zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: Hi All,

: I need advice. A week ago I received my new
: Omega SP “ James Bond” model 2220.80 with
: the co-axial movement. 3 days ago at about
: 7:55 pm I wind it and set the time (when I
: opened the box the watch stopped at 11:12 pm
: or am, I’m not sure so I moved the hour hand
: backwards to 7:55 pm and then set the date).
: I wore it in bed and the next morning at
: about 8 or 9 I noticed that the date has not
: changed so I adjusted it. The same thing
: happened again for 2 day. On third day I
: noticed that the date changes some time in
: the morning. Am I setting the date
: correctly? I don’t want to unscrew the crown
: too many times to damage the gasket on it.
: And one more thing, do I have to adjust the
: date for the months that have less than 31
: days? I wll post a picture of my Omega later
: on when I learn how to do it.
: Thank you for any advice.

: Ted

Hi Ted,

When you get a new watch, there are a few things you need to do to set the date and get it to change at the right time. First of all, unscrew the crown and, when the second hand is at 12 o'clock, pull the crown all the way out to position 3 (as far as it will pull out). This will stop the second hand. Now, keep turning the hands forward until you see the date change (do NOT worry about what date appears in the window - you'll set that later). When this happens, you know that you have just passed midnight and your watch now "thinks" it is AM. If you are doing this on the morning, just turn the hands forward to the correct time and push the crown back in. The watch will now run. If you are setting the time in the afternoon, turn the hands through all 12 hours. When you get to 12 o'clock, you'll notice that the date does not change. The watch now "thinks" it is PM. Now you can move the hands forward to the correct time and push the crown in, but do not screw it back in yet. From now on your watch will know when it is AM and when it is PM.

To set the correct date, just pull the crown out to position 2. The second hand will continue to move. This is the quick date set position. Keep turning the crown until the correct date is displayed in the window and then push it back in. NOTE: Do use the quick date set feature between 9PM and 3AM to avoid potential damage to the date change mechanism.

Before screwing the crown back in, I'd fully wind the watch to make sure it has its full power reserve. You do this in position 1 (the first position the crown is in when you unscrew it). Keep turning the crown until you hear a faint clicking noise as you turn. This is the watch's overwind protection mechanism engaging, meaning your watch is now fully wound. You may have to hold the watch close to your ear to hear this sound. You can now screw the crown back in. When you do so, do not overtighten it. As soon as you feel resistance, don't tighten it any further. Overtightening the crown can prematurely wear the threads down over time.

I hope this helps.

-John