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FAQ'S....by Chuck & Damon

Deciding on a Model...
Dealer Issues
1. Should I get an Omega from an authorized dealer or should I go gray market? What's the difference between the two?
2. What is the resale difference between gray market and authorized dealer purchases (i.e., watch with papers vs. watch with out papers)?"
Movement Issues
Care Issues:
1. Water Resistance Issues:
Maintenance Issues:
1. What kind of maintenance does my Omega need, and how often do should I have it done?
2. What is the best position to leave my watch so it gains, or losses the least amount of time?
Repair/Service Issues:
Bezel Questions:
1. What is the unidirectional bezel do?
2. Can I change the insert on my Seamaster from blue to the stainless steel one, or vice-versa?
Specific Model Questions:
Serial Number Issues
1. Where is the serial number on my Omega?
Are These Defects?
Insurance Issues:
1. Will an insurance company insure a watch with missing serial numbers and/or with out manufactures warranty card?
2. How can I let my insurance company know how much my vintage watch is worth, or my watch with out a serial number?
Bracelet/Band/Strap Issues:
Informational Number's/Sites:
Other Common Questions:
1. I'm thinking about getting a winder for my automatic watch(es), can this damage them?

Deciding on a Model...

Which watch should I get the Seamaster or the GMT, which one is better?

Do you have a need for the GMT's features? If so then you should strongly consider the GMT, if not, then you should consider it if you prefer the look. This one is for you to decide, their both great watches, and you can't go wrong with either one. The best one is the one that makes the most sense for you.

Should I get the full-sized Seamaster Professional or the mid-sized one?

This is a dilemma that almost everyone that has the watch faced, and the answer is get the one that you think looks best and feels best on you. Go to an authorized dealer, and wear the type of clothes that you wear on a day-to-day basis. Try on both watches, and look in a mirror and see what you like best. The full-size Seamaster may look big at first, but you get use to it.
Should I get the Seamaster Professional Chronograph in stainless steel or titanium?

Go for what you like best, the titanium is much lighter than the stainless steel, but it also scratches somewhat more easily. To give you an idea of the difference, a Stainless Steel Seamaster Professional Chronograph tips the scales at 206 grams, while it's Titanium counterpart weighs a mere 142.7 grams. A savings of over 60 grams or more than two ounces.

Dealer Issues

Should I get an Omega from an authorized dealer or should I go gray market? What's the difference between the two?

It's a matter of your opinion as to where you should buy your watch. A watch that is bought via an authorized dealer will be covered by the one year Omega International Warranty, and it is guaranteed by Omega to be 100% original and that it has not been tampered with in anyway. If you go authorized, you will get anywhere from a 0% discount to 35% discount, and in some cases you can get more. Gray market dealers usually have their own type of warranty on the watches they sell, and they are usually longer than one year, but you really have no idea of the quality of their repair people. Watches on the gray market are usually discounted from 35% off or more.

What is the resale difference between gray market and authorized dealer purchases (i.e., watch with papers vs. watch with out papers)?

This depends entirely on the watch and its condition. A watch with its box, papers, and what ever else came with it will sell for more vs. a watch that does not have it.

Movement Issues

What's the difference between an automatic and a quartz watch? Which is better?

Automatic:

Quartz:

An automatic watch depends upon movement to power it while a quartz watch depends upon electricity for its power, typically a battery. It's a matter of opinion as to which is better. An automatic is a nice testament to the ability of watchmakers to put hundreds of little parts into a watch case and get them to work all together just to tell time. But, with all those little parts mean that there are more things to break.

An automatic usually is more expensive to repair than quartz, but if you take care of the watch, you shouldn't have to worry about this. The nice thing about an automatic is that should water get into your watch, it won't kill it. An automatic watch does not typically keep as accurate time as quartz would, and if you're an accuracy nut, this could cause you problems. The bad thing about this accuracy problem is that you will have to reset your watch every now and then which causes wear on the gaskets, and increases the chances of water getting into your watch. This will also apply to every time that you let the watch run out of power, you will have to reset the time every time.

An automatic can take some beating, but not as much as a quartz. Usually if you drop an automatic, there is a greater chance that something will go wrong with it than a quartz watch. If you take care of an automatic, it will last you a lifetime and you can pass it on to your kids, and they can pass it down the line after your gone. Also, should you decide to sell your watch, an automatic is more likely to fetch more money for you than quartz will. Another nice thing about an automatic is that the second hand sweeps around the dial in a continuous motion.

A quartz watch is a testament to the technological advances by man. A quartz watch requires less maintenance than an automatic. The only maintenance that the watch will need is a battery change and to have its gaskets changed annually if it's around water. It is very accurate, so this will stop you from having to unscrew the crown and cause wear on the gaskets. The down part to quartz is that if water gets into your watch, it usually means death to the movement. But the plus side to this is that it will be relatively inexpensive to replace a quartz movement than an automatic. The battery inside a quartz watch can leak acid and cause corrosion to the movement. This will usually happen if you let an expired battery to sit too long inside a watch after it dies. Thus it is a very good idea to have a quartz watch serviced immediately after it's battery goes flat.

The great thing about a quartz watch is that it can sustain one hell of a beating and keep on ticking. So if you're rough on your watches, this is a major thing that you should take in to consideration when choosing which movement is best for you. Another great thing about quartz watches is that you can take them off and let them sit on your desk for long periods of time and it will still be ticking when you decide to wear it again. Unless the battery dies, it should be ticking that is.

A quartz watch should last you all of your life if you take care of it, Some people argue that why buy an expensive watch and take the risk of having the battery that your watch uses stop being made? But my answer to this is why would Omega make an expensive watch and stop producing its battery? The second hand on a quartz watch moves in one-second increments.

There is no "one better watch"... One type of watch may better for you than the other. The best person to make that decision is you.
How often should I wind my mechanical watch?

You should wind it once a day, and wind I when it is off your wrist.

I own an Automatic SeMP. How do you start it up when it's fully unwound?

Unscrew the screw-down crown to the first position, and do 40 back and forth winds on the crown. Then set the time, and finally the date (as long as the watch is not set to a time between 8pm and 3am). This should give you enough power in the power reserve so that the watch won't stop on you. Wear the watch normally after setting it for the rest of the day.

If you wind the watch and wear it throughout the day, you should have a full power reserve at bed time. You can then choose to wear the watch to bed or not.

Care Issues:

Water Resistance Issues:
With a water resistance rating of __ meters, how deep can I actually go?

A general rule of thumb on watches when it comes to water resistance rating is:

Less than 30m =

Well, just try not to get it wet, ok?

30m-50m =

Bathing, hand/dish washing, etc.,

100m =

Swimming pool or shallow swimming [i.e. less than 10m],

300m =

SCUBA diving,

over 300m =

Deeper diving.

Will chlorinated/sea water hurt my watch?

If your watch is stainless steel, no chlorinated water won't. It will however make a gold watch pit due to a chemical reaction to the chlorine. If you do take your watch in a water environment often, have it's gaskets checked twice a year as chlorinated/sea water will cause them to lose their water resistance faster.

However, it is a good idea to rinse your watch in plain tap water (distilled would be better) after swimming in a Chlorinated pool or Salt Water.

Is it ok to wear my watch while I shower (or hot tub, etc.)?

There are some very good reasons not to...

First off one of the primary reasons for bathing is to clean the body. Most people use soap or detergent in bar or liquid form. Many soaps or detergents contain abrasives, so what you are essentially doing is putting an abrasive in contact with your watch's crystal and finish. Now, truth be told, the effect of such abrasive is probably not great, but why risk it?

Secondly, the primary purpose of soap or detergents are to get water and oils to mix with one another so that they can be removed (by the combination of soap and water) from the body. So what you end up with is an agglomeration of Soap/Detergent, water, oils and dirt. Unless you are able to completely able to rinse out from all of the tiny cracks and crevices of your watch's case, bezel, bracelet, etc. this slurry of materials will accumulate in nooks and crannies existent on/in your watch.

Thirdly, Heat expands, cold contracts. Different materials expand and contract at different rates. So it goes to figure that if you move from a 68F room temperature into 100F shower water quickly the material the case, case back, et. al. may expand at a different rate than the rubber gaskets do, which may cause problems with water resistance.

Now, none of these items will cause a significant depletion of WR in a watch if you forget to take off your watch occasionally when you hop into the shower. But why put the watch at risk unnecessarily?

Maintenance Issues:

What kind of maintenance does my Omega need, and how often do should I have it done?

If you have an mechanical or automatic movement, you should have it re-oiled every five to ten years depending upon how much wear your watch gets.

If it's a quartz watch, you should have the battery replaced as soon as it starts to die.

With either kind of movement, if your watch is around water often, you must have its gaskets checked annually. If it's not around water often, you should have its gaskets checked every two to three years.

What is the best position to leave my watch so it gains, or losses the least amount of time?

Each watch is different when it comes to this. Whether it's dial up, down, crown left, or right, depends upon entirely on your watch. Experiment with the different positions each time when you take your watch off, and find out what works best for your watch.

Repair/Service Issues:

My Omega needs service, who should I send it to?

If your watch is under warrantee you should have it serviced by Omega in the country you reside, or by an authorized Omega dealer or service center. If you purchased your Omega and the watch is under a Gray-Market warrantee you should send it to the place you purchased it from. If your watch is out of warrantee if you have a watchmaker in your area that you trust, you have the option to use him or her. Typically it would be cheaper than sending it to an Omega service center. If you want to send it to an Omega service center, the best one is at the factory in Switzerland.

Should I send my watch to Omega for repair/battery/waterproofing, or have my watchmaker do it?

You can do either one. Omega will give you a one-year warranty on the work that they do on your watch, and most watchmakers have a warranty on their work also. If you have a watchmaker that you know, and trust, you can take it to him, and that will probably be less expensive then sending it to Omega.

I have a vintage Omega, and Omega says that they don't have parts for it. What do I do now?

This is the sad part of vintage watches, but there is still hope. You can either find the same movement, and pull the parts out of it that are needed, or you can try finding a watchmaker who knows how to make parts. You can find a fantastic list of watchmakers on the NAWCC web site at http://www.nawcc.org/headquarters/memlinks.htm.

Bezel Questions:

What is the unidirectional bezel do?

Its prime purpose is to keep track of time under water. It is unidirectional so that if it gets bumped, it will only lessen the time left for diving (i.e. bumped from 30 to 29 minutes). It can also be used as a timer, elapsed time, and time zone indicator.

Can I change the insert on my Seamaster from blue to the stainless steel one, or vice-versa?

Yes you can, but it is a tricky job to do. Most watch makers will tell you that you should buy a new bezel because if the insert gets bent while installing the new one, a white line will permanently be on that bezel insert. If you want to have the color insert changed, send your watch to an Omega service center near you.

Specific Model Questions:

Seamaster Professional:
How does the helium release valve on my Seamaster work? Can I open it on land?

The helium release valve works by letting helium out of your watch, and nothing else in. This only comes in handy when you are in a helium-saturated environment such as a dive bell. You can open it on land, but make sure you screw it back down before you submerge it in any water. Leaving it open while the watch is under water, can let water into the watch.

Omegamatic:

How does the Omegamatic work?

The movement in the Omegamatic is a hybrid movement that uses the same concept as an automatic movement: a rotor which rotates when the wearer moves, to generate energy. However, instead of storing the energy generated in a metal spring, the Omegamatic movement's rotor moves a micro generator that creates electrical energy which is stored into a capacitor. Then this energy is transmitted to an integrated circuit, which contains a quartz crystal who's oscillations are driven by the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit then sends the necessary impulses for the functioning of a steeping motor which drives the hands.

An Omega Omegamatic can also create electricity by turning the crown of the watch.

The benefits of such a movement is that you have the best of both worlds: Quartz Accuracy, without the need to change a battery every year or two.

X-33 Speedmaster:

How do I use the non-listed shortcuts of my X-33?

The non-listed shortcuts on the X-33 are: Alarm, Mission Alarm (MA), Universal Alarm (UA), Count Down Timer (CDT) can all be set by pushing in the crown and holding it for 3 seconds until the function flashes. This allows you to set these functions without pulling out the crown, which can be hard if the watch is on your wrist.

Serial Number Issues:

Where is the serial number on my Omega?

All newer Omegas have the serial number on the seven o'clock lug, while older Omegas serial numbers on the movement.

Are these Defects?

My new Seamaster Pro automatic is running a few seconds fast/slow what should I do?

Relax. Like most mechanical devices, a new watch has a break in period that last for about a month or so. During this time, your watch is distributing the oil around, and is breaking in it's gears. It's accuracy will vary during this time by a few seconds, but it will eventually settle down. The C.O.S.C. standards or +6/-4 seconds a day. If it's running way over that, return your watch.

The chronograph hand on my Speedmaster Professional doesn't sit exactly on the twelve, is my watch defective?

This is not uncommon, and it is nothing to worry about. Usually it is more of a pain to have it fixed. However, you could ask for it to be set properly at the same time you have your watch in for periodic service...

The Hour Register on my Chronograph doesn't always stay on the twelve when the chronograph is not in use, have I broken my watch?

This is typically called "Hour Register Creep" and does occur on certain types of chronograph movements used by Omega (Lemania c.321 & c.861, and those using Valjoux 7750 & 7751 base movements) on chronographs throughout the Omega product line. Thus this is not an issue that is restricted to any one product line (Speedmaster, Seamaster) but can occur with any watch using these movements Omega, or otherwise... However, it seems that watches using the Omega caliber 1045 (base movement Lemania 5100), 1040 and 1041 (base movement Lemania 1341) do not seem to suffer from this malady, or suffer it at a much much lower rate than the previously mentioned movements...
What happens is a spring that causes tension on this register gets slightly out of alignment. Sometimes carefully resetting the chronograph can minimize this problem from occurring, until you decide to have the watch serviced. Another work around is to simply press the reset button before activating the chronograph function. Typically it's not worth the time and expense to send the watch in to service for just this problem if the watch is out of warrantee However, you should ask for it to be attended to the next time you have your watch in for periodic service...

Man, my Seamaster Professional's bracelet shows scuff marks already, is there anyway to stop it from happening, and can I remove the ones that are already there?

The clasp on the Seamaster is known for it's wonderful ability to show scuff marks no matter how careful you are with it. There are many ways that people have found to take the marks off. Some people use a polishing cloth, while others use other items such as a steel wool scrubbing pad. It depends upon what you feel most comfortable with, and what you find works the best.

Insurance Issues:

Will an insurance company insure a watch with missing serial numbers and/or with out manufactures warranty card?

Most insurance companies couldn't care less about serial numbers... You can insure a vintage Omega with no serial numbers, so why not a new one with no serial numbers? Again, most vintage watches have no warranty card and are fully insurable.

How can I let my insurance company know how much my vintage watch is worth, or my watch with out a serial number?

If they ask, an appraisal, or a receipt will usually do.

Bracelet/Band/Strap Issues:

Where can I get an Omega band for my vintage Omega?

Call the phone number above if your in the United states, if your not, look on the Omega web site at www.omega.ch, and look for the service center location nearest you.

I have a choice of getting the Omega I want on either a Strap or a Bracelet, which one should I buy?

Get the one you like, but keep in mind that you can always obtain a leather or rubber band for much less than the metal band purchased separately. Also, the metal band will out last a rubber, or a leather band in the long run.

How do I remove links from my Seamaster, Speedmaster, De Ville, or Constellation?

You need the proper tools to do this, if you don't have them, then it's best to take your watch to an authorized dealer, or a watchmaker. Omega makes a tough bracelet, and they also make a secure one. There are some tiny parts when taking a part the bracelet, and they are easy to lose/bend. You wouldn't want to ruin your beautiful watch by doing a do it yourself job on it would you?

Where do I get straps/bracelets/parts for my Omega?

You can contact Omega, or you can post a "wanted to buy" ad on the TimeZone sales corner at http://www.timezone.com/.

Informational Number's/Sites:

What's the contact number for the Omega center in Pennsylvania?

1-800-456-5354

Does Omega have a web site?

Yes they do! Check it out at www.omega.ch.

The serial number on my Omega is xx,xxx,xxx can anyone tell me when it was made?

Email Omega via their web page at www.Omega.ch, and click the "Contact Us" button, then send a message to the after sales department, they have all the records on your watch.

Other Common Questions:

I'm thinking about getting a winder for my automatic watch(es), can this damage them?
There are two trains of thought when it comes to this subject. One is yes, and the other one is no. Some watchmakers will tell you that using a winder will cause unnecessary wear to automatics, and wear parts down faster. A winder is intended to keep a watch that is used periodically wound, and not made to help preserve a watch.

The other option to a winder is to wind a watch by hand. In watches that can disconnect the winding train when winding by hand (you have to pull the crown out to wind the watch), there is minimal chance of damaging the watch. In watches that don't disconnect the winding train, wind these watches slowly, and only turn the crown 10-20 turns. Rapid and excessive winding will cause wear on the winding train since they don't disconnect.