zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

In response to a specific question about my Omega Seamaster 2254.50 w/ 1120c movement, Maria Mastrodonato, w/ Omega customer service wrote back to me: "Omega watches are shock-resistant to 5000 g" (current as of last Thursday).

So my question is a more pragmatic one: "What does this mean, in real world terms?"

Pick whatever variables you like. I recognize from my own background that landing on wood is different from landing on cement is different from landing on metal, which is different depending upon what type of metal it is. But we know the answer here (5000g). So the question is, how do we arrive at that?

Now-- let's imagine that we take a specific model number, so that weight is constant (just in case the difference between a 1503-825 bracelet on the 2531.80 and a 1610-930 bracelet on the 2254.50 would change things). And put aside for a moment the angle of impact, because the force upon impact is the same, irrespective of how that force is distributed based on surface area and load distribution upon it.

For the sake of discussion, pick a concrete surface and substitute a 5 ounce, perfectly round marble.

"From what height are you dropping that to produce a 5000g impact?"

That's the sort of frame of reference that would be helpful. I can then substitute the weight of my watch for the ball, and realize that it will perform better than specifications in instances where it lands at an optimized angle, versus non-optimized angle. I can then substitute wood for the concrete surface and realize my watch will take a higher fall w/ the same results, due to surface deflection differences.

At one point last fall, we were talking about seal failures, and Sam, you expressed this very well by drawing an analogy of what sort of pressure we were actually talking about here (if memory serves, you and Chuck M. standing on a 1" surface area ... something like that). As a result, I felt better informed to make decisions about taking my watch into water, or letting my 70 pound son sleep w/ his head on my arm, compressed against a pillow (which did not sound to me like it reached the Sam + Chuck threshold, so it dropped from my worry list).

Does that help bring things back to the original question, ie, Rick, "driving a huge material movement tractor where I'm constanly whipping the steering wheel around with my left hand"?

Link to my Omega Seamaster 2252.50 review: For a 21st Century Goldfinger
Link to my Omega Seamaster 2254.50 review: Should'a been Bond's Omega
Link to my Omega Seamaster 2255.80 review: "The Electric Blue"
Link to my Omega Seamaster 2531.80 review: Bond's second Omega
Link to my Omega Seamaster 2541.80 review: Actually-- Bond's first Omega
Link to my Omega Seamaster 2561.80 review: Mid-sized version of 2541.80