Vulcain is the little watch brand that could. Famous for basically one thing – a ringing mechanism that acts as a clever little alarm clock for your wrist. Vulcain is one of the few companies to perfect this complication although there are some Jaeger LeCoultre and Seiko alarms floating around.
The new Cricket Nautical is a throwback to the 1966 model which featured a triple caseback for maximum resonance and diving tables on the face so you know when it’s time to surface.
From the release:
The Cricket Nautical was the fruit of research conducted by 3 experts who pooled their knowledge and experience and, together with Manufacture Vulcain, developed the very first diver’s watch that would not only feature a system for determining no-stop dive times built right into the dial but also sound a real alarm to signal the diver “time to get back to the surface!” – in a sleek package water-resistant to a depth of 300 meters. The trio of passionate divers: Hannes Keller, a talented Swiss physicist/ mathematician, occasional pianist, and deep-sea diving pioneer; Max-Yves Brandily, explorer and filmmaker; and Arthur Droz, a nationally certified diving instructor and representative of the C.I.A.S (Centre d’Investigations et d’Activités Sous-Marines – Center for Underwater Investigations and Activities).
It has and automatic movement and dual bezels, one stationary and other movable with a crown at four o’clock. You wind and set the alarm with the main crown.
The watch is a hefty $4,862 – a lot of a standard diver from a mid-microbrand – but it’s honestly a lovely effort and worth a look if you’re looking for a watch that is way off the beaten track or, more correctly, dive route.
Specs
Caliber ‘Vulcain Cricket Manufacture V-10’
• Mechanical: Hand-wound alarm movement (12 lignes or 27.07mm in diameter), double barrel, equipped with the Exactomatic system, 165 components
• Decoration: Nickel-plated treatment, blued screws, skeleton ratchets (on sapphire case back version)
• Functions: Hours, minutes, center seconds, alarm, decompression scale adjustable via screw-in crown at 4 o’clock
• Frequency: 18,000 vibrations/hour
• Power reserve: 42 hours
• Alarm duration: approx. 20 seconds
Case
• Case: 316L stainless steel
The ‘Triple Case Back’ acts as a resonance chamber, allowing the alarm function to be used underwater or in a sapphire crystal version embellished with the stylized Vulcain “V”
• Dial: Semi-matte black dial with decompression tables
• Diameter: 42.20mm – ‘Triple Case Back’ thickness: 17.35mm
• Crystal: Sapphire, domed, with anti-reflective coating (or domed plexiglass version)
• Water resistance: 30 ATM (300 meters)
Strap
• Black leather strap, water-resistant carbon texture Steel pin buckle
