Some of you might remember my Pakistan Air Force Omega obsession Saw this 2996 pop up online, and could not resist. These were issued to PAF ground crews in the 1960s. PAF engraving on the back is quite faint, and hard to capture properly. As with the Railmaster, the PAF did not care for the Ranchero name, and requested Omega to name these Seamasters. Movement number is also engraved on the back, and the movement itself (cal. 285) is engraved with PAF (like first gen PAF railmasters) (seller's picture, not mine) It joins its sister, the Railmaster 135.004 I acquired recently as well: I was quite surprised by how dressy the Ranchero feels. Nice size, the dial looks much bigger than the railmaster, and the case gives off less of a tool watch vibe than the Railmaster. Crystal needs a little polishing but otherwise it runs well, and I might just have to find a dressier strap for it (came on a black leather strap that I did not care for much). These vintage Omegas ooze charm in my opinion. 2996 especially surprised me, as it never attracted me that much in pictures. In real life, it has a special mid-century charm that feels right at home on my wrist. The seller has just listed another example on eBay, dial is a bit cleaner but crown is all wrong. He definitely seems to have a guy in Pakistan, but he's asking crazy prices on his buy now listings. Hope you like it as much as I do! (and that it's not fake )
Yes! Ground crews were issued rancheros, pilots Railmasters. My grandfather was issued yet another watch, still unidentified and regrettably lost when he passed away.