After coming back from Omega for the second time to have my Speedmaster HB-SIA GMT (small chrono second hand running +8 1/2 sec/day (large chrono second hand running +6-1/2 seconds), three weeks later they claimed it was now running +1.85 sec/day. Well, sort of. The large chrono hand was running at +1.85 sec but the small second hand (which runs even if the chrono function is off) is actually running close to 4 sec/day. I am fully aware that both are now within COSC specs. I have done this test over a 4-week period. That is actually a minor annoyance. I understand that the chrono function may be a modular piggyback to the main movement. However, Omega might have piggybacked a "greased pig" as the 12-hour chrono is running -45 MINUTES slow daily. I only noticed this only 4 days ago by timing it every 24 hours. It turn out that the 12-hour chrono function has been off by this much ever since it was returned to me by Omega. I the "greased piggyback" module can't catch and synchronize with the watch's movement. All my buddies' Daytona never had this problem. Even though I don't have a Daytona, my Rolex watches have never been off by more than 1 1/2 seconds a day. I chose the Speedmaster over the Dayona because of its features. Maybe I should have stuck with Rolex or another reliable movement. Maybe the 3rd time (1st time the 30-minute hand was sticking at around 28 min; 2nd time with the watch running +8 1/2 seconds/day) with Omega's the charm. Going to the service center next week.
Can you please provide details of how you are measuring the differing rates between the chronograph seconds hand and the constant seconds hand? You say one is running at +1.85 (that is very precise!) and the other is running at +4. But does this mean you are measuring them independently, meaning that with the chronograph turned off, the constant seconds hand is running +4, but when you switch the chronograph on both run at +1.85? Or does this mean that the chronograph hand and constant seconds hand drift with respect to each other, with one gaining more time than the other? And what time base are you measuring these against? As Ash has pointed out, the Cal. 3603 inside your watch is not a modular chronograph, but a fully integrated vertical clutch chronograph based on an F. Piguet movement. Both the constant seconds and the chronograph seconds are parts of the primary wheel train of this movement, so in the few minutes I have been reading and replying here, I am at a loss to explain how one could be running faster than the other when they are both running, unless there is some slippage happening in the central chronograph runner assembly. For the hour recorder, does the hand reset back to "zero" correctly each time? If so, then it's not likely an issue with the hand itself being loose on the post, or the rivet between the flat portion of the tube and the hand being loose. There are a few driving wheels in the movement that make this wheel turn, so if one of those has too much end shake and is being disengaged periodically, it could cause the hand to stall. For sure an interesting situation - of all the 3301, 3303, 3313's and others in this family that have had their various issues, this is the first I've heard of anything like you are describing here. Cheers, Al
Hi Al, +1.85 is the average over a 10-day period. I took pictures of the watch at the same time every day running simultaneously. The +2 second gain from the the small second hand vs. the large chronograph second hand is defined in my pictures. As an example, after resetting everything to zero yesterday at noon, today's time at noon (iPhone, computer, TV time set to the Atomic clock--I work in television), the small 60 second counter would be displayed at 12:00:04 (within COSC specs); the large chronograph second hand would be displayed at 12:00:02 (also within COSC specs), but showing a 2-second difference. To reassure me that this is not a fluke, I would reset all the chronograph functions to zero and the same values would be displayed on a day-to-day basis. There would be days when both run at the same time, but never consistently. These results are based on my normal daily wear. When I use my watch for racing (one weekend every month) where there may be some sort of wrist jerking due to steering wheel resistance caused steering wheel input and suspension travel, to which the accuracy of the watch does not seem be be affected at all. As to the -30-minute/day difference between the large 12-hour hand vs. the small 12-hour chronograph hand (located at 6 o'clock), this at least needs to be brought back to the Omega Service Center. I hope I was able to explain the discrepancies and hopefully you can shed some guidance as to how I should ask Omega to approach this. Thanks. Tony
Please do this test again, but fully wind the watch and lay it dial up for 24 hours (don't wear it) - let me know if any of the problems happen.
Did just that. In the meantime what is causing the 12-hour chronograph running 30 minutes behind every single day?
Okay looking at this photo I have a few questions... I am assuming you didn't sync the second hand with the minute hand before you started this test? The central minute hand appears to be not quite at the 20 mark, and the constant seconds hand is at about 6 seconds past the minute, so just wondering if that has drifted or wasn't set initially? Did you start the chronograph when the constant seconds hand was exactly at 0/60 seconds? If so, then I see a 17 second approx. discrepancy between the two, which is quite different than what you have described in your previous posts. If this is really 25 hours after you started it, the hour counter is out by something like an hour and a half, correct? The relationship between the minute counter and hour counter look fine to me. The hour counter is coming up on 11 1/2 hours, and the minute counter appears to be coming up on a half hour period finishing. Let me know...I have a theory... Cheers, Al
In hindsight I might have not set both second hands to zero (I thought I did). Otherwise it would be no more than about 2 seconds apart. But then again I'm not sure since I've never had this off my wrist that long. Difference is 1/2 hour. At 7:20am it should read a little past 12:00. Instead it is only reading past 11:00. I'm listening to what I should tell Omega Service Center which I plan to take next Tuesday (Monday is a holiday). It's a half hour drive from work.
It would really help if I had good information from you - so now you are saying it was 24 hours and not 25 then? And I'll ask it again - did you start the chronograph when the small seconds hand was at 0/60?
I reset the watch at 6:21am yesterday and took the picture at 7:21am today (didn't really wanted to get up early on my day off). Correct. Chronograph was reset 0/60 (also 0/30; 0/12).
So it is 25 hours then and the hour counter is more like 90 minutes behind, not 30...if it was working properly it would be reading about +1 hours after 25 hours run time, not 11 1/2 or 12. Okay based on the information provided I believe what is happening is that the seconds hand of the chronograph (large one that measures elapsed seconds) is contacting something. In a horizontally coupled chronograph like Speedmaster Pro, if you block the chronograph seconds hand while the chronograph is on, the whole watch will stop. In a vertical clutch chronograph it doesn't work this way - the primary timekeeping parts of the watch will continue to run. So during the day the chrono seconds hand touches either the central minute hand or the underside of the crystal, and it might not stop it, but it slows it down, while the remainder of the time train for the regular timekeeping of the watch runs at it's normal pace. Therefore the chronograph slowly falls behind a little at a time as that chronograph second hand goes around the dial. It is possible that the interference is more in one location than another around the dial if the hands raise and fall a they turn - you see this sometimes on watches. It gets worse when the watch is being left sitting still and not worn because as you move the watch around during the day as you wear it, the simple movement of the watch around as you move your arm helps keep that second hand from stalling quite so much. So I would ask them to ensure that the hands are clearing each other and the underside of the crystal. Before they take the watch apart, have them run the same test so they can see that the chronograph does not keep up. Cheers, Al
Update: 09/14/15 Dropped off my watch at the Omega Service Center last Tuesday, 9/08/15. Per Omega's Service Status Report (The chronograph system is malfunctioning): -09/08/15 Service in progress - Completed -09/10/15 Technical Diagnosis - Completed -09/10/15 Waiting for Approval - Completed -09/10/15 Service Approved - Completed -09/10/15 Waiting for Parts - Completed -09/14/15 Service in Process - In progress Service Description: COMPLETE MAINT. SVC. MECH. CHRONOGRAPH Estimated date of completion for this service is 10/16/2015. This date may be revised based on spare parts availability and service capacity at the time of approval.
Update: 09/18/15 Dropped off my watch at the Omega Service Center last Tuesday, 9/08/15. Per Omega's Service Status Report (The chronograph system is malfunctioning): -09/08/15 Service in progress - Completed -09/10/15 Technical Diagnosis - Completed -09/10/15 Waiting for Approval - Completed -09/10/15 Service Approved - Completed -09/10/15 Waiting for Parts - Completed (Column Wheel) -09/14/15 Service in Process - Completed -09/16/15 Waiting for Parts - In progress (screws - back-ordered from Switzerland) Service Description: COMPLETE MAINT. SVC. MECH. CHRONOGRAPH Estimated date of completion for this service is 10/16/2015. This date may be revised based on spare parts availability and service capacity at the time of approval.
Update: 09/24/15 Dropped off my watch at the Omega Service Center last Tuesday, 9/08/15. Per Omega's Service Status Report (The chronograph system is malfunctioning): -09/08/15 Service in progress - Completed -09/10/15 Technical Diagnosis - Completed -09/10/15 Waiting for Approval - Completed -09/10/15 Service Approved - Completed -09/10/15 Waiting for Parts - Completed (Column Wheel) -09/14/15 Service in Process - Completed -09/16/15 Waiting for Parts - In progress (screws - back-ordered from Switzerland) -09/24/15 Waiting for Parts - In progress (screws - back-ordered from Switzerland) ETA for 12 screws is 10/18/15. Somehow the old screws are not compatible with the movement. Impression I got from them is that a different (new?) movement will be installed. Told them that I don't mind waiting as long as they get it right this time (3rd time's a charm?). I guess I won't be able to check the GMT feature when we go on our overseas vacation this time. Service Description: COMPLETE MAINT. SVC. MECH. CHRONOGRAPH Estimated date of completion for this service is 10/16/2015. This date may be revised based on spare parts availability and service capacity at the time of approval.
Hi Slipstreamer, I'm thinking of picking up the same watch for myself soon, it is a pretty cool watch in my eyes. May I trouble you with a few questions please? 1) How did the above service go, did Omega replace/change any portion of the movement? 2) @Archer mentioned that there is a 'C' variant where they incorporate the 3-level escapement for the 33x3 movements, and a kit is provided to upgrade any older movements. Any such upgrade to the 3-level in the 3603? 3) How is your watch holding up now? I appreciate any light you can shed as user of this model. Thanks!