Omega

Well it is no surprise that as a fellow XXL owner I should applaud your choice but as they are "an acquired taste" due to the extreme size it is nice share in a little solidarity.  I second everything you have said about finish, quality and styling.  I just love mine and look forward to owning it as the years pass and the scarcity and distinctiveness increase.

Regarding straps I had the same response as you have had, initially trying it on many aftermarkets then settling into the OEM as it is such a nice fit. At first I found the sharp tapper of the 24mm to 18mm OEM hard to take but I have come to love it for more formal wear on this one.



and the clasp is so nice:



I have found a Panerai style strap quite nice for warm weather:



and recently been using this canvas strap which I think you've seen here before:



with an OEM buckle to ease my OCD for having things match:



On your observations about movements, you are quite right the Omega Cal. 2201 is based on a Unitas 6498 pocket watch movement but they have done more than just finished it nicely.  The bridge architecture is different, which gives it a very different look and it has been brought up to chronometer grade. 

Apologies for the heavily vandalized/distorted image (necessary to avoid inadvertently supporting fakes) taken from the net but here you can see a fake Railmaster XXL fitted with a standard 6498 movement:



You can see the different bridge architecture (smooth curved lines on the Cal 2201 - harsh angles on the Unitas) I'm referring to when compared to the Cal. 2201:



I also know of a fellow who, when this watch was quite new to the market, was taken in by a fake but when armed with the images above one can see that casual inspection shows the difference between real and fake.  There may be newer better fakes out there these days but on this watch I have not seen them.  I would have quite liked a swan's neck regulator as well but I don't really miss it.  If you compare the cal 2201 with similar Unitas based movements on Panerai watches I think Omega did an even nicer effort on their movement.

But even tough i have 22 cm wrist i would try to find it a number smaller. But it is not often for sale. It is on my "would like to have" list.

Congrats

Best

Thomas

Congrats on a rare big and nice watch around. I find this Railmaster XXL much better than the current AquaTerra version. I find that its a good effort for them to blow up the movement as well. I foresee this to possibly be a collectible in far future. I really cant take the size on my 6.5 wrist, otherwise would have bought it.

Enjoy!

Regards

Hi G,

First, I think you have mistakenly thought I am someone else? I am not so much into Pams but I was very passionate bout BR-01 at one poin. However, that extra 3mm of the Railmaster does make a big difference when I put it on. Perhaps its the round case ? I am not sure but it does feel not right on me. Let me see if I can find a picture of my wrist wearing it and you will understand

Have a good week ahead!

Regards

As for the lack of screw-down crown - I think it is better without.  I had a vintage Rolex Oysterdate with a manual movement and I found it a right pain to remember to unscrew the crown every morning before I wound it up.  I think screw-down crowns work better with Autos.

Cheers

Andrew