Omega just announced a refresh to their Railmaster line, which is among their least-appreciated watches both externally by customers as well as internally by Omega themselves.
Recap of the Railmaster’s history
It was originally released in 1957 as part of the “trilogy” alongside the Speedmaster and Seamaster 300. While the latter two watches went on to enjoy a long life thereafter, the Railmaster was discontinued in 1963. They did not iterate on its case design or update it in any way before its cancellation.
In 2003, it was resurrected but placed under the Seamaster umbrella for some reason. That version looked like what a Railmaster might’ve looked like had it survived further into the 1960s. It had the lyre lug case that the Seamaster 300 and Speedmaster adopted around the time they discontinued the Railmaster originally, and a handset that swapped the broad arrow from the hour hand to the minute hand (something the Seamaster 300 did briefly in the early 1960s).
That watch only lasted few years before being discontinued again. In 2017 they reimagined it in a much more tool-watch configuration, with an all-brushed case and bracelet more similar to the original flat link. That version was discontinued once again a couple years ago, and now we have this:
My thoughts as an Omega enthusiast
Omega surprises but also doesn’t surprise me on this release.
Surprises: The return of the 2010s reverse-sword-hand-in-the-lume-handset, and the use of the newer AT quasi-“President”-style bracelet instead of a flat link. Nobody ever talks about the fact that the lume in the handset from that era had sword hands (just reversed in orientation), which were also in the Planet Ocean and first-generation Aqua Terra. It’s a little quirky to be honest. Omega has buttoned up each of those watch’s designs, and those quirky hands are all completely gone, replacing the sword lume with straight strips. Consider the evolution of the Planet Ocean:
So I am honestly surprised by the move. It’s awesome to see. It’s also a triumph of legibility compared to the Aqua Terra, which this new release is obviously based on. The lume on the AT’s minute hand is basically useless—it only has lume in the broad arrow, which disappears completely in the dark amongst the triangular indices.
Yet those decisions are not surprising once I thought more about it. Omega’s identity is largely built on not caring what the enthusiast diehards think, and making new watches by mashing up parts from the past 60 years of whatever line that watch is in to make something new yet familiar.
In this case, it’s the current-generation AT case (no crown guard) + the latest “Shades” bracelet + the 2000s-era handset and dial. All, of course, with the most recent movement technology.
In other words, they thought “what would sell well against the Explorer in 2025 but not look like we’re copying it?” and made this.
Enthusiasts like me wish it had a normal flat link bracelet with a better clasp (the butterfly is dumb and less comfortable); others will wish it would have no polishing either on the case or bracelet to reflect its “tool watch” heritage. I would love to see a solid color dial. If it’s going to use the lyre lugs, it should probably have the asymmetric case with crown guard since it’s a “tool watch.”
Yet I also like this watch enough as-is. It’s significantly better than the previous generation 2017 model, which was horribly ugly.
I like that the numerals are lumed (when will the Planet Ocean get lumed numerals?!). I like that the handset is legible in the dark and returns to the quirkiness of the 2000s with its sword hand easter egg. I like that they went with the most comfortable of their AT bracelets, the latest “Shades” version, even if the butterfly clasp is dumb. And I will just wait for next year’s introduction of a solid black dial color, which I predict will come out.
Small-Seconds: Ranchero Homage?
The small-seconds, brown-dial version appears to be Omega making an homage to its cult classic Ranchero. That watch was released in 1958 and lasted even shorter than the Railmaster. Gear Patrol has a write-up about it here.
I think it’s a mistake to call the lume “faux-vintage” but rather I think Omega is just intentionally choosing different colors to suit a watch’s appearance.
I look forward to seeing both these watches in person. The only serious roadblock to it being the perfect one-and-done for most enthusiasts and Explorer alternative is the bracelet. But I’d give it a shot anyway, and if it doesn’t fit perfectly, there’s always Uncle Straps.
