omeag speedmaster water damage

[vandereydt]

Hi all,

I need some advice,

I have a nice yellow Omega Speedmaster Schumacher from 1996.

Forgot to take it off when I went for a swim in the sea.
Saw afterwards that there was humidity on the glas.
A night when I took of the watch, to my big surprise, the back cover just popped off.
Inside was very wet and very brown due to corrosion.
I just immersed the watch in clean water.
Nothing moves anymore, the winder-contra-weight is locked solid.

Is this a complete wright off or does anybody have some advice for me

Thanks

Have a nice day
Ronny

[cbmotorsport]

Good independent watchmaker (£££) for their opinion and a quote to put right, or back to Omega (££££)

Not sure why you're asking, there's no quick fix.

[So]

vandereydt said:

Hi all,

I need some advice,

I have a nice yellow Omega Speedmaster Schumacher from 1996.

Forgot to take it off when I went for a swim in the sea.
Saw afterwards that there was humidity on the glas.
A night when I took of the watch, to my big surprise, the back cover just popped off.
Inside was very wet and very brown due to corrosion.
I just immersed the watch in clean water.
Nothing moves anymore, the winder-contra-weight is locked solid.

Is this a complete wright off or does anybody have some advice for me

Thanks

Have a nice day
Ronny

Send it back to Omega.

I did something similar to a Cartier some years ago, messing up the movement and dial. A local watchmaker quoted 600 to fit a generic movement. I sent it back to Cartier who replaced the movement and dial, then refinished it, for £250. I presume their largesse was some sort of acknowledgement that they don't expect their watches to fail like that.

Omega may be less generous, but at least it'll be returned to like new, genuine Omega quality.

[cbmotorsport]

So said:

Send it back to Omega.

I did something similar to a Cartier some years ago, messing up the movement and dial. A local watchmaker quoted 600 to fit a generic movement. I sent it back to Cartier who replaced the movement and dial, then refinished it, for £250. I presume their largesse was some sort of acknowledgement that they don't expect their watches to fail like that.

Omega may be less generous, but at least it'll be returned to like new, genuine Omega quality.

Your local watch maker was not a *good* one. A good independent will not do anything different to Omega, and will be cheaper, providing they can get the parts.

Trying to fit a generic movement is a joke.

[So]

cbmotorsport said:

So said:

Send it back to Omega.

I did something similar to a Cartier some years ago, messing up the movement and dial. A local watchmaker quoted 600 to fit a generic movement. I sent it back to Cartier who replaced the movement and dial, then refinished it, for £250. I presume their largesse was some sort of acknowledgement that they don't expect their watches to fail like that.

Omega may be less generous, but at least it'll be returned to like new, genuine Omega quality.

Your local watch maker was not a *good* one. A good independent will not do anything different to Omega, and will be cheaper, providing they can get the parts.

Trying to fit a generic movement is a joke.

But a local watchmaker will be interested only in financial metrics, whereas the manufacturer has brand reputation to consider.

I've had other manufacturers repair watches free of charge or above and beyond their legal obligations for the above reason.

[crispian22]

A Fortis fliger chronograph of mine let water in,I contacted Fortis for advice and after sending it to them they sent out a new watch on the original bracelet.

I would try omega first and see what they say.

[vandereydt]

Thanks all

Will get in touch with Omega and get their proposal.

Thanks
Ronny

[andy97]

I would ring "Anglesey Watch and Clock" and ask Joe's advice after you have spoken to Omega.

[cbmotorsport]

So said:

But a local watchmaker will be interested only in financial metrics, whereas the manufacturer has brand reputation to consider.

I've had other manufacturers repair watches free of charge or above and beyond their legal obligations for the above reason.

Always worth a try, but it's a 1996 watch. Thats over 20 years old, and the back wasn't attached properly. I should think the only chance you've got of Omega making any sort of gesture would be if they'd just serviced it and it then failed, otherwise they'll charge you top dollar.

[So]

cbmotorsport said:

So said:

But a local watchmaker will be interested only in financial metrics, whereas the manufacturer has brand reputation to consider.

I've had other manufacturers repair watches free of charge or above and beyond their legal obligations for the above reason.

Always worth a try, but it's a 1996 watch. Thats over 20 years old, and the back wasn't attached properly. I should think the only chance you've got of Omega making any sort of gesture would be if they'd just serviced it and it then failed, otherwise they'll charge you top dollar.

The Cartier I returned was at least ten years old and it had never been serviced. Agreed '96 is quite old and he may get nowhere at all, but in my experience it's worth a try.

[cbmotorsport]

So said:

The Cartier I returned was at least ten years old and it had never been serviced. Agreed '96 is quite old and he may get nowhere at all, but in my experience it's worth a try.

Just Curious... was the Cartier water damaged?

[So]

cbmotorsport said:

So said:

The Cartier I returned was at least ten years old and it had never been serviced. Agreed '96 is quite old and he may get nowhere at all, but in my experience it's worth a try.

Just Curious... was the Cartier water damaged?

Salt water damaged.

I wore it in a series of steam room / salt bath type environments and found that it steamed up and stopped. When opened it was rusty. It was first opened by a non-Cartier watchmaker before being sent to Cartier. As per my post above they returned it as new for £250

[TheHoof]

In the UK I'd suggest sending it to Swiss Time Services or Simon Freese however your profile suggests you're in Belgium. Either send it to Omega or jump on the Omega Forums and ask it anyone can recommend someone in Belgium.

One point to consider - If you send it to Omega they will most likely refinish the case, replace hands etc. Some view that as a positive, some as a negative. If you don't want the case to be refinished, I'd go outside of Omega and leave instructions to leave the case alone!