If you turn the watch upside down with the '12' position at the bottom does it still have the misalignment?

 

I'm with Pontificator... can you take a new picture of the watch from a diffrent angle? ie.. 12 facing down, 6 at top?

 

I would take it into an AD and have them submit the request.

 

+1

 

I would also recommend taking it to the AD you bought it from and have the conversation with them.

 

Sorry to hear your disappointment with the quality of the watch, but...if this is so obviously a visible problem, why didn't you refuse the watch at the point of sale?

As far as your comment "that their definition of “within spec” might be very different from yours."
Omega gets to excercise their right and have the final say on what is within their specifications, not you.
As the buyer, you get to excercise your right to buy or not buy their product, not them. Two way street here, it is that simple.

Omega sells hundreds of thousands of watches, Swatch Group...millions. Based on that, your example would fall somewhere between a one-off and a broader pattern.

 

Appreciate you chiming in—happy to clarify a few things.

First off, you’re right in saying Omega gets to set its own specifications. That’s totally fair. But as customers, we also have the right to expect a certain level of quality—especially at a premium price point—and to voice our disappointment when that expectation isn’t met. That’s really the core of what I was getting at.

As for why I didn’t refuse the watch at the point of sale: simply put, I didn’t notice it immediately. The case and bracelet were flawless, the overall finish was excellent, and I was genuinely excited to wear it. It was only after some regular wrist time that I began to notice the hand wasn’t perfectly aligned. These kinds of things can slip by in-store under different lighting or excitement. I don't think that’s unreasonable.

And just to be clear—I don’t have any other complaints. The rest of the watch is great. But when a brand builds its identity on precision engineering, the bar is higher, and I don’t think it’s asking too much to expect hands to line up correctly. More disappointing than the misalignment itself was how the brand chose to handle it—or rather, how they chose not to.

Appreciate the discussion.

 

For a mechanical time piece that seems well within specification to me - well, well, well within specification.

Then again I'm not a chronograph fan, although the speedy pro is my favourite chronograph.

I would live with it - seriously.

 

Totally fair that it looks within spec to you—and I get that not everyone is as particular when it comes to alignment. If it didn’t catch my eye every time I looked at the dial, I’d probably live with it too.

But I think this raises a bigger question: What kind of standards should we expect from mechanical watches at this price point?

We’re not talking about a $300 microbrand here. This is a multi-thousand-dollar watch from Omega, a brand that markets itself on precision, legacy, and craftsmanship. So is it really asking too much for the hands to line up properly—especially on a chronograph, where the whole point is to measure short intervals accurately?

Even if the misalignment is "within spec," maybe that tells us something about the spec itself—and whether it's in line with what customers reasonably expect for the money they’re spending.

Like I said before, I’m not claiming the watch is defective. But I am surprised that something this visually off wasn’t caught in QC—or that Swatch/Omega wouldn’t just say, “Yep, we see it, we’ll fix it.” That would’ve been the end of it.

Appreciate your take—and totally agree that the Speedy Pro is a classic.

 

This hobby becomes a lot easier if you embrace the wabi-sabi.

 

Mine kind of has the same thing and it doesn't bother me. Might point it out at service but better not let OCD get in the way of enjoying the watch, in my opinion.

 

I have a GSotM that, the day after I got it - exactly the same as yours AND on the same side! - I could swear the hands were misaligned.

Luckily I bought it in Switzerland and the OB has a watchmaker trained in Biel I've talked to numerous times so he offered to take a look. He brought me into the back room where he had the watch mounted in a vise with a scope thing mounted vertically looking straight down, both perfectly level. No misalignment!

As soon as he took it out of the vice, it looked misaligned again, but l learned how to hold it to see it wasn't.

Not saying this is the case with yours but the pics you took look EXACTLY how I saw mine.

 

I'm more shocked that you've been a member for 5 years and this is your first post.

 

Haha fair enough—I get the surprise.

I’ve been in the hobby for a while too, bought and sold probably 50+ watches over the past 10-ish years as well. But yeah, I’m usually more of a lurker than a poster. Most of the time, my experiences have been great, and I don’t feel the need to jump in unless something really stands out.

This particular issue just pushed me to finally post because I was genuinely curious how the rest of the community would see it. Some people shrug off things like hand alignment; others feel it’s worth raising. The range of perspectives here has actually been super helpful—and it’s good to know where others draw the line when it comes to QC expectations.

Appreciate you taking the time to comment!

 

In my opinion this is an overreaction on your part.

 

Totally fair—that’s your opinion, and I respect that. I get that for some people, this kind of thing wouldn’t be a big deal.

That said, I’ve actually owned this same generation of Speedmaster before, prior to Omega adding the on-the-fly micro-adjust to the clasp, and that example didn’t have this issue. So I know this kind of misalignment isn’t inherent to all Speedmasters, or something caused by the heavily domed crystal or viewing angle. This seems to be more of a one-off QC slip rather than an unavoidable design quirk.

I get that different people draw the line in different places, but for me, this was enough to raise a flag—especially given the price point and the brand’s reputation for precision. Just sharing my experience and seeing where others stand.

Appreciate you weighing in.

 

Maybe I missed it, but when did you purchase the watch?

 

August 2025

 

You should bring it to either a Boutique or an AD. In photos, it's hard to differentiate parallax from misalignment. In person, it's easier.

 

It is a minor misalignment but it's also a several thousand dollar watch, if I spend over $1,000 on a watch I expect damn near perfection, this is the kind of thing I'd expect from Seiko (sadly, I wish their QC was better, or existed at all) Omega should do far better.

Poor response from Omega. It may be a minor issue, but it's a luxury product, and they are a luxury brand, they should be bending over backwards to fix it because it never should have left the factory like that, but I suppose all the people willing to let it slide are the reason we get these asinine responses.

 

They said they would fix it. What's your problem?

 

This ^^

Also, I wouldn’t expect them to acknowledge anything based on just a photo; that seems unreasonable. And to be blunt, it very likely is in spec. for a mass produced watch. Nonetheless, they’re willing to make some tweaks for you.

 

I had a Tudor with a similar problem with one of the subdials. The RSC fixed it under warranty but scratched the back of the case. I now live with such minor issues

 

More disappointing than the misalignment itself was how the brand chose to handle it—or rather, how they chose not to.

• I was eventually told a “minor adjustment” could be made—yet no explanation was offered about what that entails, or why it wasn't suggested earlier.

You continue to neglect two important things here though...

First, according to Omega, this is within specification, so no correction is warranted.
Second, they seem to have offered an adjustment, at least according to what you wrote. Does that not solve the problem for you? Were you expecting a written and notarized explanation of their 12-point action plan on what that minor adjustment would entail?

Seems odd to come on this site and dump on Omega/Swatch when they offered a solution to your complaint. I think the more appropriate post would (should) have been to compliment them on offereing to resolve this for you. Either take them up on the offer to resolve the alignment or don't, but telling us how seriously shaken your confidence in Omega and the Swatch Group’s standards are seems perhaps a bit much. Thoughts and prayers though.

 

You continue to neglect two important things here though...

First, according to Omega, this is within specification, so no correction is warranted.
Second, they seem to have offered an adjustment, at least according to what you wrote. Does that not solve the problem for you? Were you expecting a written and notarized explanation of their 12-point action plan on what that minor adjustment would entail?

Seems odd to come on this site and dump on Omega/Swatch when they offered a solution to your complaint. I think the more appropriate post would (should) have been to compliment them on offereing to resolve this for you. Either take them up on the offer to resolve the alignment or don't, but telling us how seriously shaken your confidence in Omega and the Swatch Group’s standards are seems perhaps a bit much. Thoughts and prayers though.

It seems like you’re not quite understanding what I’m trying to say here.

I never came on this forum to trash Omega or the Swatch Group. I simply shared my personal experience and stated facts about the issue with my watch. Yes, Omega says the hand alignment is “within specification,” and yes, they offered an adjustment—but that’s not the real point.

The real issue is that a watch at this price point should not have this kind of visible misalignment to begin with. And when I raised the concern, I didn’t feel it was truly acknowledged or taken seriously. That’s what left me disappointed and shaken in my confidence.

So please, try not to take this personally. I’m not here to attack the brand—I’m just asking for a fair conversation about quality and customer service.

And thanks for the “thoughts and prayers”

 

Reposting...

I wanted to share a recent experience that left me disappointed with both the QC on my Speedmaster and the response I received from Swatch Group’s customer service team.

The issue: the chronograph hand on my Speedmaster is visibly misaligned when reset. It’s not a minor parallax illusion or something you need a loupe to notice—it’s plainly visible when looking at the watch straight on. I’ve owned this same generation of Speedmaster before (pre-micro-adjust clasp version), and that one didn’t have this issue, so I know this isn’t inherent to the design or the domed crystal.

When I first reached out to Swatch Group support, they requested photos, which I provided. After a delay and escalation to Omega HQ, the response I received was that the hand alignment is “within specification” and that “parallax” might explain what I was seeing. However, they never actually defined what “within spec” means, and from a visual and functional standpoint, the misalignment is obvious.

They did eventually offer to make a “minor adjustment,” but I found it frustrating that this only came after insisting the issue wasn’t just my perception. It felt like they were more interested in downplaying the problem than standing behind the quality of the product.

Look, I’m not expecting perfection under a microscope, but this is a $7,800 watch from a brand that positions itself on precision, craftsmanship, and heritage. At this level, I think it’s entirely fair to expect basic things like chronograph hands lining up properly.

I’m sharing this not to bash Omega, but to highlight something I think is worth discussing: where should the standard be for quality control in this price range? And how should a brand respond when a customer raises a legitimate concern?

Curious to hear where others stand on this. Thanks for reading.

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take down

 

Just add a 1/6th of a second to everything you time...

<sorry in advance>

 

It is not 100% perfect, but (no intense offended) I don't find it egregious enough to fuss over. Were I to use the chrono it wouldn't affect the result.

 

I truly understand you feeling that the watch is not up to snuff. Perhaps the dealer and skilled tech can adjust the watch to your acceptance.

With that said, it is just a watch. Yes, you spent a lot of money, you have certain expectations, I would if I cut a check for that amount, believe you me !!

But the truth is no one cares but you. Take a big breath and decide what path you will take, I wish you well.

 

I truly understand you feeling that the watch is not up to snuff. Perhaps the dealer and skilled tech can adjust the watch to your acceptance.

With that said, it is just a watch. Yes, you spent a lot of money, you have certain expectations, I would if I cut a check for that amount, believe you me !!

But the truth is no one cares but you. Take a big breath and decide what path you will take, I wish you well.

Appreciate the faux concern, but let’s be real—if the takeaway from someone calmly sharing a QC issue on a luxury watch is “it’s just a watch, no one cares but you,” then why even bother responding?

I didn’t write a manifesto or demand a refund. I pointed out a flaw, shared how it was handled, and opened it up for discussion. That’s literally what these forums are for. Responding with a pat on the head and “take a breath” just to minimize someone else's experience doesn’t make you sound wise—it makes you sound dismissive.

If you don’t care, that’s fine. Scroll on. But trying to silence valid criticism with this performative zen master routine? That’s what’s actually wild.

 

Honestly, I didn’t expect posting a basic, fact-based experience about a chronograph hand being visibly misaligned would trigger this level of weird, performative outrage.

I came here thinking I’d be engaging with watch enthusiasts—adults—who could have a civil conversation about quality control and customer service. Instead, I got hit with sarcastic quips, gatekeeping, ego-driven lectures, and people acting personally offended that I dared to expect a luxury watch to… function as intended.

Let’s be clear: I didn’t insult the brand, didn’t call the watch garbage, didn’t throw a tantrum. I described the issue, explained the response I received, and said I was disappointed. That’s not fragility. That’s called having standards. If a $7,800 watch with a misaligned chrono hand doesn’t bother you, that’s your call—but don’t twist it into some moral failure because someone else holds the bar higher.

The fact that some of you are more upset about me talking about the issue than the issue itself is wild. If we’re now at the point where discussing legitimate flaws in luxury products is treated like a personal attack, then maybe this isn’t a community—it’s a fan club with denial issues.

Get a grip

 

Why the surprise? You’ve only added your own eau de snowflake to the forum. You’ve got a beef with Omega, fine. We have your side of the story with some pictures (that aren’t definitive proof that it isn’t parallax), and an admission that the manufacturer agreed to look at it.

These kinds of threads get posted routinely; they have the vague whiff of someone trying to harm a brand because their feelings were hurt. It doesn’t add anything to the forum or to the hobby. Don’t be surprised when your contribution isn’t gratefully accepted by other enthusiasts.

 

" with sarcastic quips, gatekeeping, ego-driven lectures...."

It's the nature of the internet, the modern equivalent of writing on bathroom walls. I often have thin skin in such matters myself...

 

I'm starting to feel that this thread's days are numbered.

 

I agree that it looks misaligned. Would annoy me, too, especially at that price point, and based on the info you have provided, perhaps Omega could have responded differently (e.g. 'sorry to hear that the watch does not meet your expectation, this may be within factory tolerances, however, we are happy to have a look and fix this, which will be either free or cost no more than X (goodwill $ amount?) if found to
be within specifications').

E.g. when I changed a BC booking with Emirates, they waived the change fee, perhaps helped by the fact that the new tickets were slightly more expensive than the original fare, but in any case I felt I got treated well.

 

The chrono seconds had bothers you, but you can live with the flaking, peeling, uneven paint on the center of the hand stack, and the uneven printing and splotches? All that would bother me more than the possibly - maybe, maybe not - slightly misaligned hand.