Who has a METAS movement that is losing time?

[Archer]

D desertsoldier22

I would imagine the parts are also settling in and that there will be a deviation over time as parts wear in and lubricant starts to settle.

Lubricants don’t “settle”...

 

[AntonisCy]

Archer

Does GS test their watches with a 15,000 gauss magnet? I doubt they do...

Just wondering @Archer .

I know Omega says they are 15000 gauss magnetic resistant, can be used next to an MRI machine etc, but i have also read you saying that METAS movements can still get magnetized... Can you explain how this can happen and what is different in a case where a watch can be magnetized or not next to a MRI machine an an example?

 

[Archer]

AntonisCy

Just wondering @Archer .

I know Omega says they are 15000 gauss magnetic resistant, can be used next to an MRI machine etc, but i have also read you saying that METAS movements can still get magnetized... Can you explain how this can happen and what is different in a case where a watch can be magnetized or not next to a MRI machine an an example?

Simple - not all parts are made of materials that resist magnetism. The parts that are, are related to timekeeping, so balance spring, pallet fork, co-axial wheel...but there are plenty of steel parts inside that can still be magnetized, but they typically will not affect timekeeping in these watches. Depending on the movement, their may be other effects...

 

[Canuck]

@POinNY ,

Still not enjoying your watch? That is indeed a shame!

 

[Archer]

Canuck

@POinNY ,

Still not enjoying your watch? That is indeed a shame!

Well he hasn't logged in since last December, so hopefully the watch is running okay...

 

[desertsoldier22]

Archer

Lubricants don’t “settle”...

Aka broken in...sorry grammar. No mechanical object has perfectly machined parts. They do wear in. Lubricated items do have specific wear patterns that will be established. Very similar to an engine. A watch movement will deviate slightly over a few months of initial use.

 

[Archer]

D desertsoldier22

Aka broken in...sorry grammar. No mechanical object has perfectly machined parts. They do wear in. Lubricated items do have specific wear patterns that will be established. Very similar to an engine. A watch movement will deviate slightly over a few months of initial use.

This is a common belief on watch forums, but there is no real evidence to support it, other than people's anecdotal observations of timing changes under completely uncontrolled conditions. A watch movement is very different to a car engine, so any analogy there is inherently flawed. Watch pivots don't "wear in" in use, unless the lubrication has completely failed - they fall under boundary lubrication on a Stribek curve. You can run a watch for a year properly lubricated and the pivots will be the same as they day it was new.

What people observe as "break in" in watches, is often just changes in timekeeping due to variations in wearing patterns (positional variation, varying states of wind, etc.).

If watches really drifted as people believe they do, then any timing certification would be essentially worthless. A new or freshly serviced movement will vary in balance amplitude and rate certainly, but this happens over a very short period of time - 12 to 24 hours typically.

 

[Borosilikat]

My titanium ploprof runs about +1/-1 second per day, usually tending to lose.

 

[Premaster]

My 2 Planet Oceans 2nd Generation (not Metas) have been running + 2 seconds per day on my wrist out of the box. All of my Master Aqua Terras (8800) as well as my 2 Omegas with the 8900 have been running - 1 second per day on my wrist (all observations with watch 24 hours on my wrist). So...?? Metas regulation seems to be maximized towards the goal to have 0 deviation which sometimes (too often?) leads to slightly slow running Master Chronometers, depending on the wearer. Omega should simply speed up all their Master Chronometers by 1 or 2 seconds. So easy! I still love my Omegas, they are extremely accurate, just slightly on the slow side (which is - for many, also for me - rather bothering compared to i.e. 6 seconds running too fast).

 

[AntonisCy]

My METAS Planet Ocean is at +1 second per day average for a year now. I wear it every day.

 

[havanaomega]

POinNY

I’m looking for some feedback from those who have PO 8900s/8800s and SMP 8800s and notice their watches losing time over 24 hour periods.
I've had a total of 3 Planet Ocean 8900s: two of them were -0.5 and -1 sec per day and one was +1 sec per day. All were bought new. Because two of these lost time after 24 hours, I'm chalking it up those two having much tighter tolerances than the other one that gained. When I registered these watches on the Omega website and looked at the individual performance results, the two watches that lost time over a 24hr period always had an average that was closer to 0, while the one that gained had an average of 4.6 sec per day in a range of 0-5 seconds.

I'm think the loss might be normal because my first PO 8900 that lost time, I sent it over to Omega for diagnostics and testing. They had it for a week and reported that it was within METAS specs, but on my wrist that was never the case. I've seen numerous other people here and watchuseek.com with METAS movements post about how their watches lose time in a 24 hour period, usually ranging from -2 to -0.5. I find it odd because theoretically a METAS movement should never lose time. But I also know that if the watch spends most of its time in a slow position, that will skew the accuracy.

With my latest PO 8900 purchased only a week ago, I notice it'll lose 1.5 seconds over 15 hours of wrist time. When I set it at night, crown up, it'll gain 0.5 seconds back so the total loss over 24 hours is 1 second. I think crown up is the "fast" position for this particular watch, but the only issue is that it doesn't make up for what it lost fast enough. I'm hopeful this will improve since it's still a new watch, but I've been reading that "settling in" and "break in" periods for mechanical watches are just myths.

Is there anyone else with a METAS movement noticing a loss over 24 hours?

 

[havanaomega]

I have a Seamaster professional with the 9900 that is currently losing a second per day or a little less. I don’t think this is enough to send it in and have them start messing around. I got mine January this year and I decided to not set the time again until the anniversary day.

I never cared about having such an accurate movement on my wrist and I have to say now that I do. I can’t ever go back to my Apple Watch lol.

 

[Ky70]

That was some great info/reading. Thanks to all who contributed.

 

[bluetrain323]

I’ve got one that is suddenly losing time after consistently being +0.5 to 1 sec/day for 10 months. Posted details in link below to thread. Don’t know what would cause it as the watch has not been dropped, hit, or suffered any shock.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/seamaster-diver-caliber-8800-accuracy-issues.134123/

 

[havanaomega]

I wear my wedding ring in one hand with my watch and on the other one onyx ring and bracelet to match the black in my seamaster. Do you guys think I took it too far? I recently got the nato strap for the summer months. I felt like I just got a new watch when I exchanged the regular bracelet for the nato.

 

[ducatiti]

So OK.. purchased three META's certified watches last week or so. One of which had a +2.9 secs average daily per Omega's Metas result site. The other two stated +4.x average. Now the +2.9 rated 8900 movement lost 2-3 seconds in a week or so.

That being said, safe to say that if a watch is rated +3 secs or below on the Metas cert the watch can eventually run slow?

 

[SkunkPrince]

It entirely depends on your habits. If you're wearing that watch while using a jackhammer, it won't keep time very well.

 

[bluetrain323]

B bluetrain323

I’ve got one that is suddenly losing time after consistently being +0.5 to 1 sec/day for 10 months. Posted details in link below to thread. Don’t know what would cause it as the watch has not been dropped, hit, or suffered any shock.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/seamaster-diver-caliber-8800-accuracy-issues.134123/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/seamaster-diver-caliber-8800-accuracy-issues.134123/

@Archer curious if you could offer any insight as to my above post from July. On Monday, I received watch back from omega boutique after it was sent away for service and watch now appears to run perfectly like when I first got it, +2/day and not losing time overnight. Did not receive any old parts back with watch or any other papers or documentation indicating what they did to watch. Just wondering if the watch gradually slowing down again despite no intervening event/shock/damage is something to expect with this movement again after 8-12 months. Know you’ve commented on tolerances of 8800 not being as tight as those of other omega movements. Thanks in advance!

 

[Archer]

For warranty repairs, parts are not always returned.

No real reason why it should slow down.

 

[smpforme]

Archer

Lubricants don’t “settle”...

I have followed this thread from the beginning to this page. I have many Omega's and the all run exceptionally well. This thread speaks of Metas movements only. I have 3 currently. A 300M/ 8800, AT/8900 and a PO/8900. Now, when I wear my watches - I do wear them 24/7 365. My 300m will not gain more than 10 seconds in a year. It's stupid accurate to say the least. My AT and PO both 8900 movements will in fact loose .5 seconds a day on average. I currently wear the PO, again 24/7-365. It doesn't seem to care what position it's in, wound up or static on my wrist during sleep. I can check the time whenever I chose. The rate is always -.5 seconds per day. So only about once a quarter to I bother adjusting the time. Which by then is about 1 minute slow. Watch is very consistent and see no need for a regulation. Which by the way is WAY more accurate than my Tag quartz Formula One.
Love the 8800 and 8900 movements.

Edited: Sep 6, 2021