Over view of a Spartus alarm clock from 1978

Now here's something you don't see every day. A digital alarm clock manufactured January 1978 that if I'm not mistaken has a very atomic-esc design. Click the photos for higher quality versions.

This beaut is a Spartus model 21-3017-180, and as you can tell right off the bat this is not a clock you can expect to see anymore. Aside from the striking atomic age design, it has some design traits that you pretty much never see these days. Such as...

We have all become used to alarm clocks where if you are trying to set the time for exactly 6:30AM and you go one minute beyond, you must cycle all the way back around the other way, one minute at a time. With this clock, however, it has a reverse drive for counting down backwards. Ain't that neat? Escpecially unique is that it has a neutural position that prevents the numbers from going up at all. Just in case you have a tendacy to press the wrong button :)

This could be considered a bit sexist these days, but it's not a bad idea as far as practicality goes. If either the husband or wife had to get up earlier than the other, there are two different alarms for each of them. They both sound the same, but they can be set indivdually with their own dedicated buttons.

Not much to be said here. Just look at it!

Not much to say here, I don't think I even need a photo. There's a toggle switch on the the back that dims the screen in case you are sensitive to lights at night. Speaking of the screen...

Now that's something you rarely see these days! It's not really a feature as much as it is a novelty, but I have included a crudely captured photo HERE.

And while I'm at it, yes, there is a seperate indicator for AM and PM, as opposed to the usual dot to show it's PM.

Another thing that's interesting is the alarm itself. You definaltly don't hear alarms that sound like this anymore.

I think this alarm sounds somewhat like a truck backing up rather than an alarm. I'm guessing the reason you don't hear alarms like this anymore is that it's not obnoxious enough :\

So you might be wondering, what are some of the bad things about this? Well, there's only two things I've spotted regarding the design that should be pointed out. First of all, there is there is no indicator to show whether or not the alarm is activated. You just have to remember if you set it or not, either that or turn on the light to see what position the toggle switch is in. Secondly, there is no battery reserve. Trust me, I looked all over. There is no way to keep the clock running in case of a power outage. If there's a power surge, you've got to reset it from scratch. But more noticeably is the age of the electronics. Specifically, the bane of buying any used alarm clock. The buttons barely work.

Not only are the buttons barely responsive, but the actual mechanisms themselves are an anomaly. I don't have any photos, so you'll just have to imagine.

To put it simply, the buttons for setting the time are plastic actuators the press on down on metal discs. Except they don't look like they were made in a mold, rather somebody just took molten metal and placed at drop on a sheet, scrapped it off and attatched it to the contacts. How did they attach it? Why, with scotch tape of course!

I peeled off the tape to see if the contacts were corroded, and the tape snapped in two. Once I had determined the contacts were not dirty, I laid the tape back down in place, topping it off with an additional layer of painter's tape to secure it. Whoever opens it next is likely to be very confused.

Other than that, the clock has held up suprisingly well. It's a shame it appears to be quite rare. At the time I purchased mine on eBay there was another one for sale that was similar, but in a sea of other Spartus clocks, that's not much. For those of you wondering, this cost me $29.99, free shipping.

Not much left to say, a total eclipse of the heart.