Still waiting for my SM 300LE to arrive. But traveling this week I saw the OB at HKIA had just received one. Nice to actually hold one in my hands. Hope mine arrives soon....

 

If I were to have just one watch period, I would have gone with the Seamaster 300 60LE....It's just all together flawless. But I just can not get rid of my no-date Sub and so, the Railmaster is its companion.

 

Shanghai OB at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel had a SM300 LE available when I visited yesterday.

 

Agree. When I made my reservation, it was a toss up between the Railmaster and the Seamaster 300. The SM300LE is indeed a masterpiece and is the perfect 1-watch piece. But since I have other divers already and at this point am no longer excited about watches with rotating bezels, I went for the more minimalist RMLE. In my case, it’s the ideal companion to my Daytona. The RMLE and Daytona make for a perfect 2-piece collection.

After almost a month of ownership, the RMLE has dislodged my Skyfall AT as my favorite Omega of all-time (the Speedy is a tad big so I didn’t like it as much). I love this damn watch.

 

Quick question regarding the 8806 in the seamaster 300.

Are the settings for this in the manual? As i cant find It...

 

When I picked up my RMLE, the OB rep said something about the movement being very new and not being on the booklet yet, but that they'd release a PDF at some point in the future. They wrote the movement number on the first page of booklet so I could look it up later.

 

I've had a quick look at the number of 60th Anniversary trilogy watches for sale on watchrecon, eBay and Chrono24. Would it would be a correct characterisation that there are markedly more Railmasters and Speedmasters for sale than Seamasters? If correct, I wonder what the reasons are? More speculators bought the Speedmaster? Fewer people like the Railmaster? The Seamaster is the surprise darling and being more tightly held? Further, I wonder if this is indicative of scarcity into the future?

 

Hey man thanks for the response, i will keep my eyes peeled for this pdf file.

 

I've been watching this with interest myself. Pretty simply, I think many Speedmasters were reserved by people with dollar signs in their eyes, and that's why there are so many on the market.

The Railmaster / Seamaster is an interesting phenomenon though - I think more Railmasters have been delivered so far than Seamasters, so maybe there's been more time for the "buy it, wear it for two weeks, then move on to the next one" types to go through their cycles?

Also, the Seamaster has an external bezel which seems to suit most tastes a bit more, maybe it appeals to a slightly wider audience than the vintage-nerds-only Railmaster.

 

No worries. TBH, it felt a bit cheap. When they started talking about the movement not being on the booklet, I thought they were going to tell me they would send me the new one or that I could grab one from the OB once it was available. "Download a PDF" was underwhelming.

 

And that movement can’t be THAT new ... even if it’s the first install, they’ve had how many months between announcement and delivery? Very poor form for the makers of $7000 baubles!

 

Having owned the watch for exactly a month now I will say there is a certain charm that this watch exudes that cannot really be explained. Its simplicity in the dial, the width of the aluminum bezel, the size of the case all combine to make this watch a beautiful diver. It is a bit dressy, but at the same time has a tool aesthetic when worn on a nato. This watch makes me realize it is entirely possible to be a one watch guy.

 

I've owned the RMLE for a month as well and I feel the same way. It's a PHENOMENAL timepiece, a masterclass of design and engineering. I have loved it since Day 1--actually I love it even more now. This is the longest honeymoon period I've had for a watch in my collection. When you look at it, the RMLE and the SM300LE are basically the same watches with the exception of the SM300LE having a rotating bezel. The black bezel makes the SM300LE more casual, while the absence of it on the RMLE makes the RMLE dressier (I'm not a fan of using divers in formal occasions). Both are very versatile watches. You can put NATO, leather, crocodile, rubber or whatever straps on either and they will look good. Let's not forget that the OEM bracelet is amazing. I dare say that the bracelet can hold its own against any Rolex offering.

Here's how I view the SM300LE and the RMLE on the "versatility bar."

Casual |<----------SM300LE---------->_____| Formal
Casual |_____<---------------RMLE---------->| Formal

I've tried the RMLE with a coat and it's actually dressier than my Reverso! The RMLE (or the SM300LE) can be my one and only watch.

Cheers!

 

Good point. Never thought of the RM as a dress watch.

 

The bracelet perhaps, but certainly not the clasp.

 

The relatively big clasp gives the bracelet its sporty character. A smaller and dressier one would have ruined the look of the Trilogy, IMHO. Anyway, I can only compare the RMLE bracelet with my 116520's. The Rolex is shinier (scratch magnet) and more refined, but I find the RMLE clasp easier to adjust and wear. Omega is getting there.

 

I'm comparing it to the Glidelock on my 116610, which I think is the gold standard for an adjustable clasp.

 

My only fault with the bracelet is that there is not more adjustment; however, I think the size is not really an issue.

 

Indeed it is. It's a shame that only a few Rolex models have the Glidelock system; and for those that have it, those particular models happen to have big ugly lugs.

 

Fully agree with your first comment. Being an avid Globemaster fan I was shocked at how much (more) I like the RMLE.

There is a bit more to SM-RM difference than just a rotating bezel; the biggest being the crystal.
Here’s the SM

And here’s the RM

The RM crystal is just awesome!

While I like the look of the Trilogy bracelet and the 3-click micro-adjust is proving to be more useful than expected, it is sadly still not up to Rolex build quality IMHO.





My RM is still in daily use, since August. Let’s see if it can finally match the Honeymoon period of my Globemaster.