Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Omega · Railmaster
Omega Railmaster 36 mm Skeletonised 18k
Reference 22309OR.59
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Omega
- Collection
- Railmaster
- Model
- Omega Railmaster 36 mm Skeletonised 18k
- Reference number
- 22309OR.59
- Year / era
- 1952 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Tourbillon
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 86C — In-house manual-winding
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Tourbillon
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1952 – 1967
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Omega Railmaster 36 mm Skeletonised 18k sits within Omega's Railmaster line, introduced in 1952. It carries the house codes established since 1848 — 18k rose gold case, skeletonised dial and in-house manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Omega
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1848
- Founder
- Louis Brandt
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Speedmaster, Seamaster, Constellation, De Ville, Aqua Terra, Planet Ocean, Railmaster
- Signature technologies
- Hand-applied guilloché dials · Composite and ceramic case materials · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Notable watches
- Omega Speedmaster 38 mm Slate Sapphire (1961) · Omega Speedmaster 39 mm Blue Quartz (1952) · Omega Speedmaster 44 mm Meteorite 18k (2001) · Omega Speedmaster 36 mm Slate 18k (1981)
Brand history
Omega has spent more than 178 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Speedmaster, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Louis Brandt established Omega in 1848, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Omega calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1848
Louis Brandt founds Omega in Switzerland.
1888
Omega earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Omega to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Omega enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Omega continues to produce Speedmaster, Seamaster, Constellation and other icons in limited numbers.