zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

Opened July 1999, zOwie is the Internet's first and longest running discussion forum dedicated to Omega brand watches.

Feel free to discuss pricing and specific dealers. But 'for sale' postings, commercial solicitation and ads are not allowed. Full archive of all messages is accessible through options in the Search and Preferences features. Privacy, policies and administrivia are covered in the Terms of Use.

For the answer to the NUMBER #1 most frequently asked question here--for details or value of a specific older Omega watch you have--go to: Tell Me About My Omega.

Learn more about How To Include Photos and HTML In Your Postings.

To contact someone with a question not relevant to other readers of the forum, please click on their email address and contact them privately.

Forgot your Password? RSS

Return to Index Read Responses

Problems with 2531.80

I purchased a brand new 2531.80 two weeks ago from an authorized dealer. It's been working like a charm, straying only +1 second per day (very impressive and unexpected accuracy).

Alas, today at 12:40pm it stopped running. It was sufficiently wound, as I had been running errands all morning, and I tried manually winding it to make it go. As well as lightly tapping it, shaking it, adjusting the time, etc. It's dead.

I haven't dropped this watch or hit it against anything. It has only been subjected to two weeks of regular wear. I certainly haven't exceeded the 5000g shock rating as my wrist would probably remember it.

Other than washing it a couple of times, it has not been submerged in water. Both the crown and the helium valve were firmly closed so water is probably not the problem.

The obvious answer to the narrow question posed by this problem is to talk to my AD and get the watch fixed or replaced. It is clearly under warranty.

However, I have a broader question. Is this something I should expect to happen in the future? For a watch that is described as sporty and rugged (by the FAQ, by many reviewers, by the manufacturer), it may appear sporty but is definitely not rugged, at least in my case. Am I just an unlucky outlier with a defective unit, who will have no problems after repair/replacement, or are these Omegas really this fragile? I understand that this is an automatic movement, but it really has not been subjected to any sort of brutal treatment.

The reason the broad concern is important to me is that I bought this watch to be my daily wearer, for a long time to come. To survive a substantial amount of abuse (not Casio G-Shock levels of abuse, but levels of abuse that I've seen Breitlings, Tag Heuers, and IWCs handle for years).

Any insight, personal anecdotes, or other comments are welcome.

Thanks for listening.

-Jacek