Hi all,

I purchased my Omega Speedmaster in 2011 and I rarely wear it except for special occasions.
I decided to take it on holiday with me this year and noticed that the lower chrono button and internal pin was missing. I remember checking the time before I got into the pool and all was correct and present but when I got out I noticed that the time was incorrect which made me notice something was missing.
The lower chrono button had come off, probably in the pool, and the watch had stopped and filled with pool water.
Of course I panicked and blamed my wife which I soon regretted after 2 nights sleeping on the balcony. Once she let me back in we proceeded to contact Omega or Swatch in Southampton, as I am told are the same thing.
The website customer services link did not work and not a single telephone number in site, anywhere. When I finally managed to contact Swatch they said that they would send me an insured case to return the watch for inspection. 3 weeks later I did not receive the case so had to request it again and 2 weeks later it came. I wrote an explanation of events and sent off the watch.
Today, 2 weeks on I received a telephone call from a customer care rep to say the it will have to be sent to Switzerland to be repaired as the water damage was too excessive to repair in this country and that the repair would be totally chargeable as I had not stuck to the recommended service intervals of 4-5 years.
Now, I am no mathematician but it is now 5 years and the Omega website stipulates that service intervals are 4-5 years depending on use which for me is maybe 5 times a year.
I have to say that the whole conversation with the rep felt like I was being fobbed off and she kept coming back to the recommended service interval chestnut which is now.
I have seen lots of blogs with the same buttons issues but none with water damage like mine.
I do believe that this is a manufacturers defect as it is attached from inside the watch and I know that I have not knocked it anywhere. I explained this to the rep and she kept repeating ware and tear reterick and service intervals.
We finally agreed to send it off for an estimate and take it from there.
Has anyone else had the buttons come loose?
Any assistance or info would be much appreciated .

 

Firstly, comisserations.

Secondly, I suspect the customer service team are suggesting that as its out of the 2 year warranty, and hasn't been for a service since, the seals/waterproofing are not garunteed... Or in fact, any of the watch.

Most of us don't take Speedmasters in the water... It's not what they're designed for really.

 

Sorry to hear this happened.

The Lizard is right. I too am sorry this happened. Omega will fix it for sure, anything they do in regards to discounting the service will be a gift. Expensive lesson learned here, NEVER wear a Speedy into the water.

 

Speedmasters at the most are rated for 100m. Most are 30-50m. Only after 100m are you okay with taking a watch swimming (30-50m are more for emergency immersion, i.e. jerk pushes you in a pool, etc).

After 5 years you should be doing a routine maintenance anyway no matter if the timepiece is keeping time or not. Exceptions exist for coaxial movements, but most lever escapements need service every 5 years.

Ps please never swim with a speedy. Pushers aren't waterproof if they're depressed at all, hence why your watch flooded with water. That's why Omega makes Seamasters.


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I'm afraid Omega is right: They "fulfilled" their part by selling you a fully working watch 5 years ago ...

they cant really be heold responsible for a watch that is 5 yrs out of their dominio and not serviced. You bought a product not a watch-subscription-service.

best of luck!
al

 

If you had the misfortune of snapping the stem by hitting the button, I very much doubt that Omega will accept that as being a "manufacturing defect"! If the button unscrewed, there may be a hope. However, the missing button is the smaller part of the problem. Could be a replacement movement might be in order. I seriously recommend that the Speedmaster Professional is not an ideal watch for wearing in a swimming pool! Some folks argue that point, but ignore it and pay the consequences!

 

Thank you all for your input although I still can't believe that an expensive precision timepiece can come loose like this especially if I hardly wear it.
The watch is in pristine condition with hardly any use.
Will go for a Casio in the future..........

 

It's a mechanical device, and as such requires maintenance.

You wouldn't drive a car for 5 years without service, and expect it to perform/work as when new... Same goes for a mechanical watch.

The brand, and the cost/quality aren't the issue here, but rather the expectation, and the inappropriate use.

A Casio is a good call if you want to swim with a watch on... Just make sure you choose one that's waterproof to 100m or more.

 

If the recomended service interval on my car was 5 years I would.
The performance is not the issue, the build quality is.
As for the inappropriate use, surely swimming with a 100m waterproof watch is not inappropriate.

 

I hope this is only a one off incident .... spending so much $ and the min we ask is just a quality standard befitting the brand and faith we put via our cash!

 

It is ok... but not recommended on a 5 year old watch that has not been pressure tested.

You actually have 2 issues here. The pusher breaking off and swimming which lead to the watch flooding. Odds are you knocked the pusher sometime earlier which can happen. This most likely this weakened it and it fell off just before or during your swim. Its sucks but it happens just swimming is not going to cause the pusher to fall out, something had to have weakened it.

Water resistance in watches is a little bit confusing. 100m meters you would think would allow for scuba diving which only goes to about 120 feet. But nope no way would even the mfg recommend taking it that deep. Most people here would not take any non diving watch swimming.

 

I agree with the thread starter. a watch of WR of 100m should be able to be used for swimming pools. Is that not a realistic expectation?

 

Split into your three points:

1. Service Interval
From Omega's FAQ:

"Like any high-precision instrument, a watch needs to be serviced regularly in order for it to work perfectly. Obviously, we cannot indicate the intervals for such work, given that it depends entirely on the model, climate and the care taken by the watch's owner. As a general rule, it is between 4 and 5 years, depending on the use of the watch."

So - general rule, rather than absolute - and taking into account the variable conditions mentioned above, your watch might have been ready for a service at 2 years.

2. "Performance is not the issue, build quality is"

Coming at this from Omega, or any other manufacturer of any device that is 5 years old, and which they have not touched since they sold it to you - they have no idea what you've been doing with the watch. None at all. It is out of warranty. One of the pieces of the case is missing, and the watch is full of water from a dip into a pool. They have nothing other than your word, that the pusher was there when you went in the water. They are under no obligation to side with you. They aren't even under an obligation to repair it for you at cost to you. They are 100% within their rights to say "sorry chap, you've bugger this beyond belief, tough". They won't, but they could.

Damage, or lack of maintenance is the issue, not build quality.

3. Swimming with a Speedmaster

If it's a speedmaster professional, the water resistance rating is 50 meters.

This, essentially makes it smash proof.

When brand new, with new, tested seals.

Not when 5 years old, with seals that haven't been changed, or waterproofing that has not been tested.

This does not make it suitable for swimming.




No one here would dispute that your situation sucks... but this is a case of user error, rather than manufacturer defect.

 

The swimming pool is not the issue, the button is.
I am sure that the watch would be OK if the button had not fallen off.

 

I'm 99.9% sure that the watch wouldn't be full of swimming pool water, if it hadn't been taken into a swimming pool.

And as I have said, and Omega are politely telling you - they haven't seen the watch for 5 years... this is not a manufacturing defect.

 

All blogs online with the same issue of the button falling of were sorted by Omega for free.
Unfortunate for me that I got into a pool with it which really caused the damage.
Although this probably would not have happened if the button did not come off....

 

Mate, I've tried to be polite - it's way out of warranty, you screwed up. Live and learn.

 

Commiserations! But there appears to be a bunch of user errors here.

Firstly, Omega's website says WR on the Speedy is 50m. That's essentially splash-proof, nothing you want to actually take swimming or immerse in water.

Secondly, never use chrono pushers under water, as the way they work essentially results in an injection of water into the case (and maybe that pressure will pop a pusher off too). There's only a handful of watches that have chronos designed for underwater use.

Finally, leaving water in there for more than a few minutes will trigger corrosion, especially salty or chlorinated water. 4 weeks of a soaked watch? I'm guessing the insides are a real mess. The best bet would have been to immediately open the case, rinse with clean fresh water and then let dry out.

I have a feeling this will be a costly service unfortunately.

 

The question wasn't solely for you pal.
This is a forum......