CLASSIC CORE, MODERN BUILD

Bringing back the Railmaster in two iterations, Omega once again shows how it is capitalising on its heritage and upping the game, without missing a beat

- Somya Rauthan

The year 1957 was a milestone one for Omega. It was the year the brand launched its legendary trilogy of watches, called the 'Professional Line.' These watches included the Speedmaster CK2915 for race car drivers, the Seamaster 300 CK2913 for divers, and the Railmaster CK2914 for scientists and railway staff. The Speedmaster, a chronograph, stood out for its various technical and design details, among which was an external tachymeter bezel and the now-legendary Calibre 321. The Seamaster had a water resistance of 300 metres. The Railmaster had its own USP-it could withstand a 1,000-gauss magnetic field resulting in precision timekeeping; for comparison, other watches in the market at the time were providing a 60-gauss magnetic field protection.

Omega's association with railroad companies went back nearly 60 years when the brand first began delivering pocket watches to them. The launch of the Railmaster further solidified the relationship, given that its Faraday case surrounded the movement and protected it. Omega also used a soft-iron plate on the back of the timepiece to create the cage and made the dial thicker. It was the first watch fully dedicated to railroad employees, scientists, electricians, and technicians who worked near strong electric currents. As technically advanced as this piece was, its run only lasted around six years before it was discontinued.

It is this emblematic timepiece that the brand has revisited this year, and its launch, rather relaunch, marks a new chapter for the line-we'll get into the details of the brand’s troughs and peaks with the Railmaster for the past 60 years shortly, but before that, let’s dive into the new watches.