Daniel Craig's Seamaster Memomatic

[rw16610]

It's nice to see him wearing a vintage Omega. Classic 70s watch styling with such appeal:






The Seamaster Memomatic isn't one I considered during my previous search for a vintage. However, it's such a unique piece. There's something special about Milanese bracelets on watches, particularly vintage pieces.

[Baco Noir]

rw16610 - This looks like one of the old 70’s alarm watches. If so, I think it was cool tech for the time, but I’ve never considered one - probably out of ignorance. My mind tells me that the alarm would unwind the mainspring and if you didn’t turn it off quickly enough (and I use to be a heavy sleeper) it would just wind down and stop on it’s own. Maybe that would be a much longer period of time or maybe there is a second barrel for the alarm, but the marketing never let me know why my internal thoughts were unfounded and I should shut up and buy it because, dang it, it’s cool!

[rw16610]

Baco Noir That's a fair point and one that did cross my mind during the vintage watch hunt.

I've seen a teardown video with a different make and model which did have two mainsprings. It's such a fascinating concept having a mechanical alarm.

[Archer]

I just finished servicing a Memomatic with a slightly different case, but the same Cal. 980 Omega movement. Here are some photos...



It's an unusual alarm movement - the only one I can recall servicing that uses a single mainspring barrel for the watch running and the alarm:



It uses a special arrangement on the barrel arbor with a sort of stop - this lets the mainspring wind down during the activation of the alarm, but then stops it before it winds down far enough to affect the timekeeping portion of the watch:












Of all the alarm watches I've serviced, this one has a mechanism that makes the alarm going off to the minute it was set to, the most accurately - it is spot on to the minute:












The alarm duration is shorter than many alarm watches, and like most vintage alarm watches the sound isn't pretty. Although it uses an gong of sorts, the sound is subtle and not loud enough to wake you up. But this would be ideal for reminding you of a meeting at work for example, with the alarm not being terribly intrusive.

Cheers, Al

[rw16610]

Wow, very neat! Thanks for sharing the images and information on that watch. I really like the model you serviced, especially the orange triangular second hand.

[Baco Noir]

Thanks Archer! That’s a great explanation of the alarm function and how it’s different from others with two barrels. The one mechanical alarm I heard as a young man was more of a buzzing sound and I knew it would not wake me up so I never really considered them again - but still, a unique complication.

[priamo]

Thanks for the presentation Archer. You have high praise for the movement. Another feather in Omega's cap.