Stainless steel Omega ref. 135.004-63 Railmaster wristwatch made for Pakistan Air force, 1964 — view 1 of 4 — View 1 of 4 · Image: Somlo Antiques · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 4 · Image: Somlo Antiques · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Stainless steel Omega ref. 135.004-63 Railmaster wristwatch made for Pakistan Air force, 1964

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: OMEGA (maker)
Date: 1964
Historical period: Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Country of origin: Unrecorded in source
Object type: Wristwatch
Materials / technique: stainless steel
Dimensions: Case 38 mm
Dealer: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London
Stock no.: O.2705
Credit line: Dealer listing, Somlo Antiques (O.2705)
Catalogue title (original): Stainless steel OMEGA ref. 135.004-63 Railmaster wristwatch made for Pakistan Air force. Made 1964 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (stock number O.2705), this is a wristwatch by OMEGA, dated 1964. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. Recorded dimensions: Case 38 mm. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Somlo Antiques

The Omega Railmaster was created for professionals like scientists, technicians, and electricians who work in proximity to high-voltage electrical currents. This Omega 'Railmaster' ST 135.004 was made in the mid-1960s for the Pakistani Air Force. It is thought that due to the British control over the railroads in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh at that time; the dial features 'Seamaster' instead of the original 'Railmaster' printing, as the Railmaster name carried negative connotations due to the colonial history. Brand: OMEGA Made: 1964 Model: Railmaster Reference: 135.004 Calibre: 286 Movement: Manual Material: Stainless steel Features/complications: Anti-magnetic and broad arrow hands Dial: Black dial with outer minute track featuring a mix of luminous baton shaped hour markers with broad arrow hands with center seconds Case dimensions: 38 mm Bracelet/strap: Leather strap Accessories: - SKU: 02705

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Military, pilot and travel watches

The wristwatch owes much of its adoption by men to warfare and aviation. Wristlets — small pocket watches soldered with lugs and worn on a strap — were used in colonial campaigns and became standard equipment in the First World War, with protective grilles over the crystal ('shrapnel guards'). Louis Cartier's Santos (1904), designed for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, is often cited as an early purpose-made pilot's watch.

In the Second World War governments specified watches in detail: the German B-Uhr observation watches, the American A-11, and the British 'W.W.W.' (the 'Dirty Dozen' set of 1945). After the war, jet travel brought GMT and world-time watches, which show two or more time zones at once — Louis Cottier's world-time mechanism and the Rolex GMT-Master (1955) are examples.

What to look for

Military markings on the case back: broad arrow, issue numbers, 'W.W.W.', 'A.T.P.'
High-legibility black dials with luminous Arabic numerals; oversized crowns for gloved hands.
24-hour hands and rotating 24-hour bezels or city rings on GMT/world-time watches.
Wire lugs on early wristlets converted from pocket watches.

Dating clues

Wire-lug wristlets: c. 1900–1925.
Military specifications of the Second World War: 1939–1945.
GMT and world-time wristwatches: mainly after 1950.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Mechanisms mentioned

No escapement or complication is named in the source record. See the encyclopedia for how such pieces work.

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryNot in source
MaterialsRecorded
DimensionsRecorded
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Somlo Antiques — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Stainless steel Omega ref. 135.004-63 Railmaster wristwatch made for Pakistan Air force, 1964." Somlo Antiques (dealer), London, O.2705. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/stainless-steel-omega-ref-135-004-63-railmaster-wristwatch-made-for-pa-7b1ef8.