White speck/inclusion INSIDE hesalite crystal on 1861 Speedmaster Professional, anyone else?

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a preowned Speedmaster Professional (cal. 1861, hesalite, 2016 to 2021 production) from a reputable dealer on Chrono24 for around $6,000 USD to celebrate my 30th birthday.
The watch was advertised as freshly serviced and the dealer is an authorized Swatch Group service center in Italy, so I expected it to arrive in excellent condition.
When I unboxed it, I noticed a tiny white speck near the upper right area of the crystal, close to the word "tachymetre" on the bezel.
At first I assumed it was just a bit of dust, so I tried cleaning the gap between the bezel and the hesalite, wiping the crystal surface, etc. Nothing worked.

After wearing the watch outdoors in natural light for a few days, I am now fairly certain this is not dust and not a surface scratch. Here is why:

• It is not on the outer surface of the hesalite. I ran my fingernail over the area and there is nothing to feel. The surface is perfectly smooth.
• It is not trapped between the bezel and the crystal. I cleaned that gap thoroughly with no change.
• It is not on the dial. Looking at the dial directly, it is clean and flawless.
• The speck is only visible when light hits the crystal at certain angles, and then it reflects brightly. Under other angles, it disappears completely.
• It is in a position (upper right, near the bezel edge) where it would be nearly impossible to cause a scratch through normal wear.

All of this makes me believe it is an inclusion, a tiny particle or air bubble trapped inside the hesalite material itself.
Either a manufacturing defect in the crystal, or possibly something that got embedded during reassembly after the service.

I contacted the dealer about it and they keep telling me to "clean it properly" and that "it is dust."
They do not seem to understand (or do not want to understand) that it is inside the crystal, not on any surface.
Today I showed the watch to several coworkers and asked them to try and find a defect without telling them where to look.
They all independently spotted the white speck within seconds, so I know it is not just me being paranoid or overly picky.

I am attaching a video and photos below showing the speck. It is difficult to capture on camera because it depends on the light angle, but you can see the bright white dot near the tachymetre text, always under the "H" letter.




My questions for the community:
Has anyone else experienced something like this with their hesalite crystal? A particle or inclusion trapped inside the plexiglass itself, not on the surface?
Is this a known issue with hesalite crystals, either from manufacturing or from service/reassembly?
Is there any way to confirm 100% that it is inside the crystal vs. on the inner surface (the side facing the dial)?
Would an authorized Omega service center be able to swap just the hesalite crystal without requiring a full service?

I really love this watch and I want to enjoy it, but every time the light catches that speck it drives me crazy. Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I have never seen this on any speedy I owned. Not sure what to say - maybe have Omega swap out the hesalite?

That wouldn't pass NASA test.

Could be worse.... much worse:

is that hair where I think it's from...

LOL... likely! 🤣🤣

Guys, I love how the response to a visible defect inside a $6,000 watch is basically "lol just deal with it." Really reassuring community we have here.

Let me paint you a picture. Every time I am outside and the sun hits the crystal, there is a bright white flash under the letter H on the tachymetre that lights up like a shooting star. Every single time. It is not a scratch I can polish out. It is not dust I can wipe away. It is permanently trapped inside the hesalite and it is not going anywhere.

You know what does not do this? My $80 Chinese Speedmaster homage with a cheap mineral crystal slapped on by a factory worker making pennies on the dollar. Crystal clear, no inclusions, no shooting stars, nothing. Same for my other homage. Zero issues on both.

But my actual Omega Speedmaster Professional, freshly serviced by an authorized Swatch Group dealer, $6,000 out of my pocket? That one gets a free built in light show.

If you guys genuinely do not see a problem with that, then I guess Omega's quality standards have fallen so low that we are now defending defects as "character." Good to know.