The RGM Model 222-RR Ferguson Railroad Dial is a Genuine Slice of American Railroad History

As the only vertically integrated manufacture in the United States producing components, movements and guilloché dials, RGM is already an anomaly on the American watch scene. Founded by master watchmaker Roland G. Murphy in 1992 in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, Murphy’s interest in early 20^th-century American watchmaking history is reflected in the brand’s railroad watches. The latest oldcomer is the Model 222-RR (railroad) with a Ferguson Railroad Dial, a Grand Feu enamel dial and a lovingly restored vintage Hamilton pocket watch movement. 

For those of you not acquainted with American railroad watchmaking lore, we’ve covered several models like the Type 1 or Type II Montgomery Marginal Minute dial and the Box Car Dial introduced by Ball in 1925. A Ferguson dial refers to a dial patented by Louis Buck Ferguson in 1908, which he designed for and sold to the railroad industry. Somewhat similar to a regulator layout with the all-important minutes track dominating the dial, the essential traits of Ferguson’s design are the large five-minute numerals on the periphery of the dial and an inner ring with smaller red hour numerals intersected by a subsidiary seconds counter at 6 o’clock. Given the unusual layout of the dial, Ferguson created a custom set of hands: a shorter red hand to indicate the hours and a longer hand pointing to the minutes.

The unconventional position of the crown at 1:30 and the dial tilted so that the 12 o’clock marker coincides with the crown pays homage to early 20th-century railroad watches that used converted pocket watch movements and dials. This actually positions the dial for a straight view when driving (or flying if you’re a pilot), similar to the Longines Avigation Type A-7 1935.

The stainless steel case is unchanged from prior iterations, coming in at 41mm in diameter and 12mm in height (lug-to-lug is 52mm). The elongated lugs and large fluted crown recall those used on converted pocket watches. There are modern sapphire crystals front and back, and the water-resistance rating is 50 metres.

Ferguson’s dials were originally made by the O’Hara Dial Company in Massachusetts. While RGM is known for its hand-guilloché dials, its enamel dials are entrusted to a master craftsman in Switzerland using the hallowed artisanal technique of Grand Feu enamel. Multiple firings of enamel at high temperatures produce the glossy white dial that will never fade over the years. The large black Arabic numerals on the outer track have a vintage font and are spaced at five-minute intervals. Indicated by a blued Ferguson railroad-style minutes hand with a slim tip, the clear markings on the periphery ensure accurate readings.

An inner circle hosts the red Arabic hour numerals, indicated by a shorter blued steel hand coated with red lacquer, with a small seconds sub-dial intersecting it at 6 o’clock. To accommodate the recessed subsidiary seconds dial, the red hour numeral 6 is pushed up a notch, and the counter cuts into the black 30-minute marker, which retains its shape.

Although RGM has several in-house calibres, including a tourbillon, the watch upholds its historical relevance all the way to the movement and is powered by a vintage hand-wound Hamilton pocket watch movement. Hamilton, the American watch brand founded in 1892 and relocated to Switzerland in 2003, was famous for its precision pocket watches for the railroad industry.

The 10-sized pocket watch movement has been rebuilt by RGM using parts in optimum condition and a new mainspring that delivers a power reserve between 42 and 45 hours. Visible through the sapphire crystal, the movement features flat hand-polished steel parts to better-than-original condition, bevelled bridges and circular stripes. One watchmaker performs the assembly and adjustment. Available with two movements, the grade 921 movement has 21 jewels and was made in large quantities; the grade 923 has 23 jewels and is rare, with less than 4,000 movements manufactured.

Paired with a thick brown leather strap with contrasting beige stitching, this watch is a wonderful piece of American railroad history. Models fitted with the 921 movement retail for USD 8,950, while those with the 923 movement retail for USD 9,950. And as an American watch brand, RGM’s watches will not be hit by the 39% tax imposed on Swiss imports. More information at rgmwatches.com.