RGM Model 222-RR Ferguson (Railroad Style Dial)
Model 222-RR (Railroad)
Inspired by America's Great Railroad Watches from the Past
The Model 222-RR is a modern wristwatch with a vintage heart, featuring a Hamilton 10-sized pocket watch movement. RGM was the first to use these wonderful classic movements in a wristwatch. Our vintage Hamilton movements are rebuilt using parts that are in optimum condition, including a new mainspring made for this movement. We flat polish the steel parts by hand on a tin block to better-than-original condition. The entire process of careful reassembly to precise adjustment of the movement is managed by one watchmaker. 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.
The Grand Feu Real Enamel dial is inspired by American railroad watches of the past. The blued-steel hands remain true to the classic form, and the 1:30 crown position pays homage to early 20th-century timepieces. It’s also very natural to read the time when worn on the left wrist.
New Dial Version - Ferguson Patented Railroad Dial
The Ferguson Patented Dial is one of the most well-known after-market dials, originally patented in 1908 by L. B. Ferguson of Monroe, Louisiana. Louis Buck Ferguson began selling his patented, unique dial to the railroad industry. In 1911, after concluding that his limited market tests had been successful, he organized the Ferguson Dial Company in Monroe, Louisiana.
The first dials were made for Ferguson by the famous O’Hara Dial Company in Waltham, Massachusetts. Mr. Ferguson designed several early variants of his unique railroad dial before settling on the design widely recognized as the standard “Ferguson Dial.” This dial features the essential traits of Ferguson’s design – large five-minute indicators and an inner ring with red hour figures.
Due to the unusual arrangement of the figures, each dial was accompanied by a custom set of hour and minute hands. The hour hand was significantly shorter than the standard hour hand to match the position of the small hour figures within the inner circle of the dial, while the minute hand was of standard length. To assist with accurate time telling, the hour hand was painted red to correspond with the red hour figures
Original Ferguson Dial
“The feature of the dial is the arrangement of the dial marking. The minutes appear in large figures on the outer circumference of the dial, while the hours are shown in smaller figures on the inner dial. To further facilitate easy and accurate reading, the hour figures and the hour hand are colored red.” – Railway Master Mechanic, July 1913.
Why is the crown and dial offset?
During the Transitional Period from the early 1900s into the 1920s, some wristwatches appeared with the winding crown in this less common position on the wristwatch case. Some watch companies converted movements and dials that were originally designed for a pocket or pendant watch into a wristwatch by placing the crown position on the wristwatch case at what is normally the 1:30 or 2:00 position.
Celebrating the unique look of those early wristwatches is the inspiration behind the RGM Model 222-RR. It also keeps the orientation of the sub-second in line with the 12 O’clock position, thus preserving the original design of the railroad-style dial. And it’s just fun!