Omega Railmaster: A Closer Look

A Brief History

The original Omega Railmaster (ref. CK2914), introduced in 1957, was a timepiece intended for railway workers, scientists, or anyone who worked near electrical fields. This watch made use of a soft iron inner case as a Faraday Cage as well as a thicker dial to protect the mechanism from strong magnetism of 1,000 gauss.

The Railmaster debuted alongside two other ‘‘Master’ models, the iconic Speedmaster and the water-destined Seamaster. While the latter pieces went on to conquer the watch world, the Railmaster was discontinued 6 short years after.

Omega brought out the Railmaster out of retirement in 2003, with modernized designs that still had the anti-magnetic inner shields. It was made available in three different sizes (32mm, 36mm, and 42mm), followed by the XXL model (49mm) in 2008. Unfortunately, due to a lack of public interest, the watch was discontinued for the second time in 2012.

The Comeback

The Railmaster was brought back for a third try in 2017, together with its overachieving siblings. To celebrate their 60th anniversary, all three watches returned as special edition faithful recreations of the 1957 originals, with each having a tropical black dial, brushed and polished steel casing, and a limited run of 3,557 pieces only.

With this, the public’s appetite for all things old became more voracious than ever, and the perpetual understudy began to garner the attention it deserved from the start.

Released alongside the 1957 trilogy is the Omega Railmaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer, which became the regular production model. It combines sleek and modest aesthetics with a Co-Axial Master Chronometer movement, enhancing the Railmaster’s anti-magnetic capabilities yet again.

Omega Railmaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer

The Railmaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer features a modern 40mm case size in brushed stainless steel. The sense of proportion, though, is what makes this watch’s dimensions truly work. The bezel is integrated into the case in a basic but effective manner, and the length of the twisted lugs in comparison to the size of the case gives the impression of a compact, no-nonsense timepiece.