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Lot Essay
This Omega Seamaster cal. 286 ref. 135.004 was produced in the mid-1960s for the Pakistani Air Force. Regardless of it being a Railmaster, “Seamaster” is printed on the dial instead, supposedly because the British were controlling the railroad in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh at that time. The Railmaster designation implied a bad reputation given the past history of colonisation.
The Omega Railmaster was designed for professionals such as scientists, technicians and electricians working within close distance of powerful electric currents. This antimagnetic tool watch has a special 1mm (instead of 0.4mm) thick matt black dial and anti-magnetic iron cover inserted between the case back and the movement. This Faraday cage rendered the watch resistant to 1’000 Gauss.
According to scholars, Omega supplied the Pakistani Air Force with two different Railmaster references:
The first in 1960, reference CK 917-5, featuring older broad-arrow hands, counting approximately 250-300 pieces.
The second in 1964, reference 135.004, featuring baton hands in two batches: the first with an estimated total of less than 100 pieces had a serial number of 20’476’XXX such as the present watch. The second batch with an estimated 100 - 200 pieces had a serial number of 21’087’XXX.
The Omega Railmaster was designed for professionals such as scientists, technicians and electricians working within close distance of powerful electric currents. This antimagnetic tool watch has a special 1mm (instead of 0.4mm) thick matt black dial and anti-magnetic iron cover inserted between the case back and the movement. This Faraday cage rendered the watch resistant to 1’000 Gauss.
According to scholars, Omega supplied the Pakistani Air Force with two different Railmaster references:
The first in 1960, reference CK 917-5, featuring older broad-arrow hands, counting approximately 250-300 pieces.
The second in 1964, reference 135.004, featuring baton hands in two batches: the first with an estimated total of less than 100 pieces had a serial number of 20’476’XXX such as the present watch. The second batch with an estimated 100 - 200 pieces had a serial number of 21’087’XXX.