Pre-Owned Omega Railmaster 40960178/AS08324

It’s safe to say that the Railmaster has been greatly overshadowed by the Speedmaster in the minds of collectors and enthusiasts. 

Released in the same year, 1957, it lacked the flashy connection to racing — and to NASA — that the Speedmaster has. Nor did it attract the attention of SCUBA divers, like the Seamaster 300 did. But the Railmaster, with its unusual purpose and case design, is worthy of attention and praise by serious vintage collectors, as well as people who simply appreciate a well made watch.

The 1950s was a decade marked by transition. Experienced soldiers returning from military service transitioned into the workforce, while watch manufacturers transitioned from producing military watches to producing watches for the men entering new trades. Like the IWC Ingenieur or the Rolex Milgauss, the Railmaster was intended for professionals who worked closely with machines that emitted strong magnetic fields and electrical currents.

In the Railmaster’s case, it was intended specifically for railway employees, but its antimagnetic capabilities made it useful for engineers and scientists working in numerous other fields as well. Omega addressed the problems magnetism imparts on mechanical watches by encasing the movement in a soft iron or ‘NuMetal’ cage. To give the movement additional protection, Omega made Railmaster dials a full 1mm thick, which was thicker than the conventional 0.4mm used by other manufacturers.

This added protection meant that the Railmaster could withstand exposure to 1,000 Gauss — the same protection afforded the Rolex Milgauss that was released the previous year. Also, since this watch was the stablemate of the Seamaster, Omega’s first dedicated dive watch, the Railmaster was water resistant up to 200 feet, or 60 meters.

Visually, the appearance of the Railmaster has much in common with the Seamaster 300: The dials are similar, with Arabic numerals and large luminescent triangles at the poles. The Railmaster went through several variations, with different dial and hand designs, including some for the British and American railways as well as for the RAF. However, the Railmaster’s esoteric purpose meant that it never quite caught on as well as the Speedmaster and the Seamaster, and it was discontinued in 1963. It wouldn’t be seen again in Omega catalogs until 2003, when Omega rolled out the co-axial calibers conceived by master horologist George Daniels.

This particular Railmaster, a Reference 135.004-63 SC features a 38mm stainless steel case with an acrylic crystal, a signed crown, a polished bezel, and a matte black Tritium dial with printed quadrant ‘Arabic’ indices and a matching handset. Powered by Omega's Caliber 286 hand-cranking movement, it comes paired to an excellent, stainless steel expanding flat-link bracelet with a signed blade clasp. It also is accompanied by an extract from the Omega archives dating production to 1964, and delivery to Lebanon.

Due to limited production numbers, Railmasters don’t appear often on the vintage market. If they do, it’s not for very long —  the model has a small (but highly devoted) following, so examples like this one are snatched up faster than lighting.