Vulcain Brings Back the Nautical Cricket (Again)

Most dive watches we come across qualify as such thanks to a chunky bezel, gobs of lume on the dial, and halfway decent depth rating. Vulcain, never keen to adhere to the well beaten path, took a different approach with their diver, the Nautical Cricket, and it shows at first blush. The impressive depth rating is there, sure, but the rest of the formula kind of goes out the window. It’s an approach I’d love to see more of in modern divers, and am thrilled to see Vulcain return to the concept 60 years after the original, and 10 years after the first attempt at resuscitation. It’s entirely confusing at a glance, and even if you know what you’re looking at, it still might require an explanation. The new Nautical Cricket is the latest chapter in Vulcain’s modern resurgence. 

The Nautical Cricket is, as you may have guessed from the name, an alarm watch, which can be set via the thin 4th hand with bright red tip. While unique, that’s not the most unusual element to this watch. That would be the inner portion of the dial, which is littered with rings and number sets and a long thin aperture which reveal further sets of numbers when turned. These tables are used in conjunction with the alarm timer, and if used correctly, will give you the length of your decompression stops at 3, 6, and 9 meters on your ascent.

How this works exactly is a bit trickier to decipher, but makes the watch all the more interesting as a dive tool. Things begin with the planned length of your dive, which you set the alarm hand to mark. This is also the value you’ll want showing in the outermost aperture of the dial windows. At the conclusion of your dive, the alarm will sound, notifying you that it’s time to make your ascent. At this stage, you’ll need to find the depth of your dive in the table on the dial, and follow that associated ring to the minute hand, which will give you the total length of your decompression stops. A further twist of the dial will give you the breakdown of those stops at 3,6, and 9 meters. 

Okay, so maybe not as practical as a simple rotating bezel, but there’s an undeniable character in the way this watch has been executed. There’s no escaping the era specific design with this one, and Vulcain have captured it perfectly here, and are even offering two dial specs: one with faux lume to capture the aged look, and another with white lume. Each accompanied by a lagoon blue minute track, bringing a subtle but welcome element of color.

The new Nautical Cricket is built within a 42mm polished steel case, allowing plenty of room for the extensive amount of information on the dial enough space to be easily discernible. There are multiple caseback options here, which will affect the total thickness of the watch. One features a sapphire crystal viewing window to the hand wound manufacture movement inside, and the other a ‘triple case back’ which allows for maximum resonance for the alarm, best used for actual diving. 

The Vulcain Nautical Cricket will be available this September directly from Vulcain, priced at $4,862. This watch fits into a growing collection of watches that are highlighting the illustrious past of Vulcain, including the Skindiver Nautique, which we reviewed right here. Keep an eye out for more on the Nautical Cricket coming soon, including a video of how to use the inner dial charts. Vulcain.