Omega Railmaster XXL Hand-Wind Review

G99 shares his enthusiasm for the Omega Railmaster XXL, a watch he has admired for years despite its significant 49.2mm diameter. This post offers a personal review of the discontinued model, detailing its design, movement, and wearability, sparking a conversation about large watches and their place in a collector's rotation.

i am of course talking about the Railmaster XXL. this is a watch that i have admired for a few years and wanted after trying it on a couple of years ago as i think it looks good on me though i dont have a huge wrist.

at 49.2mm diameter is it big, it sounds very big, but in reality it is only a few mm bigger than the Planet Ocean 45mm and other very likable watches. it is, however, pretty thin in comparison as it has a hand wind movement so the size is offset a little by its lack of depth.

the case is beautifully finished and is just a larger version of the 42mm Railmaster automatic. it has the same 150m WR as all Aqua Terra's do, but surprisingly, no screwdown crown. it has a pretty thin bezel so wears slightly larger that a dive watch with big bezel.

the dial is typical railmaster. deep black with superb lume, lovely bold hands and very little writing, just enough to tell you what you need to know. it has a small sub second dial in comparison to the rest of the dial, but it really just indicates that the watch is running.

the movement is hand wind with 17 jewels and is chronometer certified. i've heard tell that it is just a Unitas 6498 and looking at it i think that is probably correct. it lacks a hack second and strangely enough it lacks the swan neck micro regulater you often see on Unitas movements in higher end watches, but that will make it easier for me to regulate should i ever need too. the finish is nice with Geneva stripes.

it arrived on friday and went on the wrist straight out of the box. accuracy is so far -8 secs since then so -4 secs a day which is more than satisfactory.

the strap is a lovely shiny padded crocodile item 24mm at the lugs and dropping down to, i think 20mm at the deployment clasp. i took that off straight away and put it on a 24mm mid brown shell cordovan nato which i just happened to have on another watch. the railmaster is the sort of watch that suits a leather nato as i'm hardly likely to wear it with a suit and tie.

this model is now discontinued and you dont see many for sale on the used market so when i found this and had the spare cash i went for it. 5 years old, mint condition with boxes and all papers (plastic cards in the case of Omega).

some might think this a stupidly big watch, but i think that when you see the wrist shot you'll agree it is just a large watch.

enjoy the pics i took quickly on friday morning.

my last watch purchase for a few months after a large influx of new pieces in the last couple of months. time to build up the funds again and get some other pieces on my radar.

Graham