TeeJay

Thanks for the assistance I think I've found the lever which is the adjuster, from your first reply and made a minor tweak,but, before I read this second post, I moved the other lever marginally, realized it was the wrong one, and moved it back to precicely where it was. If this is the one that affects beat rate, would putting it back in exactly the same position as it was originally in mean the beat rate was the same as it had originally been? I think I will indeed keep the watch as a working/learning tool, although I think it's use as a 'project watch' has now passed... Oh well, such is life... Thanks for the advice, folks

I thought that was likely the case... Would it likely be repairable though? Would it be as easy to swap out the movement? If it had been running +2/3 a day, I wouldn't've touched it, but as it was a constant -, I thought it wouldn't be a problem to adjust... My bad there... With the adjustments, could you highlight on that picture which lever you mean? If the movement's totally junked, I might as well scrap the watch, as there would be no point in swapping all the other parts from a donor watch, when all I would actually be using, of the original, would be the case...

I only removed the case back. I wasn't sure which 'hole' was the crown stem release, so left that well alone... The movement stayed in the case the entire time. I have absolutley no idea. My guess would be a $2 Chinese POS. (Keeps great time and sweeps as smooth as a cold beer, which is why I kept it as a project, despite the watches external flaws) The watch was running at about -2/3 seconds a day. I rotated the screw clockwise probably less than a mm. Literally just enough for my eye to see the line had moved, so probably a hair's breadth rather an a mm. No condescention taken at all, the only reason I adjusted that specific screw, was that in the movement for my PO, the same screw section is marked with the - + markings for time regulation... Here's the best picture I could get. The green ring surrounds what I suspect to be the crown stem release, a yay or nay would be appreciated on that... The red rings surround the screw that I rotated clockwise by about a hair's breadth... Thanks in advance

That was indeed all I touched. There was a small jewell in a holder inside that screw, and I wondered if I might've put too much downward pressure against that, although I tried to ensure that the only pressure was sideways torque, not downward pressure... I've left the watch face down since first posting, and it's still ticking merrily away, but I know if I tip it right way up, it'll stop again... Is there any kind of balancing mechanism involved that could have been compromised? The watchsmith who'd previously repaired my Submariner said he wouldn't work on the project watch as there would be no guarantee of the various parts working together, and he didn't want to charge for doing the work (which he'd obviously have to do) if it might not work, so I think I'm going to have to take a crash course in watch building. I've always been good at model building, my dad used to be an engineer for an F1 manufacturer, so I'm very used to the nature of precision work, I just don't really know where to start...

I've read so many times that the markings on the SMP bezel insert are supposed to be lined up with the 'peaks' on the bezel. On my project watch, I had to line them up in the 'troughts' so the bezel would have a symmetrical appearance. I've seen a member's SMP Chrono where the markings are again, lined up in the 'troughs', and someone else has even linked an image from Omega's website where the insert is incorrectly aligned. This morning, I went into the local AD to enquire about the price of the 20mm Planet Ocean rubber strap to compare with Ofrei.com's price. The manager was totally helpfull (unlike the last time I enquired about the price of the straps) I explained that I'd previously asked about the price, but had not realized there was a different strap, so wanted to re-ask. I had the part numbers written down, but had genuinely forgotten as I hadn't planned to go in. She couldn't've been more helpfull, and went to check on the price, as they already had one on order for someone else, and the price would be

Sweet Jesus, the if it wasn't for the bezel of the chrono, I'd've thought someone had taken a blowtorch to it. I wouldn't wear that watch if Omega paid me to.

I quite agree with the sentiments of that, but, the fact remains, that these watches are replicas, and at some point, the manufacturer's must have gotten their hands on a gen watch for study. I quite agree, it is possible to fit the SMP strap to the PO, but it is not a 100% perfect fitting. As I've said before, for the moment, I can live with the gape at the case because the strap itself is so damn comfortable, and to be honest, I have more important bills to pay than spending $189 on a watch strap. But. That does not make the strap correct. I guess my point is if the manufacturers had a gen watch to study, how did none of them realize that they were replicating the wrong strap? If that is all a dealer has seen from the manufacturer's, that's all they'll know. Doesn't make them personally a liar, because they are simply telling the truth as they know it. The true 'fault' lies with the manufacturers who did not sufficiently research the strap's details. I'm glad to hear it's all been taken care of

Uh, no it's not, not at all. They guy's an ass to mess people around like that. Sure, there can always be glitches and last minute factors as to why we can't complete a deal as agreed, but, the decent thing to do is inform the other party so some alternatives can be worked out. To do anything else, is simply disrespectfull.

I managed to identify which piece I needed to turn to regulate the time, and moved the 'screw' forward about a millimeter. When I put the back on, I realised that the hands had stopped. Removing the back, I saw the rotating wheel had stopped. A light tap on the edge with a jeweller's screwdriver, and it started rotating again. Tried to put the back on, same result. Again, a tiny tap on the edge of the wheel, and it starts ticking away. Something I have observed, is all the time the watch is face down, the wheel rotates. Once it goes vertical or upside down, it stops. Any suggestions on what I might have done or what I need to do? The way the wheel starts rotating again when it's given a tap and face down suggests I haven't totally killed it, but I'm certainly in need of professional advice. Thanks in advance

That's not a very promising reply... from reading Ofrei.com, I would say do not try the strap at all, or they could try and refuse a return on the grounds of it being 'used merchandise'. The straps look vaguely similar, but the differences between the two are also quite distinct. If your dealer is in any doubt, you might want to show them these pictures SMP Strap SMP Buckle PO Strap PO Buckle

I had a hunch it might be the Seamaster strap rather than the Planet Ocean strap. The Planet Ocean strap, in addition to the different shaped notch holes and different size tongue on the buckle, has the markings "Seamaster Planet Ocean" on the inside (Planet Ocean is under Seamaster) I'll be most interested to hear the response and if they have any other suggestions

I'd say it's that's pretty similar here in the UK, and to the assistants, (for the most part) it's just a job, and the majority of their product knowledge is only what their managers have chosen to tell them. It's like the assistant in the AD who had to have the LE Casino Royale 45 PO pointed out to her. Totally sweet girl, couldn't've been more accomodating by offering my fiance and I coffees etc. Couldn't've been more helpfull in picking up a few other watches I might have also liked, but, when it came down to it, simply didn't know a thing about the products, which I blame on the management, not her. In the store where the snooty proprietor called out my watch, his assistant didn't know if it was rep or not, he just made a lucky guess. The result is I will never set foot in the jewellers again. Not because I was embarassed, because I wasn't, but because his attitude stank. When I first tried on the LE PO, it was in a more local AD, and at the time, I was wearing my 2531.80 Project watch (when it was still on it's original shitty bracelet) so, I took it off before I went in, as there was no point in allowing it to be seen. I'm pretty tempted to go in that store again and ask what kind of price they want for a 20mm Planet Ocean strap and buckle, and see if they can do it any cheaper than Ofrei.com. Will I be wearing my Planet Ocean when I go in? Most likely. However, I'll either be wearing a jacket, or I'll close my cuff over it. I wouldn't go to the effort to take it off before going in, I'd just make damn sure to keep it covered, so any view they do get would be a quick glimpse and mentally ignored. When I went into the jeweller/watchmakers who's repaired my Submariner before to ask how much it would be to have a dial installed, I couldn't speak to them (they weren't there) but the assistant asked why I wanted it installed, asking "Is it a newer dial?" (The dial on the project watch looks about 50 years old thanks to the burned lumes) so I just replied "A more accurate dial" and took the watch back from her. I think it's just a case of exercising discretion, and a little common sense. There is nothing to be gained by wearing a rep into an AD with the intention of flashing it under their nose, other than petty 'one-upmanship'. If you feel a dealer is looking down their nose at you, so be it. If you weren't actually going to buy from them what does it matter? If you were going to buy from them, let them know you'll be taking your business elsewhere, and why. That will get a much better change in attitude than 'flashing the cash'.

That is a case of someone in a position of authority making a (correct) moral statement and using their position of authority to frighten people into obeying them. That does not make it a legally enforcable piece of legislation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, the various states in America can have widely varying local laws which are unenforceable above state level, and can always be overridden by a citizen's Constitutional Rights. As Andrew pointed out above, the Titanic is being eaten. It will eventually disappear. The legislation quoted about it's protection did not specify that people could not profit from it (that is a purely moral point) and, as I pointed out, someone could argue that by using pieces to create commemorative pieces, that is fullfilling the legislation's mandate to protect the Titanic's 'cultural and historical significance'. I agree 10000% that the watches should not be sold, and should only be given to families of those who died or survived, but, from a legal aspect, there is nothing preventing the company from making the watches.

The way I see it, there would be no point in a rep. It would be totally profitting from a tragedy, but, the watches themselves would be meaningless as they would simply be made from regular metal. Sure, the design of the watch is quite nice, but then again, so are Panerai, U-Boat, and several similar Russian watches if one's tastes run to that design... Much better to get one of those as, if it wasn't actually made from sections of the Titanic, the watch would be doubly fake. (in content as well as manufacturer) I quite agree, the profiting is the moral objection, but, that is not prohibited by the above mentioned legislation. It simply states that the Titanic (in whatever form) is to be protected, hense why I made the point that one could argue that as the hull is being eaten and will eventually vanish, removing sections of the hull from that environment could indeed be seen as protecting it, and, by making those pieces into watches which (as you so rightly pointed out) could be given to descendants, would also fullfill the criteria of protecting it's 'cultural and historical' significance.

Playing Devil's Advocate here, according to the point Andrew made: One could argue that as the hull is being eaten away and will eventually disapear, by removing pieces and using them to create something which is indeed memorial to the original object, technically, that could be interpereted as "protecting the scientific, cultural and historical significance"... As I said before, I think the watches should be given to the families of those who died (or descendents of survivors), rather than selling the watches to the general public.

I matched the first four numbers, but not the last. Oh well, $1 isn't a bad price for a quick hit of adrenaline Congrats to the winners

BLACK PO LIVES!!! I pulled the case back off, dried that, and then gave it all another blast with the hairdryer. It's dried out, but left some residue inside the glass. Irritating thing is before the crown was replaced, this watch was water resistant... Had a narrow escape putting it back together... I found the regulating screw, and (on Pumpkin as well) cranked it back by (hopefully) 5 seconds. Since having the new crown fitted, Black has been a tad 'temperemental', about re-starting after being re-set with the hack stopping the hands. Took several attempts of pushing and pulling the crown in and out, winding and shaking, and finally, it re-started. I'm hoping the time will be closer to +2 seconds (should certainly be withing COSC standard) but I'll have to wait and see. Either way, I think it's time to book it in with a local watchsmith for a good once over and be made water-resistant once more :happy:

In the same vein, how would people feel if Omega where to produce another Astronaut Watch made from pieces from the Challenger? I'm sure there's still plenty of it scattered around Cape Canavaral...

The black PO decided to get condensation inside it during a quick shower so the Pumpkin Twin has stepped up to the plate while the other is left in a bag with silica gel (Hairdryer worked, but when it cooled, the condensation returned, so I'm trying another method, and, after my experiences with my project watch, it's not going under any daylight lamps )

Usefull update. Ofrei.com now carries the 20mm buckle with 7mm tongue for the Planet Ocean strap. All together, strap and buckle will cost $189. (and whatever shipping) Part Numbers: Strap: OME-98000144 Buckle: OME-9451-2022 Is there any possibility of a dealer having these parts repped? I know it'd be an expence, but, given how many people would likely buy them, it would be an easily recoupable loss...

Sportsmans bet says you get used to the PO very quickly once the strap is adjusted. I haven't ever had an analogue watch that was so easy to read at a quick glance, thanks to the size of the indices and hands.

No problem. I find it's always best to discuss the issues and see what options are offered. If I'd've gone on my initial instinct to return the incorrect watch I first received instead of my fiance's J12, and insisted on a refund, then I'd've missed out on getting a discounted rate for my project watch. Have a word and see what they can do for you

Panerai Luminor GMT

Damn, that really is a shame. Any possibility of returning it to the dealer, or having replacement parts shipped to you?

Sorry to hear that, that's a real shame. Have you taken any photos of it? Are you planning on ordering parts to correct the defects?