The History and Appeal of the Omega Seamaster 30 Adopted by the Pakistan Air Force

To watch the video about the Pakistani military's Seamaster 30, click here:

It is a well-known fact that the Omega Seamaster is a popular model that represents Omega and continues to be popular to this day.

And as it is a historic watch brand, it has delivered watches to many different countries, so it is a well-trusted brand.

However, there is actually a Pakistan Air Force model of the Seamaster.

Today we will take an in-depth look at the Seamaster delivered to the Pakistani military, a watch that most people probably don't know about because it was not delivered to developed countries such as the British, Canadian, or US military.

If you like vintage watches, this is a great watch!

I think you will feel the same way, so please stay with me until the end.

So let's get started right away.

The Meaning of the Seamaster 30 and Pakistan Air Force Explanation

First of all, what does the "30" in Seamaster 30 stand for? It doesn't stand for 30m water resistance, but for the fact that it is equipped with a 30mm caliber.

In 1963, the Observatory Competition for wristwatches had a limit of 30mm, so we decided to use the maximum width and win the award!

And so the 30mm caliber was born.

This 30m caliber was a robust and extremely accurate movement, so it has been installed in various models over successive generations.

The Pakistan Air Force was established in 1947 and has since developed a large and highly maneuverable fleet of aircraft.

Today it remains the eighth largest aircraft fleet in the world and has supported numerous wars and missions.

By the way, this is Pakistan.

*Source: Travel Friend ZenTech

The reason why they need such a strong air force is that they have India next door, but they don't get along well with India.

So, to prevent India from violating our airspace, our air force is becoming bigger and stronger.

Now, let's move on to watches. Due to their reliability, Omega watches have a history of supplying watches to countries with large military forces, such as the British and Canadian armies.

On the other hand, the Pakistani military is small to begin with, so the number of watches delivered is considerably smaller than those of the UK or Canada, and the number of watches available on the market is very small.

The Seamaster was made for the Pakistani military and was delivered to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

That's why the back cover has PAF engraved on it.

So let's take a look at how it came about.

First Pakistan Air Force Seamaster

In the late 1950s, Omega received an order for Railmaster watches from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), who requested that the name on the dial be changed to "Seamaster."

Thus, the dial is signed "Seamaster" and the original reference for this watch is the Ranchero CK2996, and thus the first Ranchero-style Seamaster was born.

The standard model of the Ranchero was with small seconds, but it seems that a center second version also exists.

By the way, an easy way to tell the difference between a Ranchero and a Railmaster is that the Ranchero has small seconds, while the Railmaster has a center second.

There also appears to be a Seamaster delivered to the Pakistani military with a Railmaster reference, which uses the Arrowhand.

So, the first generation was based on the Ranchero and Railmaster.

A distinctive feature of the first generation is that, due to its background, it only has the word "Seamaster" written on the dial and does not have the number 30.

The movement is equipped with the 30mm caliber Cal. 284 or 285.

In reality, the number of these Ranchero and Railmaster Seamasters is quite small, and it was very difficult to gather any information.

However, considering the movement it contains and the fact that the Seamaster 30 was released in 1962, this model is likely the first.

2nd Generation Pakistani Seamaster

Then, around 1963 , the Pakistan Air Force again ordered the next model, the Seamaster 30 Ref. 135.007, from Omega.

The caliber used is Cal. 286, which is the center second version of Cal. 269.

This is a masterpiece that was recognized as having the highest accuracy at an observatory precision competition held in 1963.

By the way, the final evolution of the 30mm caliber is Cal. 269, and the center second version is Cal. 286.

This 30mm caliber was highly accurate and durable, so it was adopted by the British Army's watches. However, with the advent of the 1960s, the era of waterproof cases and automatic winding began, and the 30mm caliber, which could no longer be fitted into the cases, became outdated.

From our perspective today, it looks like a really cool movement with its red gold plating!

The dial inherits the design of the first-generation Seamaster, and also features triangular indexes at 3, 6, 9, and 12. The only differences are that the hands are baton hands and the addition of the number 30, which was not present on the first-generation Seamaster.

The second-generation case back now has a hippocampus attached, which gives it a more Seamaster feel.

3rd Generation Pakistani Seamaster

The third generation looks almost identical to the second generation and there are no changes.

What has changed is the case and movement.

1964 was the year that Omega released the Seamaster 600, the successor to the Seamaster 30.

The 600 here does not mean that it is waterproof to 600m, but rather that it is a model equipped with a 600 series caliber.

As for this Pakistan Air Force watch, the dial says Seamaster 30, but the actual movement inside is Cal. 601.

Now let's take a look at the details of the movement.

Cal. 601 is a durable, anti-magnetic hand-wound movement with 17 jewels.

This highly refined caliber was born from the automatic winding Cal. 550 and is based on Cal. 600, which has evolved naturally as a model exclusively for hand winding.

Being based on an automatic winding system, it has a smaller diameter and is thinner than a 30mm calibre.

For this reason, the back cover is flat and has no bulge.

4th Generation? Pakistani Seamaster

I don't actually know what kind of watch this is, so I'll explain it in a vague way.

In the 1970s, the fourth generation was introduced and the appearance became quite modern, with a day-date display, but it can still be said to be a normal Seamaster.

The movement installed is the highly refined Cal. 1020 movement, which has almost the same functions as the current model.

This is the fourth generation, but since it's still a Seamaster, there's no need to explain it as a watch; let's take a look at the case back.

I wonder why there is an up arrow (like a broad arrow)?

I thought about it.

Until World War II, Pakistan was part of the country of India, and after the war ended in 1947, it gained independence from Britain, and at that time Pakistan, which was part of India, also gained independence (due to differences in religion).

So, Pakistan was not a British colony in the 1970s; it has been independent for a long time now.

In fact, even the previous model does not have any Broad Arrow-like markings, so there is no way the UK is involved.

Taking that into consideration, it's a bit unclear whether this fourth generation is a real fourth generation or an artificial fourth generation.

summary

This time I explained about the Seamaster delivered to the Pakistani military, but as there is little documentation, I was able to confirm several other watches that may have been delivered to the Pakistani military.

This time, we only covered things that had two or more objects, but there were several things that only had one object, and we didn't know about them so we skipped them.

This is just my guess, but I think it wasn't a large order, but rather small lots (only 5 pieces or so) placed in multiple installments, so Omega might as well combine their excess stock to make the parts.

I think it might have been something like that.

Otherwise, I feel like there would be a lot of inconsistencies and derivatives as a military watch.

That said, it is true that the watches that were delivered to the Pakistan Air Force in such small numbers are now traded at high prices due to their design and rarity, so my speculation would be fine if the watch was cool.

Perhaps the joy of vintage watches lies in letting your mind wander in your own way like this.