Vulcain
- Founded
- 1858
- Based in
- La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
- In our catalog
- 4 watches from $2,060 to $4,750
Vulcain is best known for one sound. The Cricket, launched in 1947, was a mechanical alarm watch loud enough to wake its owner, and it became known as "the watch of presidents" after Harry Truman received one and several of his successors wore one too. Today the brand still makes the Cricket and has added divers, chronographs and dress watches with a vintage flavour.
History
The Ditisheim family started the company in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1858 and later named it Vulcain. It won prizes at observatory chronometry contests in the early 20th century, but the big moment came after the Second World War, when the Cricket solved the problem of making a wristwatch alarm loud enough to hear. It used a double-walled caseback to amplify the buzz.
Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon and Lyndon Johnson are all linked to the Cricket. Vulcain faded in later decades and changed hands several times. A relaunch from 2021 brought back the Cricket in its classic look and added the Skindiver Nautique, chronographs and the Grand Prix line.
Signature models
- Cricket Tradition: The classic hand-wound alarm watch, here with a black dial and the in-house V10 calibre.
- Skindiver Nautique: A 38 mm 1960s-style diver with a ceramic bezel insert.
- Skindiver GMT: The same compact case with a GMT hand and a 24-hour bezel.
- Monopusher Heritage: A hand-wound chronograph with one pusher at 2 o'clock, in a 38.9 mm case.
What it's known for
The Cricket's alarm calibre is a rare thing: a manufacture mechanical alarm movement in continuous production. Beyond that, Vulcain's new collection is all about compact vintage proportions, from 36 to 39 mm, and bright dial colours. Water resistance on the Cricket is modest at 5 bar.
Price and positioning
Skindivers start around $2,000, chronographs run $3,000 to $4,000 and Crickets about $4,500 to $5,500 (Vulcain prices in Swiss francs). For a mechanical alarm watch, the main rivals are Jaeger-LeCoultre's Memovox at several times the price and Frederique Constant's occasional alarm models.
Vulcain watches in our library
- Vulcain Skindiver Nautique ($2,060)
- Vulcain Skindiver GMT ($2,690)
- Vulcain Monopusher Heritage ($3,790)
- Vulcain Cricket Tradition ($4,750)