Speedmaster 3861 issues for a first time luxury watch owner

JimNantz

Firstly, the hour subdial on the chrono function of the watch is misaligned and is too fast by around 10 minutes. I have seen the description from Archer on why this may happen so I tried to let it go, but mine seems like it's off by quite a bit. I have tried the trick of holding the reset button and slowly releasing, but this does not fix the misalignment. Pictures below:

Additionally, my chrono second hand is activating the minute subdial about 0.8s to 1.0s too fast, which I have also seen as a problem before in the forums. When it is reset it is slightly off to the left, so maybe this is contributing too. Pictures of the issue below again:

Leviathan

I’ve dealt with Omega customer service extensively due to several QC issues like the ones you’re dealing with (including several misaligned hands).

You bought your watch from an OB. That means you have a 5-year warranty that grants you several rights as an owner.

Try getting a replacement as a first option. Might be hard, but worth trying. Last Tuesday, I requested a replacement for a similar case, and it’s pending their approval. It probably won’t work (especially since you didn’t do business in the states), but that’s definitely your best option.

Second, get the watch serviced in Switzerland under warranty. Service centers have that option. They can send it there. It takes over 2 months, but definitely worth it / better in the long run.

Finally, get it fixed locally or at an AD watchmaker. This will still be under warranty if it’s Omega approved, and could still be a solid option.

You could also try sending Omega an email directly on the website. Good luck.

Archer

These problems are not specific to the 3861. If these really bother you, then yes send it in and see what they say.

Leviathan

I’ve dealt with Omega customer service extensively due to several QC issues like the ones you’re dealing with (including several misaligned hands).

You bought your watch from an OB. That means you have a 5-year warranty that grants you several rights as an owner.

Try getting a replacement as a first option. Might be hard, but worth trying. Last Tuesday, I requested a replacement for a similar case, and it’s pending their approval. It probably won’t work (especially since you didn’t do business in the states), but that’s definitely your best option.

Second, get the watch serviced in Switzerland under warranty. Service centers have that option. They can send it there. It takes over 2 months, but definitely worth it / better in the long run.

Finally, get it fixed locally or at an AD watchmaker. This will still be under warranty if it’s Omega approved, and could still be a solid option.

You could also try sending Omega an email directly on the website. Good luck.

B bitterspeak

I have a 3861 and I just performed the same chrono test for 4 hours. Here are my findings:

For the first half hour, the hour subdial was pretty accurate. After 30 minutes, that's when the hand on the subdial started advancing a little faster.

Min Subdial @ 46min
Hour Subdial @ very close to the 1 hour mark with 15 min left.

Min Subdial @ 57min
Hour Subdial @ Hand is at the 1 hour mark

Min Subdial @ 60 min
Hour Subdial @ very slightly past 1 hour marker

I repeated this for 4 hours and the hands were accurate to their location from the first hour. This is the picture at hour 3. The picture angle and lens distortion makes the hour hand look a little more severe but it was very close to the 3 hour marker.

Conclusion: The hour subdial is slightly off when it approached the hour marker. I had a friend do the same test on his 3861 as well with identical results so it seems to be common in multiple 3861. Not sure if anyone can report the same movement behavior with the 1861. All in all, while slightly inaccurate, I can still easily tell whether it's the 1st 30 min or the 2nd 30 min. I don't think it's worth the trouble of sending it in for warranty. I'll probably get it serviced a little earlier and get it addressed then.

With that said, I think your hour subdial is the same as mine and I think you may have misread your minute subdial. You believe that it was the 1st 30 min when in actuality, it was the 2nd 30 min. In green is the corrected timing. Instead of 9 minutes, it's really 39 minutes and so on and so forth. If so, this would match with my movement.

Hope that helps!

Evitzee

The examples shown here do measure elapsed time well enough, there is no confusion as to what the elapsed time is when the chronograph is run. Yes, there is a slight misalignment of the hands, but this will be the case in most chronographs. Owners can certainly send them in for readjustment but just accept they will never be perfect, especially when used repeatedly.

B bitterspeak

I have a 3861 and I just performed the same chrono test for 4 hours. Here are my findings:

For the first half hour, the hour subdial was pretty accurate. After 30 minutes, that's when the hand on the subdial started advancing a little faster.

Min Subdial @ 46min
Hour Subdial @ very close to the 1 hour mark with 15 min left.

Min Subdial @ 57min
Hour Subdial @ Hand is at the 1 hour mark

Min Subdial @ 60 min
Hour Subdial @ very slightly past 1 hour marker

I repeated this for 4 hours and the hands were accurate to their location from the first hour. This is the picture at hour 3. The picture angle and lens distortion makes the hour hand look a little more severe but it was very close to the 3 hour marker.

Conclusion: The hour subdial is slightly off when it approached the hour marker. I had a friend do the same test on his 3861 as well with identical results so it seems to be common in multiple 3861. Not sure if anyone can report the same movement behavior with the 1861. All in all, while slightly inaccurate, I can still easily tell whether it's the 1st 30 min or the 2nd 30 min. I don't think it's worth the trouble of sending it in for warranty. I'll probably get it serviced a little earlier and get it addressed then.

With that said, I think your hour subdial is the same as mine and I think you may have misread your minute subdial. You believe that it was the 1st 30 min when in actuality, it was the 2nd 30 min. In green is the corrected timing. Instead of 9 minutes, it's really 39 minutes and so on and so forth. If so, this would match with my movement.

Hope that helps!

Leviathan

I went to the Omega-authorized service center in my city, and made an appointment with the manager. The manager took me to the head watchmaker there, I presented my warranty and purchase receipt, and we discussed my options.

I’ll know in a few days if I can get a replacement (probably unlikely). If the replacement is a no go, I’ll live with the misalignment issue until the first service. Not worth de-casing and hand reapplication.

Sucks, but there’s really no other viable option. No matter how skilled the watchmaker is, de-casing a movement has always caused either aesthetic (dust on dial, scratched hands, dial misalignment) or functional changes to my watches (worsened accuracy).

Hope this helps.

JimNantz

To anyone who is interested, I finally decided to just send it in for warranty service, they started work on it today. I am just going to trust the process and assume they will take proper care of the watch, looks like it went to the Miami location. I am curious what they will say and how the watch will look/operate when it comes back, I will let everyone know.

JimNantz

To anyone who is interested, I finally decided to just send it in for warranty service, they started work on it today. I am just going to trust the process and assume they will take proper care of the watch, looks like it went to the Miami location. I am curious what they will say and how the watch will look/operate when it comes back, I will let everyone know.