Interested in a POC - Any new news on movement problems?

[Legmaker72]

OK,
So I'm a little behind on all the 33xx Caliber issues and I've had my heart set on a POC. But, now I am catching up and reading all of these horror stories in regards to issues with the movement failures and expense of fixing them in and out of warranty etc..
Has there been any new news in regards to these issues? Should I refrain from buying one, especially if it is second hand?
Should you stick with a specific post date of manufacture?
When some say that the movement is not intended for active use, what exactly does that mean? I've never gone out to play tennis or something with any of my autos...
After reading all of these posts now, I'm pretty concerned and dissapointed at the same time.
I'd love to hear any updates on these issues.
I appreciate the feedback guys...it would help me make sure that I am making the right decision. I am not in the place where I can buy a POC and have to have it fixed a month later for $1k +...
Thanks in advance,
Christopher

[captain america]

I don't think the "issues" with the movement were ever officially acknowledged by Omega, and I've heard absolutely nothing new on that front, so it may be wise to think that whatever configuration/pluses/shortcomings the watch had a year ago are the same as they are now.

For what it's worth, it seems to be one of those timepieces that we only hear about when it has problems and lately, those seem to be relatively few and far between. Whether that's because the issues have been resolved or because people have abandoned the watch, I cannot say.

Perhaps the question you should ponder is, if you happen to get one that IS problematic, are you willing to put up with getting it fixed and the (possible) costs associated therewith if not under warranty?

Mine was one of the "problem" ones, but it has been serviced and seems to be working just fine now.

[oliverharris]

I am not that big up on Omega, well not as much as Rolex anyway, but I think you must be talking about co-axial problems, am I right?

I have heard of these problems, but never seemed to get an answer as to what exactly was the problem.

Can any body help me with this? - I always like to know useless information! :-)

[Legmaker72]

CA,
I've always wondered about that.. where the only news we hear tends to be bad news...When I bought my car, the forums were littered with tranny issues etc...and I've had two models of that car with no problems... I expect that if you are on a dedicated Omega forum, this is where you will hear most of the complaints...
That being said... I don't mind taking care of a watch if it has problems, just as long as they don't cost a furtune to fix :-s


I don't think the "issues" with the movement were ever officially acknowledged by Omega, and I've heard absolutely nothing new on that front, so it may be wise to think that whatever configuration/pluses/shortcomings the watch had a year ago are the same as they are now.

For what it's worth, it seems to be one of those timepieces that we only hear about when it has problems and lately, those seem to be relatively few and far between. Whether that's because the issues have been resolved or because people have abandoned the watch, I cannot say.

Perhaps the question you should ponder is, if you happen to get one that IS problematic, are you willing to put up with getting it fixed and the (possible) costs associated therewith if not under warranty?

Mine was one of the "problem" ones, but it has been serviced and seems to be working just fine now.

[captain america]

I am not that big up on Omega, well not as much as Rolex anyway, but I think you must be talking about co-axial problems, am I right?

I have heard of these problems, but never seemed to get an answer as to what exactly was the problem.

Can any body help me with this? - I always like to know useless information! :-)

The escapement was never the issue, quite the contrary.

I seem to recall people with far greater knowledge of watch movements than myself saying something to the effect that the Piguet movement, while it is a work-of-art, has a tendancy for being somewhat delicate. In short, it was allegedly designed for more upscale chronograph watches and never really intended for the rigors endured by more "tool-like" timepieces.

I remember that after the initial reports of failures, Omega replaced certain components with their own and that seemed to do away with the majority of issues.

[AIKO]

Have you done a search to try to find some of the threads? If memory serves me correctly, having the warranty for the chrono may be a good thing.

[Legmaker72]

the Piguet movement, while it is a work-of-art, has a tendancy for being somewhat delicate. In short, it was allegedly designed for more upscale chronograph watches and never really intended for the rigors endured by more "tool-like" timepieces.
quote]

So when you say "rigors" what type of activities are we talking about that would cause a failure? I don't plan on doing anything really vigorous when wearing the watch..Just wondering what I'd have to avoid doing when wearing the watch. I don't really like having to worry about babying a watch..I'm already pretty careful with mine..I hope I wouldn't have to be any more careful.

[quote=AIKO;1728685]Have you done a search to try to find some of the threads? If memory serves me correctly, having the warranty for the chrono may be a good thing.

Yup...Heard that...It's just you can get a better deal second hand and can't always get one with some warranty left on it...

[AIKO]

[quote=captain america;1728662]the Piguet movement, while it is a work-of-art, has a tendancy for being somewhat delicate. In short, it was allegedly designed for more upscale chronograph watches and never really intended for the rigors endured by more "tool-like" timepieces.
quote]

So when you say "rigors" what type of activities are we talking about that would cause a failure? I don't plan on doing anything really vigorous when wearing the watch..Just wondering what I'd have to avoid doing when wearing the watch. I don't really like having to worry about babying a watch..I'm already pretty careful with mine..I hope I wouldn't have to be any more careful.



Yup...Heard that...It's just you can get a better deal second hand and can't always get one with some warranty left on it...

I hear you brother, that is the tough part about it. I read some of the threads and would feel less comfortable with the chrono if I wear going to use the chrono on a regular basis. May be worth holding out for one with a warranty. Watches that need repair seem to require it in the first 12 months. A repair is going to cost you to fix the movement. But a normal repair rate for a good Swiss watch <5 years may be 5% (just a guess), the chrono may be 10%. Twice as much as a non-chrono but still a low chance of an issue. But a repair may cost you $300-$600. Have only had service on a SMP, not a PO. Just thoughts, which is not saying a lot. I like the look of the chrono a little better but the issues (in my mind) are not totally insignificant.

[captain america]

To be honest Legmaker, regardless of what it was allegedly designed to be, just short of dropping the watch or boiling it in a pot of salty water, there's no official consensus of dos and don'ts. I babied and pampered mine right up until it broke, and that was just from winding, so I think it's a bit of a crap-shoot.

To be honest, warranty or not, I will stick with mine. If I may suggest, try to find a watchmaker (preferably local) who has worked on them and can give you some feedback. This way, if you do decide to commit, you'll have both the foreknowledge of what to expect in a worst-case scenario, and a "surgeon" who can help keep it in working order.

[JimH]

OK,
So I'm a little behind on all the 33xx Caliber issues and I've had my heart set on a POC. But, now I am catching up and reading all of these horror stories in regards to issues with the movement failures and expense of fixing them in and out of warranty etc..
Has there been any new news in regards to these issues? Should I refrain from buying one, especially if it is second hand?
Should you stick with a specific post date of manufacture?
When some say that the movement is not intended for active use, what exactly does that mean? I've never gone out to play tennis or something with any of my autos...
After reading all of these posts now, I'm pretty concerned and dissapointed at the same time.
I'd love to hear any updates on these issues.
I appreciate the feedback guys...it would help me make sure that I am making the right decision. I am not in the place where I can buy a POC and have to have it fixed a month later for $1k +...
Thanks in advance,
Christopher

The "horror" stories on the 33XX are old news and the posts in this thread are full of misinformation. The problems with the 33XX movement were discovered by Omega after the introduction of this movement and were corrected six years ago. As quite often happens on the internet these stories just keep getting repeated over and over long after they have any relevance.

From some old posts on this subject here are the facts.

From March 2004:

Omega has identified 3 defects and one misuse factor (#3) that can cause the following problems.

1. Minute Counter Failure.

The minute counter jumper breaks. After the break, if the chronograph is reset, the jumper bends completely and jams the minute recorder.

Solution...

A new minute counter jumper has been designed and fitted to these movements, and all subsequent production movements. It was also found that the minute counter jumper can also be bent back slightly to prevent this problem.

2. The start/stop pusher not functioning.

The column wheel operating lever may bend at its weakest point when the start/ stop pusher is pressed.

Solution...

On movements with the above-mentioned problem, the column wheel operating lever must be replaced with the new modified version. The new column wheel operating lever is available from Omega.

3. The chronograph hand does not return properly to zero.

If the return to zero pusher is pressed strongly while the chronograph is running, the hammer operating lever may bend slightly. As a result, the return to zero function no longer works properly.

Solution...

On movements with the above-mentioned problem, the column wheel operating lever must be replaced with the new modified version. The new column wheel operating lever is available from Omega,

4. Watch stopping.

The start/stop function no longer works. The basic movement may also stop working.

This is caused usually by the fact that in some early movements the screw holding the column wheel would come loose and jam the movement.

Solution...

A screw with a longer thread was developed and used very early in the production. Apparently this problem [should] only occur in early models.

_______________________________________________

All current production movements are now fitted with these modified parts since mid 2003.

[captain america]

Hi Jim.

Thanks for the succinct run-down. To be honest though, I feel that there may be more to it than what you have listed, simply by virtue of the fact that the PoCh is a mid/late 2006-ish release, whereas you state that the probems with the 33XX movement have been identified by Omega circa March '04. That's a 2+ year discrepancy and logic would dictate that virtually every single 3313 movement should have been updated/fixed by the time the first PoCh rolled-out of the factory.

Granted, I realize that these are all mass-produced timepieces and it's entirely possible that Omega merely had all these 33XX stockpiled, and for cost/profit reasons, only chose to fix the watches already sold when and if customers experienced problems.

Second, just as with my own experience, several people have complained of problems with the winding stem/crown. My own watch's stem became damaged in the winding/position 1 only (no winding ability, turns in neutral) but retained the time/date-seting functions perfectly. That having been said, there were reports on at least 2 forums of peoples' crowns allegedly coming off right in their hands.

The result of rough/improper handling? Possibly. But based on my own experience with the watch and having treated it gently since day one, I suspect that there may be more at work here.

This is not to say that I necessarily discourage people from getting the watch, I just wish that someone competent and unbiased would come clean on the nitty-gritty of the 33XX.

[JimH]

That having been said, there were reports on at least 2 forums of peoples' crowns allegedly coming off right in their hands.

Yes, I heard those stories. If they are true it would most likely mean that the crown had not been properly tightened when it was screwed onto the stem and it simply unscrewed. Although this would indicate a quality control problem it would not indicate that there was anything wrong with the 33XX. By the way, I can't recall if those stories were actually about 33XX based watches. They might have been 2500s or 1120s.

I and many others have reported no problems with this movement. However, it sounds like you got a clinker. Unfortunately, this still happens (and with any movement). Hope you got this resolved and your watch is working fine now.

[captain america]

I suppose that anything's possible. For what it's worth, my PoCh did "slow down" by a few hours on at least two occasions since I got it back from servicing, both times overnight. I'm thinking that perhaps my movement may possibly have/had that "loose screw" issue, but I don't think that's a major problem either way. For the record, mine behaves splendidly now.

As silly a quesion as this may sound, I'm wondering if, in stead of getting a movement repaired, it might not be cheaper to simply have a watchmaker swap-out a movement entirely? I figured that this would be much less labour-intensive than disassembling and playing with all the little bells and whistles. I mean, the whole 3313 movement would cost, what, $4-450 tops?

Then again, you're talking to someone who considers a roll of duct tape and a .45 Colt as a "repair kit." :-d