SO, I've owned the Platinum 321 for a little over a year and it is my ultimate "special occasion" watch - essentially living in the safe.

I recently took it out when a friend was over and was interested in seeing some of the collection. Here's the punchline. He was using a small loupe and noticed something on the dial that i never did. Admittedly, i had never looked at the dial that closely before - but always appreciated the Onyx and how deep, inky black it is.

Now, only in certain light / at certain angles you see what appears to be a dial imperfection. Here is the watch head on:



Everything looks great, but when i hold it just right...if you look between 1:00 and 2:00, you can see what appears to be almost a smudge/some strange dial imperfection.



Here is the best capture I could get:


Now, i am the original owner, purchased directly from an Omega Boutique. The case has never been opened and there is nothing on the outside of the crystal.

My boutique has since closed, but i am working with the next closest one. The Boutique manager engaged HQ in Switzerland and they said it could be eligible for a replacement since it is still under warranty.

Here's the kicker, they said that Onyx is a natural stone and will show some imperfections. And for a replacement, you must be able to see these imperfections from at least 12" away. Now, the rest of the dial is perfectly glossy and flawless - as is every other Onyx dial i've seen from Omega.

Thoughts? It seems that this is obviously a defect. Just bummed that "IF" they approve a replacement, the quoted time is 6+ months...

Been with the brand for 15+ years and have many other pieces, but this is the first time I'm a little frustrated. (partly with myself for not bringing a loupe with when i picked it up - never doing that again.)

 

I think that if this mark makes you unhappy about the watch, you should ask for a replacement. It is true that imperfections occur in a natural stone, however in this case it covers substantial area of the dial. I would not be happy with it. You mentioned that the watch is living in a safe, it is not a beater, so assume you may wait for 6 months and get a new dial under warranty.

 

It's onyx, it's a natural stone, what you are seeing are minute inclusions in the stone. The highly polished surface just allows them to be more visible. I wouldn't exactly call it a defect in the dial. If the only way you can see them is through a loupe at a particular angle, and if you haven't noticed them up to now, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. It's all natural and common in any kind of decorative mineral. Just look at diamonds, there are minute inclusions in almost every diamond under magnification, the fewer there are the higher the cost. The goal for most diamonds are for those inclusions to be as unnoticable as possible to the eye under natural light.

Beautiful watch by the way, that baby needs to come out more often and see the daylight!

 

I hear you. Although, as you can see in the pictures, once you know they are there you can see them with the naked eye at the right angle. Knowing the rest of the dial is flawless, it kind of makes me expect a perfect dial surface (especially given the prestige of this piece…)

 

Once you see something you can't unsee it, that's human nature. Does it pass the Omega test.....when viewed unmagnified at 12" distance are the 'imperfections' visible from a normal viewing angle (close to vertical)? That will go a long way in determining whether they will replace the dial. They might do it as a courtesy on a premium watch, you never know. If it was replaced you never know how the next dial will be, it might exhibit some other imperfection, or the meteorite subdials might not be as attractive. I've owned various watches at this price level and none have been perfect, there is always some little flaw in the dial, the case or movement. You just have to accept these things in a man made object, especially when you through in the natural stone aspect. Anyway, good luck whatever way you go.

 

This is going to be a personal choice. For what it’s worth, such imperfections are exactly what make a watch like this special. If you want a smooth, flawless dial, there are plenty of cheaper options made of lacquered brass. But the natural material here will inevitably introduce some irregularities—some character. Not only would I not be upset about this, I’d appreciate it as part of what makes my $62,000 Speedmaster unique.

 

The analogy of the diamond was pointed out. In order that a judgement on clarity of a diamond is being made, a ten-power loupe is used. A trained eye with a 10-power loupe doesn’t see an inclusion (NOT A FAULT), the stone might be considered internally flawless. If something IS spotted with a 10-power loupe, that in not a FAULT. It is a CHARACTERISTIC! This applies to all genuine stones. With a natural onyx dial, it is almost a given that some form of characteristic (not a FLAW) will show.

 

Agree I think you’re in a hiding to nothing expecting a stone dial to be mint.
I read a thread a while back on another forum where someone with a meteorite GMT wasn’t happy as they felt that the pattern on their dial was unattractive

 

I think the issue is not the idea that a natural stone may have imperfections, more that the remainder of the dial is flawless so the presence of a large "imperfection" localized to one spot makes it appear like a "B-stock". I have not seen any other dials in any marketing materials or reviews show any imperfections.

Keeping with the diamond analogy, it feels like paying for something graded as flawless, but someone saying "its a natural stone, so you should just love the imperfections if there are any..."

 

What you’re saying does make sense—I’m just not sure if the fluke is the imperfection or the perfection of the rest. Would it bother me? Probably not. But it’s your watch, so nobody else’s opinion matters, not even a little.

This feels like an open and shut case to me: you purchased a very expensive watch and you aren’t happy with it—I’d give Omega the chance to make you a happier customer. I don’t think this is something you can just accept and move on from. So see what they say-? Yes it would be sad to lose the watch for 6 months, but as you said it’s not a daily wearer anyway.

I will say, as a fellow owner of a precious metal Omega, if you paid retail (or close to it) for this piece, selling it to fund a new one will not be an appealing option. Don’t know about this model in particular, but depreciation can be… unsettling. So definitely work the Omega angle.

 

It’s just moon dust…

 

Given that this is natural and not a production error I would leave it be. Stone is like wood. Yes, sometimes you want things to be as even as possible. I’m thinking ebony parts on older guitars that used to be very even. Now that stuff is basically no longer available and you get more variation. But even the most evenly colored natural mineral or wood will have some unevenness. You may have this changed and end up with something that has variations in other spots. Looks great to me.

 

Convert to Buddhism.

A Buddhist will purposely introduce a small flaw into an otherwise perfectly made object, as only god is perfect and who are we to attempt to compete with god.

Embrace the beauty of an imperfect world. If you wanted perfectly black you could have had ceramic. By seeing (barely) those imperfections, they highlight the rest of the incredible, natural dial.

Other than suggesting you become a Buddhist, I am not being facetious. You have a stunning watch, something to be envious of.

 

Sounds to me like it is a normal feature of the watch and meets specifications.

 

Put it back in the safe and forget about it. The imperfection will diminish the less you think about it.

 

Get it replaced. Otherwise it will annoy you forever. You’re obviously a well-established customer so I assume they will manage this with you, and you have a range of other watches to wear instead. It’s annoying for sure, but these things happen.

 

That looks more of a blemish.. I’d exchange it. And nothing from Omegas media insiders mention anything about highlighting the natural grain of onyx. Instead advertising its deep black finish, which clearly isn’t the case here.

 

What if the replacement has imperfections as well?

 

Stunning watch! Congratulations!

If you had noticed the imperfection in the store, just before you have bought it, how had you reacted? Bought it anyway and enjoyed the unique dial, or asked for another immaculate example?

 

Beautiful piece of watch magic! Keep it as it is, this is what makes it unique! That is stone, you may not expect it to be as a man-made dial. Just enjoy it!