Help! Condensation in Omega Speedmaster Pro
Discussion
Help! A week ago I went for a swim & sauna wearing my 12 year old Omega Speed Professional, shortly after the damn thing misted up and no sooner do I get rid of the condensation (airing cupboard over night or left at room temperature) and put it back on it mists up again. I have never had it serviced and have previously swum / saunaed (some time ago) with it without problems.
Any suggestions on how to cure apart from sending it away to the service centre.
Any suggestions on how to cure apart from sending it away to the service centre.
5CYL said:
Help! A week ago I went for a swim & sauna wearing my 12 year old Omega Speed Professional, shortly after the damn thing misted up and no sooner do I get rid of the condensation (airing cupboard over night or left at room temperature) and put it back on it mists up again. I have never had it serviced and have previously swum / saunaed (some time ago) with it without problems.
Any suggestions on how to cure apart from sending it away to the service centre.
First - don't go swimming in it again - IIRC they are only rated to 50m, which in real life means you can just about risk the washing up and perhaps going out if its drizzling ... a bit.Any suggestions on how to cure apart from sending it away to the service centre.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_2281
Also without a recent service I imagine the seals (such as they were) are largely toast.
In order to dry it out you could try this: put it in an airtight box (like a plastic food storage jobbie) with a bag of silica gel (like you get with any piece of electronic equipment) and leave the crown pulled out.
Leave it overnight.
If that doesn't work then send it away for a service. Personally I would do this anyway. Great watch, shame to risk it for the £50-100 a service will cost.
I had the same thing with my seamaster pro, you will need to remove the back to dry it correctly.
Note that after 6 months, the hands on my seamaster started to corrode & needed replacement (because of the condensation).
A service at the UK Omega service centre is around £180. Mine was sent in dec 06 & was returned in late march 07, so don't expect a quick turnaround.
A good excuse for buying another watch to wear while it's away though?
Note that after 6 months, the hands on my seamaster started to corrode & needed replacement (because of the condensation).
A service at the UK Omega service centre is around £180. Mine was sent in dec 06 & was returned in late march 07, so don't expect a quick turnaround.
A good excuse for buying another watch to wear while it's away though?
5CYL said:
Thanks for all the advice - is the best place for service Omega UK?
For just a service I'd send it to Chris Heal - www.chealwatch.co.uk (can be quite slow though).5CYL said:
Thanks for all the advice - is the best place for service Omega UK?
For ful service they go back to Switzerland, and its 10 - 12 weeks IIRC.Omega UK customer service centres here http://www.omegawatches.com/index.php?id=342 - basically their own boutique posh shops. I guess any Omega official retailer can send it off, but then it would go via Eastleigh centre for assessment.
Bumph about waterproofing here http://www.omegawatches.com/fileadmin/CustomerServ...
HTH
Send it back to Switzerland for a full service. At 12 years old, it needs it anyway and it certainly does now! Moisture inside will wreck the movement pretty quickly. Most Omega dealers will be able to send it for you. But don't expect to see it again for a few months. Don't use it for swimming or in a hot humid sauna again, even after the service. They're really not designed for use in water.
uktrailmonster said:
They're really not designed for use in water.
I dont use mine when swimming.strictly trips to the moon only, they assured me it would be fine for that. Mines not the auto.
although to be fair, I use my planet ocean in the water and if it got damaged swimming ( as with the one mentioned above), then I would be pretty peeved. Im not silly enough to take that one into space. every watch has its place you see.
Edited by Obiwonkeyblokey on Thursday 6th December 12:04
This is a common issue with the Speedmaster Professional. Seen it on several of them now. As soon as you use the chrono functions, the seals get damaged and need replacement. Omega never seem to have fixed this bug.
Make sure the watch goes to CH. Service here is incomparable to that in the UK, miles better...
Make sure the watch goes to CH. Service here is incomparable to that in the UK, miles better...
Roop said:
This is a common issue with the Speedmaster Professional. Seen it on several of them now. As soon as you use the chrono functions, the seals get damaged and need replacement. Omega never seem to have fixed this bug.
Make sure the watch goes to CH. Service here is incomparable to that in the UK, miles better...
It's not really a bug, all watches of that generic type are prone to leakage past the button seals if they're not the screw down type used on 200m+ divers watches. Especially 12 year old seals! I'd say in this case leakage was inevitable. Watch makers should really make more effort to define water resistance in a more realistic way. 50m does not mean you can use it in water up to a depth of 50m as implied. But most people are not aware of this. This applies to all makes, not just Omega.Make sure the watch goes to CH. Service here is incomparable to that in the UK, miles better...
uktrailmonster said:
It's not really a bug, all watches of that generic type are prone to leakage past the button seals if they're not the screw down type used on 200m+ divers watches. Especially 12 year old seals! I'd say in this case leakage was inevitable. Watch makers should really make more effort to define water resistance in a more realistic way. 50m does not mean you can use it in water up to a depth of 50m as implied. But most people are not aware of this. This applies to all makes, not just Omega.
Agree entirely. Water resistant to 50m = splashproof in most cases!! My Rolex GMT is resistant to 100m but I wouldn't dare use it for much more than an occasional swim in a pool and it rarely gets that!The Speedmaster is not really a watch that you can swim in due to its real world lack of water resistance. Any watch that you wear while swimming should be rinsed in fresh water immediately after (especially if exposed to sea water or chlorinated pool water) as these factors can cause the seals to rot. In addition, temperature can play a part so hot showers / baths / saunas should be avoided as the heat can affect the rubber seals.
5CYL - Why not get a brother for the Speedy? I've had my Omega Seamaster Pro for over 10 years now and it's been bullet-proof. It's my customer-friendly work watch (not too in their public-sector faces) as well as my choice for holidays and scuba diving. A friend who owns a classic watch shop really rates them - well made, reliable, robust and well-priced. Second-hand a SMP is even more of a bargain!
Edited by Spice_Weasel on Thursday 6th December 15:49
I entirely agree with Spice Weasel. I've had a Seamaster Pro for close on 10 years and had it serviced in the UK twice, including having the seals replaced. I regard this watch as something I need not worry about: it's rehularly been in all the oceans around the world, saunas, pools etc. I always rinse it in fresh water afterwards. I do gardening and DIY wearing it and so far it's been shockproof, bombproof in fact. Great watch for wearing anywhere without worry. It's looking a little used now, of course, which adds a bit of character: I'm sure 007 gets the case on his scratched too!
I'd love to have a Speedie and I've got close to buying one on more than one occasion but its fragility has always been the deciding factor against it. R.
I'd love to have a Speedie and I've got close to buying one on more than one occasion but its fragility has always been the deciding factor against it. R.
Related reading: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I agree the issue of not clearly stating actual usable water resitance that can easily be understood is rediculous. Although is it not the same as car speedo that shows up to 150mph and it can only manage 110mph!
Why not get it a brother? I can't afford it! and unless you are loaded all you need is one really decent watch thats my though process, I saved up and bought the watch 14 yrs ago (age 21 as I saw one in the Science Museum on a school trip and thought it to be really cool)before kids and a mortgage! I have worn it 95% of the time the rest a £30 Casio and an inherited Rodania and its been very good however the plexi glass is a bit susceptable to damage and its bulk means it gets knocked easily. I guess it was my fault for being to tight to get it serviced and this is the price you pay! As my wife pointed out to me "its buying a Range Rover and not being able to afford the servicing" -great!
That brings me onto another matter if the Speedmaster Pro was a car what would it be? Porsche 911 2.7 RS Lightweight or a Mercedes 300SE 5.9?
Why not get it a brother? I can't afford it! and unless you are loaded all you need is one really decent watch thats my though process, I saved up and bought the watch 14 yrs ago (age 21 as I saw one in the Science Museum on a school trip and thought it to be really cool)before kids and a mortgage! I have worn it 95% of the time the rest a £30 Casio and an inherited Rodania and its been very good however the plexi glass is a bit susceptable to damage and its bulk means it gets knocked easily. I guess it was my fault for being to tight to get it serviced and this is the price you pay! As my wife pointed out to me "its buying a Range Rover and not being able to afford the servicing" -great!
That brings me onto another matter if the Speedmaster Pro was a car what would it be? Porsche 911 2.7 RS Lightweight or a Mercedes 300SE 5.9?
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