jleef

I've had a couple of Omega reps over the last year or two and I'm currently considering getting myself a gen 42mm PO. As I'll be buying this with inheritance money it's going to hold a lot of sentimental value for me, and it'd be something I'd like to hand to to future generations of Jleef =)

I'd like to get some engraving done on the back of the case - a few words perhaps, to make it more unique and special to me, but don't know if the PO caseback is best suited to this as the seamonster design already takes up quite a lot of room.

Has anybody done anything similar already?

Soon as the rubber strap for mine arrives I'll take some pics too. No point yet

Just paid for mine so it should be on my sweaty anticipant wrist in the next day or two, will get the camera ready

rhack1, how do you think these would hold up against water? Have you taken a look at the seals inside the case, or run them through any sort of pressure test? I doubt my reps would ever get wetter than a splash of rain but it'd be nice to know that one of my "seamasters" at least is worthy of being submerged in the sea! And at the price these are going for I'd feel fairly comfortable wearing one in the pool, waterproof test successful of course...

Sent an email regarding the black version of this before I place and order, I wait in anticipation for Narikaa to return to UK so can deal with him and soon have one of them on my wrists!

Ditto, I get the feeling he's going to be an extremely popular guy as soon as he lands on UK soil again

Does Narikaa have a website in order to order this? or is it best to contact him by PM?

He has a photo gallery but that seems to be out of date / not complete. I sent him a PM.

Mine's on order

Argh black or orange, what to get!

I guess life is full of tough choices :-)

I should prob start a new topic but whilst on this one, does anybody know where I could get a black rubber strap for this? I'm thinking PT might be a good place to look but if anybody knows elsewhere (UK or EU preferably) please let me know

y'know, I promised myself I wouldn't be diving in and buying loads of reps after I got my SMP, but for that price I have GOT to get me one of these

Is it not possible to bend the spring a bit more to provide a tighter fit??

Tried that, sadly does nothing - it's not the tightness upon rotation that's the problem, and bending the spring only seems to help with that sort. It's the tightness with which the bezel actually clips onto, and stays on, the watch face with. Especially when I read other posts here about users having to strongly pry the bezel off with butter knives and suchlike - when mine pops off now as easy as a Krispy Kreme coffee lid!

(I discovered that when sat in the back of a car recently and the lid popped off, spilling the hot steamy beverage all over my crotch. Wasn't amused. Off topic anyway! )

This rep is known for being well constructed. It seems you either received one that was manufactured with inferior quality parts, or something happened during your ownership of it which is causing the bezel to fall out of place. Before you decide to permanently glue it in place, take it to a watchsmith and explain to him the problem and ask if it can be fixed.

If it can I would get it fixed, if not; then you have 4 option:

1)Glue it in place

2)Purchase a gen bezel which comes with the insert (expensive option but then you have a nice franken ) however you will need to be sure the bezel will fit

3)If the dealer agrees, send it back to him for repair or a new watch

4)Purchase a new rep watch head (this will probably be the more realistic option when approaching the dealer)

Have emailed seller to see what they can do. Hopefully can get it sorted, and hopefully won't have any more 'teething' troubles with this watch and reps in general!

Thanks for all the answers and help by the way DemonSlayer, you seem to crop up on most of the random questions I've had recently

OK, I have to presume there's nothing I can do here since there's definitely no problem with me installing it properly. I don't know why it doesn't snap into place with any reassuring grip but have to assume it's either a poorly-made bezel or poorly made watch face. Think I'm either going to have to try a new bezel or just glue the current one in place and replace functionality for sturdiness!

Yeah that's basically what I've tried, seems no matter what I do though the bezel just pings out of the case far too easily now!

So I was stupidly messing around with my SMP and managed to ping the bezel off. No problem, I though, nothing seemed damaged, it just clips back in again. So I wrapped the metal click spring around the bezel and clipped it back in. Trouble is that now I can literally pop the whole bezel off just by running my little finger under the edge of it. Not good!

Am I resigned to having to glue the whole bezel in place now to stop it falling off? I'm wondering how it stayed on there in the first place since I didn't seem to damage anything...

Thanks guys, I can clearly see the differences now and would have to agree that based on the evidence I've seen here, it's definitely a clone.

I've emailed my repair guy asking what he would charge to drop a gen 2824-2 into the watch should he deem the current movement not serviceable, so I guess I'll play this one by ear.

Thanks again!

OK, ETA logo doesn't look of the best engraving quality. I guess it's a fake.

My watch repair guy said a lot of asian movements are of poor quality, soft steel, and so he can't work with them. Is that likely to be the case with this one?

OK guys thanks for the help so far...here's some more photo's that I hope will help you determine better whether it's fake or not

OK, I guess I can safely assume it's a clone then. I guess there's a hint of irony to all of this, being the replica watch market and all

So my next question would be: is it likely to be of a high enough quality to be serviceable? Or are we talking about a

...and is it cost effective to be serviced? I'm about to send off my SMP for a service (water got in the case for one reason), but I've been told by the guy that many asian movements are poorly made and he can't do much with them - plus of course there's the cost-effective point too.

I paid extra for a genuine eta movement but not convinced that's what I've got, so I should probably be on to my dealer questioning why if not?

So, is it genuine? And is it of a good enough quality if not to still get it serviced? Thanks :-)

Think I might give him a go myself. Will obviously let you all know the outcome if I do!

We'd need a picture of the balance wheel and even then ETA confirmation can be iffy... the movement may need a service...or you can find a rep-friendly watchsmith in your area who's willing to replace the movement holders...

Hey guys, couple of further questions regarding my recent SMP purchase.

Firstly, something that happened one of the first times I opened the case: this fell out:

I didn't give it much further thought at the time since the watch functioned normally still, but today after another problem (more on that in a minute) I opened the case and the whole movement fell out at one side - held back only by the crown.

It seems like the part that fell out was some sort of fixture for holding the movement, or part of it, in the case:

Should I ask my dealer to send me a replacement movement, being as I've barely had the watch a week? I feel with the help of the board I can probably swap over an entire movement but not too sure about delving into the parts themselves...

Secondly, and the reason I opened the case: the watch suddenly stopped ticking today. It took several swirls of the watch plus several fiddles with the crown to get it to start again. The rotor seems to move freely, and the cogs in the centre (part of the power reserve mechanism?) move with the rotor ok. Also, although it seems ok now, the watch wouldn't start at first when pushing the crown right back in from the hacking position.

After this I wound the watch manually a few times - bad for it I know, but since I've had it on all day the rotor should have been moving around enough to wind the reserve - is this a possible sign of more damage? I'm confused being as the watch and movement should basically be brand new...

Finally, can anybody confirm from this pic that it's a genuine ETA or is that asking too much?

OK, another quick question. I took the back off again and took some pics:

Does this look like trapped liquid from the pressure test or general grease/oil that is maybe supposed to be there?

If the misting was only slight, it is possible that the watch had been initially sealed, on a very humid day, and immersing it in cold water, has created the misting.

Living in high humidity climates, creates a problem in resealing a watch, even opening the crown can allow enough humid air in.

I know of watch repairers, who work in these climates, who operate air driers, (dehumidifiers) in their work rooms to overcome this problem. I have looked into this myself, having experienced this issue, just can't justify the +$300-$500 cost for a decent unit.

Offshore

I guess that's possible. I didn't see droplets or anything so didn't recognise it as condensation at first. It was more like a fine scratching / mist - as if somebody had run wire wool over the glass.

I've had it under a lamp for the last hour or two and there doesn't seem to be any more fogging. Took the back off as well and all I can see moisture wise is what looks like grease around the seal.

Either way I'll leave it under the light for a while yet, and I guess I'll be keeping it away from water until such time as I find somebody here in the UK who can give it a proper waterproofing treatment

OK, moments ago I was praising Timpson on their pressure test service, now it seems that my particular branch may have got it wrong?

The guy in store sent me off for half an hour whilst testing the watch to 100m, I came back just in time to see him dunking the watch into the liquid, saying he was just going to check for bubbles.

He said it passed the test, however when I got home I noticed a lot of what seemed to be scratching on the face. Worrying that he may have scratched the mineral somehow I spend a good while with glass cleaners, toothpaste and elbow grease trying to remove the marks. After this did nothing I left the watch under a lamp for 5 minutes and the marks were gone.

So I guess it's safe to say that despite his words it failed the test? Since there were no bubbles in the test I guess I have no idea how waterproof the watch is - but would I be right in assuming it'd be good advice to keep the watch away from all water save the odd rain drop until I can get it properly waterproofed?

Sorry to post a question which I can easily gather answers from via a search - I'm just confused that the watch seemed to pass a pressure test yet the face misted up later...