing the issue. If I didn’t, someone else eventually would have, I’m sure.
This is mine. Got it from the AD early 2025
This is the rare “Zipper’s last stand” edition of the Snoopy, wear it in good health.
This is the rare “Zipper’s last stand” edition of the Snoopy, wear it in good health.
Yes, the "Snoopy ZLS" - that works for sure...
