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Railmaster Power Reserve
Dear Experts,
please comment on my odyssey and give advice on who's crazy here:
Prologue
For personal achievements in life, I decided to get a treat: A watch that I'd really enjoy. I looked at over 500 watches in every shop that I could find (I travel a lot). For the beauty of its dial, I liked the Omega Railmaster most, so I bought it in February 2005.
The First Repair
In January 2006 all of a sudden, the watch stopped running. I took it to the retailer. Six weeks later, the retailer informs me that the watch failed the release test, and that parts needed to be imported from Switzerland. Another eight weeks later, three and a half months for this first repair, the watch is returned to me.
The Second Repair
In the beginning of May 2006, five days following the return, the watch had stopped running during the night four hours after I had put it down. I wonder why Omega claims 44 hour power reserve when my watch, recently repaired, stops after four hours. Three weeks later, the retailer returns the watch claiming it is okay.
The Third Repair
Three months after the second return, another morning without the watch running. It stopped five hours after taken off. the wrist The watch is returned nine weeks later, allegedly repaired. A card is given along with the watch stating it complies with factory specifications: Avg. rate: +4s/d, vacuum test -0.5, air-pressure test: 3.0.
The Fourth Repair
A week after, by the end of October 2006, you've guessed it: The watch doesn't run in the morning. The watch is given back eight weeks later with a new movement.
The Fifth Repair
The new movement helps for five months. Trusting my watch after I picked it up early in the morning and went to the airport, realizing there that I was late one and a half hours, I figured that the watch had stopped running again during the night but continued after I had picked it up. Now, I found myself running to catch that plane. Two weeks later, it is returned along with the explanation that specifications had been applied to the new movement that were not the latest, updated ones.
The Sixth Repair
One and a half months later, you tell me what happened! Three weeks after that, Omega replaces not the movement again but the whole watch along with a new warranty.
The Seventh Repair
No three weeks later, this month, another morning with the watch not running. I rewind it completely and let it sit until it stops after 21 hours (I have become an expert on these power reserve tests by now). I take the three weeks old watch to the retailer, and he does his own test coming up with an unbelievable 51 hours power reserve. I take it back home thinking I am crazy, wear it a couple of days, then it stops again in the morning, and my latest test finished today comes up with 29 hours.
Personal Conclusion
In the meantime (yup, a mean time too looking at the money that I spent for this experience), I made myself aware of how to initiate a power reserve through internet posts on the subject. I have included two of them below. Be that as it may, the Railmaster doesn't seem to give me 44 hours when I initiate the power reserve, and doesn't seem to compensate during the day for the hours it sat still during the night. Although I work in front of a computer and therefore do lead a "non-active life", a category automatic watchmakers seem to have invented, I do have the quirk that I subconsciously shake my wrist quite often in a day to make the watch sit on the exact spot of my wrist where I want it to sit (and amazingly when I so shake my wrist, the watch does sit where I want it to sit). I do believe that should make me a somebody leading an "active life".
Dear Experts,
am I a victim of the Omega R&D experiences they are making with the Co-Axial Movement or am I somebody who should have just gotten a quartz watch in the first place for having no idea how to handle an automatic watch?
If the latter is the case as oppose to the former, why did the automatic Rolex that I once wore never show these idiosyncrasies and why do owners of other Omega watches that I happen to know never run into a watch that stopped running during the night?
Thank you for sharing my odyssey, and thank you very much in advance for your comments and thoughts!
If you own a Self Winding Automatic Watch Read This
by: authenticwatches*comWe hope you find the following information about your timepiece informative and that it will better assist you in the proper functioning of your watch.
You may experience that your self-winding watch occasionally stops overnight or appears to be running slowly. This does not necessarily indicate a malfunction or defect in the watch. In most cases, the problem is related to the power reserve that has not been properly initiated or, may be the result of too insufficient wrist action while wearing the watch.
For a self-winding watch to function properly, the mainspring must build up a sufficient power reserve. Many people are unaware that a self-winding watch needs to be wound first manually before it will run automatically. This is called the initiation process. Without the initiation process, the watch will never operate properly or consistently.
To initiate the power reserve, the watch must be wound manually. Turn the winding crown at the 3 o’clock position, in a clockwise direction for about 40 revolutions. This start up wind is usually sufficient for most automatic watches.
After completion of the initiation process, the watch will wind itself automatically (rebuilding the power reserve) by means of an oscillation weight that shifts every time the watch’s position is changed by the action of the arm and wrist.
A self-winding watch should be worn at least eight hours a day to maximize the power reserve. If this is not possible, or if the watch has been off the wrist for more than 15-20 hours, the initiation process must be repeated.
Hope you have found this guide helpful, enjoy your Automatic watch!
This message has been edited by Bill Sohne on 2007-09-29 19:37:31
Railmaster Power Reserve
