Don't miss the next drop
Parking meters, telephone calls and appointments all appear in the original booklet for the Omega Seamaster Memomatic. Omega described these everyday obligations as things that “combine to strain our memory.” We like that starting point for an alarm watch. The problem was familiar; the answer involved rather more watchmaking than a note in a diary.
Inside, the caliber 980 uses a single mainspring barrel to power both timekeeping and the alarm. Automatic winding serves both functions, so there is no separate alarm mainspring to wind. The alarm itself uses a hammer and a sounding ring, a small mechanical assembly with a very different job from the hands and date.
The two discs at the centre of the dial are part of that system, not just decoration. A triangle indicates the selected hour, while the paired lines on the inner disc indicate the minutes. With the upper control in its setting position, the lower crown turns the alarm display in either direction. We enjoy that extra layer of information: the hands tell one time, the discs hold another.
Our reference 166.072 pairs a 40mm gold-plated cushion case with a stainless steel back and a gold and anthracite dial. The date sits at three. Its 14k gold-filled and stainless steel bracelet has an Omega-signed folding clasp, carrying the warm tone of the case around the wrist.
The Memomatic is an appealingly specific sort of complication. It gives a mechanical watch something to do with the next hour as well as the present one. The original booklet talked about errands. That modest brief is part of its charm.
