Inspired by the First-ever Railroad Approved Watches
Within Accutron’s new Legacy collection lays tribute to some of the brand’s most historical timepieces. Amongst them is the new “R.R.-0”, inspired by one of the first-ever timepieces approved by North American railroad systems. The “R.R.-0” in particular showcases design attributes similar to that of a past-approved Canadian Railroad watch, first launched in 1970.
Boasting superior accuracy due to Accutron’s unique tuning fork movement at that time, Accutron watches were among the first to be approved by the North American Railroad, which was comprised of 60 railroad systems. Before then, pocket watches were considered the only timepieces accurate enough to be "railroad- grade." Accuracy, which Accutron is known for, was essential to prevent collisions from incorrectly timed track switching. In addition, U.S. railroad-grade pocket watches had several important characteristics that were taken into account when applying the use to a wrist watch, including large Arabic numerals for legibility, lever setting meaning that the front crystal had to be unscrewed to set the time, and regulation and adjustment in five positions.
Accutron produced several railroad-approved timepieces throughout the 60s-70s, but the Canadian Railroad watch was one of the most popular designs nicknamed as ”zero railroad” or just “zero” because of a the 0 numeral at the 12-hour mark to meet Canadian Railroad specs. The new “R.R.-0” takes inspiration from this particular timepiece featuring a 34mm uniquely faceted stainless steel railroad case with crown placement at 4 o’clock. Boasting a bright white dial with bold Arabic numerals, the watch stays true to many of the original design details including railroad hands and a red second hand for accurate monitoring. The watch includes a Swiss-made 26-jewel automatic movement with calendar feature complete on a black leather strap. Retailing for $1,290 the new Legacy “R.R.-0” is limited to only 600 pieces.
“Accutron stands for ‘accuracy through electronics,’ so it is no surprise that the brand was relied upon to provide an exceptionally accurate timepiece for railroad servicemen,” said Jeffrey Cohen, President of Citizen Watch America. “We are proud to release the new ‘R.R.-0’ timepiece inspired by one of the proudest moments in our history.”
For more information or to shop the Legacy collection, please visit www.accutronwatch.com or follow @accutronwatch.