Victoria Rail watch: Peerless SHOCKMASTER

Last week we talked about the little known Queensland Rail Omega Admiralty watch issued to rail workers in the early 1970’s. It was hardly a surprise that this short article generated a fair bit of interest. The most common comment: "Lucky QR employees!"
 
Which unfortunately cannot be said for their Victorian mates. In the mid-1960’s Victorian Rail opted for a very different watch for its officially issued Government timepiece: the Swiss-made Peerless.
 
Comparing Peerless with an Omega is much like comparing a Hyundai with a Mercedes. Peerless was probably the least exciting and least cool Swiss watch you could ever want and, quite frankly, its issue was an insult to Railway Horology, as much as to Victorian Rail workers themselves. Long gone were the days of mighty Longines, Omegas and Walthams!
 
Yet at the same time, the humble Peerless turned out to be an ideal watch for a Government on a budget. It was cheap, easy to repair, light on the wrist, practical - and even reasonably accurate. And, to its credit, it survived to this day as a testimony to the fact that even years of daily wear (and abuse) could not kill it.
 
I guess my main problem with Peerless is the lack of decoration on the Mechanism - the AS1900/01 movement is just boring.  Plus another small detail: the watch dial is lacking even one iota of Railway character! The Peerless SHOCKMASTER looks more like a dress watch than a tool piece - a watch for the Rail Accounting Department rather than locomotive drivers and train masters.  For fanatical, internet-forum, railroad enthusiasts who are desperately looking for at least something to hang onto, here is the heart-crushing truth: no, the Peerless Shockmaster is not 'a younger cousin' of the famous IWC/ Peerless 1930’s watch – the two Peerless models are part of two completely different stories.
 
But Australian rail watch history is like the history of any fragmented, slightly disfunctional family: it is what it is. As much as we 'hate' it, the Peerless Shockmaster is as important as any other Government Rail issued watch issued in the past 140 years.  

For subscribers who will be looking for VR Peerless: beware of fakes!  Pay close attention to the case back engraving.  Letters V, C and W are machine pre-engraved, while individual serial numbers are crudely hand engraved.  What is the fair price to pay for an original example? Whatever you think it's worth to you. Based on my limited research, recent sales vary from $120 to $1000, depending on condition. The good news is that we can repair/service your Shockmaster for around $250.  A small curiosity is the lug width of exactly 19mm which is a perfect match for our James Young kangaroo straps.

If you do have a Victoria Rail Peerless watch in your collection, please get in touch with me at nick@clockmaker.com.au so we can add its number to our database.  Thank you.

Welcome back to NSW, my baby

In the late 1880’s the Australian state of New South Wales was a bit like the Wild West... Mainly - two problems: trains not arriving on time and train robberies.
 
NSW Government Railway was the department in charge of railways from 1855 to 1972. After a major railway incident that occurred in the US, the NSW Government ordered that every train driver and station master be issued with a precision time-keeper - a pocket watch.  Batches of railroad watches were ordered from the American Watch Company - Waltham, Massachusetts. Every issued pocket watch in NSW had its individual number engraved on the case back and some examples also had the owner's name. In addition, train drivers were also issued with a gun, bearing the same number as the one engraved on their watch.
 
Thanks to newly arrived watches, trains eventually got better with timetables, however, the robbery bit was an ongoing issue until the 1950’s. "Robbery from the Mudgee Mail 'Reward of five hundred pounds, with ten per cent on value of money recovered not including cheques'" was just another news story of the day.
 
Since watches remained Government property, they had to be handed over at retirement. Consequently, only a handful of GR pocket watches have managed to find their way into private collections and today they are regarded as some of the most sought after Australian timepieces.
 
GR number 250 dating from 1889 is the earliest numbered NSW Government Rail watch in private collection. It was sold 6 years ago at a Queensland auction, then stored, until it hit the market late Sunday night. Welcome back to NSW, my baby.
 
Now, if we can only find that Government issued gun...