zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

My Omega Seamaster Pro Chrono History Description

History of the watch:
Purchased around 2000 in Paris
Fist issue appeared about 1 year after purchase. This was a problem with the self-winding mechanism, which would no longer engage, and the watch would run out of reserve. If wound manually, watch worked fine. The watch was sent to Omega Toronto via Birks Montreal for repair under warranty.

Desc:
- Watch came back to Montreal with friction marks on its side and forced opening scratches on back. Watch was in identical mechanical state as when sent (i.e. nothing fixed, still would not wind automatically)
- Many iterations (4) until the watch was finally fixed
- Scratches had been polished, but still appeared.

The watch ran flawlessly for the next 7 years worn every day.

In 2007, the watch started exhibiting signs that it was due for a routine maintenance (cleaning, oiling, seal change) since its reserve was becoming very limited and the crown was becoming tighter (when setting the time, etc.)

Since I no longer wanted to deal with Omega Toronto (no more warranty and poor experience) I went to a local jeweler (Assaleh on Mont-Royal in Montreal) who gave me 2 choices:
- Send the watch to Omega for cleaning (600-700$)
- Send it to their local certified watchmaker (450$)
I chose the later. Watch was sent and came back in a reasonable delay (3 weeks).
- While the watch was visibly cleaned and oiled (reserve was now full and watch would operate very well, I noticed a considerable smudge inside the sapphire (grease-like). Obviously this was a bad surprise and when shown to the jeweler, they decided to send it right back to the watchmaker for cleaning.
- When it came back a few weeks later, the smudge had been partially cleaned but there were still some marks. They said that they could not clean it more for fear that they would damage the anti-reflective coating inside the sapphire. I kept the watch for a few weeks to test it further before I decided what to do.
- A few weeks into testing, I noticed that the 30min/hour hand of the chronometer (lower dial) would not reset to zero after the chronometer was reset (had to run the chronometer several hours to test this) (NB: For close to 10 years of continuous use, I would regularly run the chronometer for 24 hours to make sure it was in good condition.)
- Brought the watch back and they acknowledged their was a problem and sent it, again, to the watchmaker.
- A few weeks later, it came back with no change other than a few new specs of dust inside the sapphire. The lower hand (chronometer hour counter) was still off. The watch was sent back directly.
- A few weeks later, the watch came back. The dust was cleaned and the chronometer hour counter would now properly reset. Ran the watch for a few weeks and the chronometer hour counter suddenly stopped resetting again. NB: Not only did it not reset, but it seamed to follow the main hour hand; completing a full dial revolution every 12 hours.
- I waited a few more weeks to make sure no other problems were noticeable and also try to think of what options were left to me since this was beyond ridiculous and that the watchmaker was clearly incompetent.
- I returned to the jeweler and clearly expressed my feelings as this was unacceptable and that, like a monkey hitting a wall, started to understand that another run to the watchmaker would only further deteriorate the watch’s condition.
- They insisted on sending it back again. I was not impressed thinking they only wanted to get through the 1 years warranty on the repair to get me out of their hair but let them send it yet again.
- A few weeks later, the watch had returned. This time it had a printout with it describing what defects the watch had when they received it. Other than a few scuffmarks due to normal wear, THEY made all these defects! No information on repair, or what had been done to the watch. The owner wound the watch and handed it to me. Forcing me to sign as I had received the watch. Now that the watch was running and that the time had been set by the owner right in front of me, I started the chronometer in front of him and ran it for 15 seconds. I stopped it and reset it. The second hand of the chronometer reset 4.5 second to the right of the 12h mark! Ran it again for 40 seconds to reset it from the other side of the dial; same thing! I was not impressed.
NB: when the owner pulled it out of the bag, it was stopped, and all hands were aligned. He wound it manually, set the time and handed it to me. Later when I expressed my dismay, accusations started flying, Arabic was used in the owners communicating amongst them, and many other signs of panic from their part were displayed. They said they had tested the watch prior to calling me (24 hours before) event though the watch was stopped and several hours from the actual time. I did the test of the chronometer across from the counter where the owner was watching my every move.

Anyhow, I asked what other options were left. My watch entered their commerce in working condition with only the need for a cleaning and is now (6 iterations later) still in their possession with a non-functional chronometer (2 hands not resetting; and who know what other damage) in addition to a damaged sapphire (from the inside). I am now forced to consult a layer and determine what legal action I can take to solve this issue. I paid over 450$ for these guys to destroy my watch.

Any ideas as to what I should do? Can the hands be realigned without opening the watch? (Cannot find info on this) I have seen some automatic chronos which use the Valjoux movement which could be adjusted via the used of the chrono buttons while the crown is pulled to set the hands.

Regards,

DJT.