Omega Memomatic Ref. 166.072 Circa Mid ‘70s

The allure of vintage watches for many is actually the mechanical magic that happens beneath the surface. As everything we engage with becomes exponentially more digital and we spend more of our days manipulating touch screens, the refreshing way vintage mechanical watches connect us with the human ingenuity of the past is hard to overstate. One perfect example is the Omega Memomatic, a dive watch from the ‘70s that features a truly clever alarm complication.

While watches with alarm functions have been around for a very long time, the lion’s share of them worked via a single 12-hour chapter ring – which meant that while you could easily set the alarm to the hour or the half hour, you were out-of-luck for anything more specific. With the Omega Memomatic, you have access to two distinct indicators, hours and minutes, which means its alarm function can be dialed in for specific times outside of the hour or half hour. It’s certainly an alternative reference from Omega’s past, but half the fun of watch collecting is the variety available and this piece’s interesting and useful complication is not only a conversation starter, it’s packed into a watch that’s got heaps of the handsome, robust, and perfectly funky ‘70s Omega styling that true fans of the brand love.

This Memomatic is in excellent vintage condition. Its beefy ‘70s-styled case is sharp and seemingly unpolished, and the dial and its original lume are both flawless. This watch is fitted on its original Omega bracelet, though we think it’d look just as cool on a handmade leather strap or a mesh dive bracelet. For those of you that want something that’s not only from a storied and respected brand, but attainable and from the unexpected side of the vintage watch world, the Memomatic is ideal.