Omega

It belongs to the Seamaster line although it is waterproof to a depth of only 200 feet / 60 meters. However, it is just enough for someone like me that wears it with a leather strap.

The movement of the Memomatic is the Omega 980, created in 1968 by Raoul-Henri Erard and produced from the following year by Lemania. A total of 35 000 units of this movement were built.

This movement has some very specific features:

• Doubly automatic, as written at that time! It has a self-winding alarm that is operational only one hour after having been used. Only one barrel for both time and alarm.

• It is also first model where the alarmtime could be set to the minute. This precise setting relies on a couple of moveable discs. The central disc with 2 parallel bars enables to point the minute. The triangle of the second disc is for the hour.
  
  On the photos, the alarm time is set for 7:20.

There is no doubt regarding its 70s origin: black and grey dial, orange second hand, oversized case with a tonneau shape. Groovy baby!

And please note the nice effects of the various types of polishing, in particular the nice sunbrushed bezel. Sunny baby!

Concerning the sound of the alarm, I must admit that it is not loud enough to wake me up. The sound is produced by a hammer that strikes a gong attached to the plate of the movement, not to the caseback. Omega admitted it and even better, decided to communicate on it. As mentioned in the advert :

« The Omega Memomatic rings like a miniature alarm clock, it rings discreetly to remind you of your next appointment – until you shut it off with a push-button control.

So when it happens during a meeting your colleages won't fall out of their chairs. They will, on the other hand, begin to see you as a man for whom the minutes count.»

A riddle to conclude: the album used in background is also from 1970... Any idea?