Omega Railmaster, comeback in style

When we wear a timepiece today, we often forget one important fact: at the beginning of their story, and for a long period of time, wristwatches were first and foremost working instruments. As such, they were intended for professionals working in a variety of fields, from motoring to aviation, from railways to shipping and even diving. Many watches were born this way and, over the decades, while becoming accessories – even fashion accessories – they have not lost their professional nature. They may have refined it, softened it, but they never betrayed it. As in the case of the Omega Railmaster.

In fact, the Bienne-based company has recently relaunched one of its cult watches, conceived and designed for those who worked in the demanding railway industry. A field that, especially until the 1950s – before the gradual expansion of commercial aviation – was fundamental to the social and economic development of a country, as well as being a testing ground for engineering and infrastructure innovations. Omega’s Railmaster was born precisely in that context and has gotten all the way to us, carrying the pioneering spirit of its origins.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE RAILMASTER

Briefly, let us recall that in 1957, Omega presented a trilogy of watches designed for different professional categories: the Seamaster (which actually dates back to 1948, although it was not a true Seamaster until 1957, when the brand launched the Seamaster 300), the Speedmaster and, indeed, the Railmaster. With this trio, Omega had divers, pilots and railway workers in mind, as the Railmaster was a sort of mix between a railwayman’s watch, an engineer’s watch and a scientist’s watch.  

At the outset, none of these three models was an immediate success. In fact, specific industrial adoption was required for each of them to overcome the launch’s difficulties. The Seamaster became a diver for military use; the Speedmaster was transformed from a track chronograph into a space instrument; the Railmasterremained a specific, niche type of watch that was unlikely to be offered to railway managers.

The early Railmaster featured a combination of Arabic numerals, arrow hour markers and an arrow hand that was also characteristic of the Speedmaster and Seamaster 300 of the time. The bracelet had a series of brushed inner links and a polished outer part. It was distinguished by the reference CK2914 and was fitted with a Faraday cage that enabled it to withstand magnetic fields of up to 1,000 gauss, to avoid the possible situations the wearer might encounter at work.

The watch went out of production several years after its launch and reappeared in 2003. Around 2012, we remember an updated version with the Co-Axial escapement, which retained the antimagnetic characteristics of the original collection – a version that featured an Aqua Terra case and was discontinued after a short time. Until, in 2017, Omega presented the limited edition Trilogy Set 1957, which revived the original Seamaster 300, Speedmaster and Railmaster trilogy. The same year saw the release of the Seamaster Railmaster, with a 40 mm diameter and 12 mm thick case, fully satin-finished like the bracelet and with a closed, engraved case back. The vertically brushed dial, grey or black depending on the light (but also in a denim or light grey version), had updated indexes and a consistent overall design linked by the cross-hairs motif in the centre. It was driven by the Co-Axial calibre 8806 and was resistant to magnetic forces up to 15,000 gauss.

SAME CASE, TWO DIALS

Discontinued last year, that version has now been replaced by the newly launched Railmaster. A collection that is resolutely revived with two models available in four new references, whose main difference from the last watches in the collection lies in the size of the case. Although it remains faithful to the aesthetics of the Seamaster Aqua Terra, the diameter drops from 40 to 38 mm while its thickness remains substantially unchanged at 12.4 mm.

They are all steel cases, characterised by a polished bezel and lugs and a satin-finished case middle. The lugs are short, as on the Aqua Terra, enhancing their wearability. The watches are offered either with a calfskin strap, or with a three-row steel bracelet, the central row being polished and the side ones, satin-finished. Both strap and bracelet have a folding clasp, which on the bracelet is a butterfly clasp.

What distinguishes the two models, apart from the choice between strap and bracelet, is the dial, on which Omega has done a remarkable job. On one of the two models, it is grey in the central part, with a shade tending towards black near the periphery. It features only the Omega logo and name at 12 o’clock, and the Railmaster inscription in vintage lettering at 6 o’clock. No other inscriptions or indications – not even a date window – ‘tarnish’ the aesthetics of a real tool watch dial. The triangular hour markers and Arabic numerals at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock are filled with white Super-LumiNova, as are the dagger hour and minute hands (with the classic arrow on the minute hand) and the tip of the central seconds hand.

The dial of the second Railmaster is also shaded, but is beige in the centre and tends towards black near the periphery. Unlike the previous reference, it has no central seconds but a small seconds counter at 6 o’clock, elegantly flared. The Super-LumiNova of the hour markers, numerals and hands is also beige, creating an intriguing vintage effect.

REFINED CALIBRES

The difference between small seconds and central seconds, as is natural, also affects the choice of calibre that Omega has encased inside the two watches. In each case, the company has opted for movements that are top of the range for the manufacture. We are talking about the Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8806 for the version with central seconds and the 8804 for that with small seconds. Two manufactory-made movements in their own right, but excellently made.

The former is developed on the basis of the 8800 calibre and is an automatic movement with 25,200 vibrations per hour and a 55-hour power reserve. It features a coaxial escapement and is certified Master Chronometer by the Swiss metrology institute METAS. It has a free-sprung balance wheel with a silicon balance spring and a bidirectional rotor with a rhodium-plated Côtes-de-Genève guilloché finish. Omega equips a wide range of watches with this calibre, from the Railmaster to the Seamaster Diver 300M without date display. The Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8804 – also derived from the 8800 – has the same characteristics as the 8806, only with small seconds at 6 o’clock. It can be found not only in the new Railmaster, but also inside two Seamaster 1948 references with small seconds.

Finally, the prices. The versions with central seconds range from 5,700 euros for the strap version to 6,100 euros for the bracelet version, those with small seconds cost 6,400 and 6,800 euros respectively. Prices which are at the lower end of the Seamaster line that Omega identifies as ‘historical models’. Because, indeed, that is what this is all about. The welcome comeback of a watch that had a special place in the Bienne-based manufacturer’s collections and which, over time, had been somewhat lost. Now, punctual as a Swiss train, it has once again begun to make enthusiasts dream.

By Davide Passoni