The rising interest in vintage watches over the past decade has had a serious impact on the industry. Brands are reviving their iconic archival models and squeezing diameters down to match the size of their watches from the ’60s. But the influence of the vintage market might be most visible at Omega. When I first tried on my Railmaster, the feature that most stood out was the fake patina—also known as “fauxtina”—meaning the toffee shade used across the indices and hands that mimics the aged look of a decades-old vintage watch. Omega has used the technique liberally across special versions of the Seamaster and Speedmaster, and it’s long been a feature of the Railmaster over its many iterations. The fake aging is a catch-22 for a brand like Omega. The treatment is a tad much for me (and, not to channel Holden Caulfield, a little phony) but the vintage appearance is legitimately what Railmaster collectors love to see from this historic model.
Omega has brought back the Railmaster in many forms since it first left the catalog in the early ’60s. The first re-release was in 2012, but despite getting updated with all Omega’s modern bells and whistles—like its signature co-axial escapement—that version didn’t last long. The brand tried again in 2017, when it put out exact recreations of all three members of the original 1957 trilogy. That same year, the brand released what it called the “Omega Seamaster Railmaster,” a hybrid model with a brushed dial that came in interesting colors like “denim.” That design was the biggest departure from the original Railmaster, but it was also discontinued in 2024. Little did we know then that it would make room for this more faithful rendition out today.
Cam Wolf
So why bring the Railmaster back in 2025? This is shaping up to be the year of the humble watch release. At Rolex, the brand’s flagship release is the Land-Dweller, a watch designed for “the heart of the city or deep in the country,” according to a press release put out at the time of the piece’s release. “It conveys, through the lens of Rolex, the essence of personal achievement: a journey, marked by victories quietly obtained and challenges overcome.” Meanwhile, Omega, in a press release, called out the Railmaster’s “vintage style and working-class heritage” as reasons for its popularity. Is this another spin on the quiet luxury trend, which the watch industry has twisted in all sorts of convenient ways this year? Brands are sensing collectors are looking beyond going to the moon or the bottom of the ocean in 2025. And what could be simpler than watches meant for hanging out on earth and riding the rails?
This year’s Railmaster re-release slides seamlessly into the Omega catalog. The watch’s design is based on the existing Seamaster Aqua Terra and comes in a very wearable 38 mm. The dial doesn’t try to play any funny tricks, and the $6000 price is on the low end for an Omega. The new Railmaster comes with the history and aged looks of a nearly 70-year-old watch, but all the modern comforts of a new luxury Swiss timepiece. Hopefully, this version of the model is here for good.