I have the pleasure to introduce you a very important watch for me, the Omega CK 2914 for the Pakistan Air Force.

 Important, not only for me, as the Railmaster is historically one of the very first " top " amagnetic watch, Rolex being the first with the Milgauss, and IWC being the second with the Ref 666.

1/ The historical context: 

Was Rolex the first amagnetic watch?

 Not sure... The JLC Mark 11, and five years later, the Omega CK 2777 so called " RAF 53 " seems to be the first to be amagnetic, for military purposes...

 Indeed, both the JLC Mark 11 and the Omega CK 2777 had a soft iron dust cover, and a thick dial, made in soft iron, too, to protect the watch against strong magnetic fields.

 I don't have the numbers for the JLC Mark 11, but for the Omega CK 2777, it has been said that the watch was resistant to 900 Gauss.

 The CK 2777 ( Credit picture: Omega Museum ) :

 

 ... Which houses the Cal 30 SC T 3 283 ( Credit picture: Zaf Basha ) :
 

 Then came two monsters in this category, the Patek Ref 3417 and the JLC Geophysic, in 1958, so, one year after the release of the Omega Railmaster.

 The Patek 3417 and the JLC Geophysic:

  

 The Patek was resistant to 400 / 500 Gauss, when the Jaeger-Lecoultre did a bit better: 600 Gauss.
 

The Omega Railmaster, born in 1957, had a quite short life, as the first reference, the mythic CK 2914 was in production till 1961, before being replaced by the Ref 135 004 in 1962, from what I could check, here and there.

The CK 2914, illustrated in a superb way, here, by Antiquorum:

   

... Which leads us to the CK 2914 PAF ( Pakistani Air Force ).

 2/ THE watch:

 From 1960 to 1961, some of the CK 2914 were sold to the PAF... And to the FAP ( Fuerza Aerea del Peru ).


There were also some PAF Railmaster second generation, ref 135 004, in 1963 / 1964. Here a beautiful piece, photographed by Robert

 

 The PAF and the FAP have a common point, on the CK 2914: The name written on the dial, which is NOT Railmaster, but a curious Seamaster for the PAF, while the FAP opted for a more logical Flightmaster, which is indeed more coherent for a Pilot Watch. 

I don't have the numbers  for the Peruvian Flightmaster, but I have them for the Pakistani Railmaster / Seamaster. According to the Omega Museum, only 277 pieces were sold to the PAF.

 It is said that this is at the request of the Pakistan Air Force that the mention Railmaster was changed for Seamaster.

 I tried to find an explanation on the desire from the PAF, I searched in vain. Maybe the Pakistan Pilots find themselves closer to the Sea and the Navy than to railways?

 To make it short, a CK 2914 PAF is a Railmaster with a few details which make a real difference. 

The case is the same, borrowed to Huguenin Freres, with a diameter of 38 mm, a height of 13, 5 mm, water resisitant to 60 meters, with this so particular and elegant profile. The distance between the lugs is 19 mm, so be careful at the moment of the strap choice. 

 
 One of my favourite case, blending sensuality and elegance: 
  

 
 A case which was also shared by the 2 " Holy Trinity " sisters, the CK 2913 and the CK 2915.

 Of course, you will find the soft iron dust cover, destined to protect the watch from the magnetic fields.
   
 The crown is the same, too, so called Naiad because of the symbol inside of the Omega logo, but this is not particular to the PAF, as you can find it on the " normal " CK 2914.

 A view on the Crown:
  

 The first difference is on the case back.

 On the first series sent to the PAF, you  have the 3 letters engraved on a smooth case back. No sea horse, here. Just a 8 digit numbers engraved under " PAF ". 
   
The second specificity is the movement.

 Not that it is different from the one you find inside a CK 2914, as the movement of the PAF is a Cal 285.

 285 and not 284, because this last one was used for two years, if I am not mistaken, in 1957 and 1958.

 Since 1959, Omega used the Cal 285.

 The only difference is that on the Pakistani, you have, like on the case back, the 3 letters engraved on the movement, as shown here:
   
 A global view on the Cal 285: 
  


 
The third detail is, in fact, the one you see first, the dial, whose original name " Railmaster " was changed for Seamaster.

 The black dial turned into a curious color, between the brown khaki and bronze... And not only on this very one watch, but on the few I had the pleasure to see. 

 
 
The dial of the Railmaster, hence of this military version, is much thicker than any other dial, to achieve its amagnetic purpose. 

From the standard 0, 4 mm, we have a  thickness enhanced to one millimeter, here, which was already the case on the JLC Mark 11, the Omega CK 2777, and which will also be the case on the Jaeger-Lecoultre Geophysic, which was launched in 1958. 

The arrow hour hand is a detail I love a lot on the Railmaster and on the Seamaster, and I am very happy to see it used here, on this military version. 

This dial has a lot of character, balance, with its 3 / 6 / 9 / 12 configuration,  and a refined visual impact. 

So Omega, so " Master ". 

3/ Why is this CK 2914 PAF so dear to my heart? 

There are many reasons which explain why the Railmaster is an important watch in my collection. 

First of all, this is a genuine beauty I was running after for so many years that I am very pleased to have finally been able to put my hands on one. 

Then, it fills several themes, in my collection:

 
- One theme is the amagnetic watches, which gathers some pure treasures and legends such as the JLC Geophysic, the Patek 3417, the IWC 666, and the Rolex Milgauss. 

I am only half  way, here, as I still have to hunt the Patek, the IWC and the Rolex... But I am strongly convinced I already own two of the most beautiful specimens. 

The CK 2914 PAF and the Geophysic, both telling two different ( less different when it comes to the civilian " 14 ", though ) but great stories: 
  

 
- Another theme which I like a lot is the military watches.

 PAF, FAP, US Navy, Marine Nationale, British Navy...Blancpain, Rolex, Omega, JLC, Longines...Some prestigious brands and armies, here. 

This CK 2914 is not the first watch from the Pakistani Army I own... 

How to say no to this magic pair?
  

 



- Last but not least, the Railmaster is part of my favourite Omega watches, along with the CK 2913, the Seamaster 300 British Navy, the Pilot CK 2042, and a Speedmaster, but here, the problem is to find my two favourite, the original Alaska Project, and the CK 2915. 

The " 13 " and the " 14 " side by side, or how a " ghost " dial and the presence or the absence of a bezel can change the look of a watch in such a dramatic way. 

   

From my point of view, a big mistake would be to pass on the Railmaster, even if you don't want to build an Omega collection. 

   
Looking forward to reading your comments, and your corrections if needed, 

Best, 

Nicolas

PS: I  want to thank the Omega Community, the Omega Museum, and Bill Sohne. 
Here is a link to Bill Sohne's article about the White Dial Railmaster: 
http://omega.watchprosite.com/show-forumpost/fi-677/pi-4895838/ti-741878/s-0/