Omega Railmaster 2503.52 Just Back from Omega Service Center [Photos Attached]

[Denver Dick]

About a week after I took my TT DJ 16013 into my local Rolex AD to go the RSC, I took my Railmaster 2503.52 to my local Omega AD for a trip to the OSC. Interestingly, the Rolex got back from the Lititz, PA RSC in 62 days, but the Omega took 104 days to return from the OSC in New Jersey. Maybe it's because Omegas end up being worn and in need of service more than Rolex watches when so many seem to find their way into safes . . . or whatever.

I bought the Railmaster new in 2010 and this was its first trip to the OSC. It had always lost a second or two per day, but lately it had gotten to -10 sec/day. I requested a "light polish." This was my first experience with Omega service. I was surprised to find two little baggies of parts and seals that had been replaced. Looking at them casually, they look great, but apparently not good enough for the Omega tech with a loupe.

Although Omega service provides a 24-month warranty, there is no specific warranty card included, just an Omega card with service notations. You will note the number 1479454 written on the card. That is not the serial number of the watch, but the number does match a number and bar code on a plastic wrap that came around the watch after servicing. Maybe that is the service record number maintained by the service center. Any thoughts on that?

I'm very satisfied thus far. I made sure I gave the watch 45 winds after I picked it up and set the precise time. Using the face up bedtime position last night the watch gained 3 seconds. Tonight I'm going to try the crown-up bedtime position and see how that works. Below are photos.











It's not scratches on the crown, it's dust I didn't wipe off . . . oops

[AEC]

Excellent. Thanks for the detailed report.

They replaced a lot of stuff. Was all of this included in the standard "Full Maintenance Service", or were there itemized additions for some parts?

[1William]

Good report. Nice watch.

[Denver Dick]

Originally Posted by AEC

Excellent. Thanks for the detailed report.

They replaced a lot of stuff. Was all of this included in the standard "Full Maintenance Service", or were there itemized additions for some parts?

Yeah, I was a little surprised by the number and size of the parts replaced. I would have thought that there might have been an little extra charge, but no. It was the quoted/estimated standard overall price of $550. There was a charge for shipping and insurance from the AD to the OSC and a bit of California sales tax, otherwise just the standard full service fee.

By the way, while it was +3 sec/day with a dial-up bedtime position the first day, it was +1 sec/day with a crown-up bedtime position the second day.

[Bayarea7]

very nice! dont see too many of those

[Denver Dick]

Originally Posted by Bayarea7

very nice! don't see too many of those

Yeah, it's my understanding that this Railmaster 2503.52 was offered from 2003 to 2010. I tried a couple of other Omega models but settled on this one and sold the others. I normally like a date complication, but this dial is so classic, simple and clean, a date window would look completely out of place.

It has settled in now running +1.5 sec/day. That equals about +45 sec/month. This is now my everyday watch so I plan on setting it 20 seconds slow at the beginning of the month and reset it at the end of the month when it will be about 25 seconds fast. In a couple of years, I'll probably bring my Rolex TT DJ 16013 into service and give the Omega a rest in the safe for a while.

Frankly, I like both my watches so much I find it difficult to decide which one to wear every day, but I'm not into trading off every other day. So, I plan to trade off every couple of years.

[Northbound]

Thanks for the post! My Railmaster is due for a service as well. I was debating on whether I should send mine into the service center in Jersey or somewhere else. I had a bad experience with the Jersey Service center when I sent in my Quartz Seamaster. It’s a long story, but I had to send the watch back 3 times. I said to myself…if they can screw up a quartz watch this bad, do I really want to send them a mechanical watch!? They made it right in the end. Good to know that you had a good experience. Maybe I’ll give them another shot.

[Ronin64]

I need to send in a older 2255.80, can I request no polish?

[RW16610]

Glad you have it back, Wayne. It's such a nice feeling and when I sent one in thought it was great / cool to get the original parts back with it.

[gnuyork]

Fantastic watch

[Denver Dick]

Originally Posted by Ronin64

I need to send in a older 2255.80, can I request no polish?

I don't know. Although the Railmaster was 12 years old when I sent it in, I'd worn it for only 7 of those years. It only a few tiny scratches. So, I asked for a very light polish. Based on my examination, it looks like that's what it got.

Originally Posted by RW16610

Glad you have it back, Wayne. It's such a nice feeling and when I sent one in thought it was great / cool to get the original parts back with it.

As I noted above, I was surprised to get the parts returned. I had fun examining them with a 10x loupe. Heck, they look fine to me, but I'm no watchmaker.

Originally Posted by gnuyork

Fantastic watch

Thanks, I think so, too. The dial and hands are so cool. Sometimes when I check the time while watching TV or on the computer, I find myself staring at the unique second hand sweeping around the dial . . . almost mesmerized.

[AEC]

Originally Posted by Ronin64

I need to send in a older 2255.80, can I request no polish?

I believe so, but it's probably a good idea to phone Customer Service and ask if/how you would specify this, just to be sure. It's been ages since I have used Omega Service (prefer Nesbit's), but I think I recall there was a way to communicate preferences such as this.

[Denver Dick]

Well, here's my 3-year update after servicing. My lovely Railmaster has been worn every day since it was serviced 3 years ago. It runs great and it's still just as accurate as it was when it was returned from the OSC, +1 to +2 seconds per day. I don't need to post any new photos since it looks the same as it did then. The classic black dial still catches an eye every so often.

[Dirt]

Thanks so much for the update.
Mine is from 2005 and last serviced by an independent for its first service a number of years ago now and came back running fine if not somewhat more eratic than before.
I was wondering when it goes back in; whether it should get the full spa treatment with no expence spared at Omega.
It's been accidentally knocked around and shows it upon examination so i imagine the bill won't be insignificant.
But hey, what a ripper of a watch overall that it's been which introduced me to Co-axial movements and it deserves the best going forward.
IMO , it's the very best example of an Explorer dial style of watch(3,6,9,12) ever; with it's thinner case and all
Well done Omega

Congratulations on your lovely watch.
May you continue to wear it in good health

[dchang81]

I have a 57 railmaster that let in water. Just got it back a few days ago. Got it back fairly quickly, but unfortunately they wouldn't say what was the cause of failure. Interesting that you got your replaced parts back. I'm glad that they didn't try to blame me for it, which other brands seem to do

[codecow]

Agree 100% on their service, IMHO it’s top notch and what they do for the money seems almost criminally underpriced compared to some of their more “esteemed” competitors.

I forgot to ask for no polish on my Seamaster’s second service and the watch came back flawless. It was really scratched and banged up, I use to take it off and throw it into a pile of loose change. I wore it like a cheap Timex.

[Bazil]

I really do like the Railmaster, it oozes class, my friend has one on a brown leather strap … looks good ..

[Denver Dick]

Originally Posted by codecow

Agree 100% on their service, IMHO it’s top notch and what they do for the money seems almost criminally underpriced compared to some of their more “esteemed” competitors.

I forgot to ask for no polish on my Seamaster’s second service and the watch came back flawless. It was really scratched and banged up, I use to take it off and throw it into a pile of loose change. I wore it like a cheap Timex.

You will see in my original post, I requested a "light polish", and I made sure the dealer noted that on the paperwork going to the OSC. There was only one spot on the bezel I was concerned they might get carried away on. Although they hit it with a polish, a very small spot can still be noticed, if you put it under a very bright light and have your reading glasses on. They did exactly what I wanted, make it look great but don't polish too much in search of perfection.

[herefortheattachment]

What a beauty of a watch—that particular Railmaster is one of most under-appreciated models out there IMO. Thanks for the three year update. With the dearth of high quality independent watchmakers, the service quality of the manufacturer is a chief consideration when I buy a watch these days, and Omega appears to consistently knock it out of the park! Not many brands give the customer the benefit of the doubt, pay attention to polishing requests, etc. the way Omega’s service center does.

[zak98]

great report. thanks for sharing!