X-33 Battery change

Stripey

I came to read this as my X-33 first generation was giving the battery dying signal this morning. For any readers in the UK, I took my watch to the Omega boutique on Oxford Street in London and was quoted £40 to replace the battery only, and potentially £100 (i.e. an additional £60) to carry out some further minor tasks that may be necessary (and I must confess to not being wholly across the detail of them). I was also clear that I wanted the watch pressure testing to its specification. I have authorised work up to £100. After reading everything above, it was much simpler and cheaper than I was expecting. The £40 seems in line with the $60 quoted above. As I bought the watch second hand, I have no idea of its service history, so I have no idea what will come back. I will also say that I would not regard spending £100 every couple of years on a machine that cost me £1800 as being excessive. But that's a personal view with no real objective justification.

I expect the watch back in 2-3 weeks, as it is sent to Southampton.

I just thought the up to date info on the cost and timing of a replacement battery at Omega would be helpful.

Mongooseman

Thank you for sharing this; you may have just swayed me to go for the X-33 after all. I get to London often enough that using UK boutiques to do battery swaps and minor servicing is entirely possible.

Mongooseman

Thank you for sharing this; you may have just swayed me to go for the X-33 after all. I get to London often enough that using UK boutiques to do battery swaps and minor servicing is entirely possible.

Stripey

I thought I would update on my battery replacement. In summary, the £40 I was quoted was an error. Turned out to be £155, including reseal, new crown, pressure testing.

Unfortunately, the watch then came back without anything that required sound working (alarm, countdown, beep on pressing a button). It has just returned today having allegedly had a full service, and now appears to be working. What I found surprising is that I'm entirely unclear as to what actually happened or what work was covered in the "full service", guaranteed for two years in circumstances where I'd handed the watch over to Omega working and it came back not working. I had understood that "full service" on these models basically involved the replacement of the movement altogether. I will be thinking very seriously before letting my Apollo 8 or indeed the X-33 go to Southampton for servicing again.

duc

Anecdotally, it has been reported if the case back is installed incorrectly, the sound is far less audible than the advertised 85dB. I've never heard of your situation before though.

Stripey

I should make clear that I was not charged for anything beyond the £155 for the work the watch originally went in for.