zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: I bought my Automatic Omega 2551.80 3 weeks
: ago, problem is the dealer has yet to
: provide the correct operation manual for me.

Try contacting Omega directly at watch@omega.ch. I had a similar issue with a missing manual and they sent me one right away.

: Can anyone be so kind enough to at least
: provide me how to PROPERLY operate the crown
: (to adjust date & time, to wind, etc..)?

Here's a quickie instruction set. It's probably more comprehensive that what you will see in the owner's manual anyway. Watch instruction manuals are notorious for giving only terse info, skimpy details, and cryptic diagrams--but at least they are presented in 6 to 12 different languages so the entire world will be equally confused.

To open the crown, simply turn the crown anti-clockwise to unscrew it (takes about 4 or 5 turns). To close it back, push it in while turning clockwise. Do not close it real tight, just with mildly firm finger pressure. Also check that the helium relief valve is closed similarly. It is the threading that provides water-tightness, so overtightening does nothing to increase the water protection and can overstress the metal.

Once the crown is unscrewed and in the "neutral" position, it operates like any normal mechanical watch. Turning the crown clockwise (if viewed looking at the logo on the crown) will wind it. 20-30 turns should wind it fully. Turning it backwards does not hurt anything, but it accomplishes nothing either.

Pulling the crown out one click and then turning the it anti-clockwise allows you to roll the date forward. Avoid changing the date within +/- 3 hours of midnight, as that may throw off the alignment of the gears and cause the date to change further from midnight.

Pulling the crown all the way out stops the second hand and allows you to set the time. Usually best to turn the time forward. Backwards is okay on most modern watches, but it is usually not a good idea to turn the hands back across midnight, else you might confuse the date change mechanism.

When setting a watch that has run down, make sure you roll the hands forward past 12:00 at least once so you can see when the date changes. Calendar watches are not AM/PM aware--they simply advance the date *every other* time the watch passes midnight. Set the time accordingly so the next date change will occur at midnight, not noon.

To help you synchronize to an accurate time source if you wish, the second hand is stopped when you go in to time set mode. Push the crown back in to restart the second hand.

That's it!