Possible 3861 problem?

[richard371]

Picked up a new 3861 on Friday. I thought I had fully wound it sat am but maybe not. Sunday about noon I went to start the choreograph and the entire watch stopped immediatly. I stopped and started it again and let it sit on the table with the chronograph running and it completely died 5 hours later so I left it. Went to bed thinking maybe this was a power reserve issue. I reset the chronograph and started it about an hour ago and it's still running. I have not wound the watch at all and want to see how much longer it will run. Is it possible its just low on power and thats what's causing this or do I have a dud? Is it normal for a speedy to act this way with the chronograph when the power reserve is low?

[Fermi_Paradox]

Fully wind the watch and let it run down without the chrono running. Once you know how long it takes to run down without the chrono in service you should be able to tell if it's an issue with the watch, or not. Keeping the chrono running takes more energy and will decrease the reserve so it isn't unexpected for the watch to run down faster than without the chrono in service.

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[richard371]

Right but when the power reserve gets low should that cause issues with the entire watch freezing when occasionally starting and stopping the chronograph and then running for more hours? I just want to make sure I don’t have the 3861 issue so many are having.

[Fermi_Paradox]

If it's low on reserve when you engage the chrono then the watch will likely stop. Does the watch restart when you reset the chrono without winding? If so, I'd say this is normal behaviour.

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[richard371]

Yes if I stop and reset it it starts again. Its been running for an hour now. I’m not winding it at all. I want to see how long it runs before being totally depleted. So far I’ve gotten 6 hours total after the first time it froze starting the chronograph. If it completely dies here soon maybe it happened because it’s low? If it runs several more hours then I may have a problem.

[Fermi_Paradox]

Sorry, I understand now. Reading comprehension is low based on limited sleep with a toddler and a newborn.
If your watch is stopping when the chrono is engaged and after disengaging the chrono it's still running six hours later the I'd say this is not normal behaviour.
I've only experienced this situation when my watch has been almost completely run down when I engage the chrono.

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[richard371]

Thanks. It has a 60 hour power reserve. I’m wondering how low it should get before having these issues. I’ll find out once it totally stops.

[Fermi_Paradox]

Really low. In my experience it shouldn't be more than tens of minutes of being totally wound down.

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[richard371]

Really disappointed with the 3861. Seems many have this issue. I hope tourbillion can give me a refund as I just got it Friday. I don’t want to risk a replacement or send it off for a month.

[Fermi_Paradox]

Sorry, pal. Although, I'd wait for some others to weigh in before calling it since I'm just one guy with one opinion.

Also, I'm only talking about my experience with my watch which is an 1863. That said, I can't imagine that the new movement would deviate so far from the function/performance of the older movements so as to result in an inability to run the watch and the chrono with multiple hours of power reserve remaining.

In fairness my original purchase 1863 went back in after one week and I was given a replacement on the spot because it was having issues resetting the subdials to the top. No such issue with the replacement after over two years. These things are complicated machines and don't always work the way they should when delivered. If I were you I'd ask for a new one and see how that goes. If that one doesn't work then I'd say it's time to throw in the towel. Frankly, I've had the same issue with a brand new BMW except getting that taken care of wasn't nearly as easy as getting my new watch replaced.

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[richard371]

Agreed I would think the power reserve should be consistent until it gets close to the end. Im going to take it in today and see what they can do. Thanks for the advice.

[Fermi_Paradox]

My pleasure. Let me know how it shakes out.

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[richard371]

Will do. It just stopped again. I restarted the chronograph and its running. I just want the power reserve to die already lol.

[AEC]

There are other owners reporting that their new Speedmasters with Caliber 3861 are stopping while the chronograph is in use. Some have reported that the caliber has stopped operating altogether after having used the chronograph, and their watches went back to Omega for repairs in order to correct the problem. I haven't done a formal count, but I'm thinking your report about your watch is probably the fifth or sixth I've read about so far.

[richard371]

Yes there is a 7 page article open omega forums about this. It like the lower the power reserve gets the worse it gets. It might be a bushing or lube issue from what an Omega repair guy saw in a service bulletin from omega.

Originally Posted by AEC

There are other owners reporting that their new Speedmasters with Caliber 3861 are stopping while the chronograph is in use. Some have reported that the caliber has stopped operating altogether after having used the chronograph, and their watches went back to Omega for repairs in order to correct the problem. I haven't done a formal count, but I'm thinking your report about your watch is probably the fifth or sixth I've read about so far.

[Stevec14]

Originally Posted by richard371

Yes there is a 7 page article open omega forums about this. It like the lower the power reserve gets the worse it gets. It might be a bushing or lube issue from what an Omega repair guy saw in a service bulletin from omega.

I was the one who started the thread over there (3861 movement broken).Yes, there are issues and they do seem to be somehow linked to chrono usage in many cases - so I suspect many more will get there eventually.

The good news is a service and a bit of lubricant here and there seems to fix it. It took about 5 weeks for me.

It’s a pain, but these things happen. Good luck with the fix.

[1William]

I like the 3861 but will continue to wait and see how this goes. I have the 1861 so the wait will not be difficult. I hope you get it sorted out. Keep us posted.

[richard371]

Update. About 20 hours after it was fully wound I started the chronograph. It jumped 3 seconds in 1 second increments which was odd and the entire watch just stopped. I took it back and they ordered another one. Let’s hope it doesn’t have the issues.

[1William]

Thanks for the update. Let us know when you new watch arrives and how it functions.

[Galaga167]

Typical coaxial problems with a new movement. Happened with my planet ocean. They had to change the movement completely.

That’s why I bought the 1861 as NOS early this year.

[richard371]

My AD contacted the official Omega service center and they confirmed its an issue with a bushing and they already have 4 3861 watches on the bench waiting for the corrected bushings to arrive from Omega. many current 3861s are still shipping with this issue and there is no way to tell if you get a corrected one or not until you exp the issue. Im not sure when the problem was corrected and how long it take to be factored into the new movements. They are looking into giving me a refund and I may sit this one out for awhile as I don't want to keep exchanging or end up sending a brand new watch off to Omega for 4-6 weeks. It's an easy fix but with the backlog in the parts and service it might be weeks.

[SN13]

Hey Richard,

I read your posts over on the Apollo 11 50th thread on the Omega Forums.

I'm glad you are getting it resolved, even if it means delaying your Omega for the time being.

:)

[richard371]

They gave me a full refund. I will buy it back someday. Amazing watch.

[flanker2000fr]

You can add my watch to the tally of those 3861 with issues: a Speedmaster Professional Hesalite bought in February this year, whose chronograph function started to act up last week. It stops after 58 seconds, and also blocks the running second hand and the movement altogether.

Dropped it at an Omega Boutique in Hong Kong, where I purchased it, and they will send it to the local SC. I hope that they change the faulty bushing that seems to be the issue, and that it will fix it permanently. But it's a disappointing experience nonetheless.

[Tick Tock Tick Tock]

Another 3861 owner with the chrono / movement stopping fault, 24 hours after a full wind, to a hard stop....

Interested to hear about others experiences of this fault and how effective the repair from OMEGA has been.

Thanks