Vulcain Knows How to Play The Hits and the Chrongraphe 1970’s is their Latest Vintage Tune

Since Vulcain received a new lease on life with entrepreneur and brand enthusiast Guillaume Laidet at the helm, the storied brand has not missed. By tapping into Vulcain’s deep archives and playing the hits, so to speak, many of us have thoroughly enjoyed getting reacquainted with the brand. Debuting with their most iconic watch, the Cricket, was the logical first step in relaunching Vulcain. It’s a watch that has all the name-cache with it being the first mechanical alarm watch and its historical ties to several United States presidents. Following the Cricket, Laidet and company hit us with an unexpected dive watch with the Skindiver Nautique. Once again, by essentially producing a recreation of a past reference, Vulcain released a diver with all the vintage charm you could ask for (a type of watch that every brand needs in their arsenal), packed into a tidy 38mm case.

So how does Vulcain move forward from the aforementioned models? Well, with a presidential watch and a diver already in the quiver, naturally a chronograph is the next move. Continuing with what has been clearly working for the brand thus far, Vulcain recently announced the Chronographe 1970’s, a handsome chronograph and another spot-on revival from their back catalog.

There is a certain magnetism and allure to the Chronographe 1970’s which I’ll try to identify as we go on. First, the dial. I applauded the typeface choice on the Skindiver Nautique during a recent On-Wrist Reaction, and I’ll do the same here. The tachymeter numerals along the border of the dial are compressed height-wise, with not much space between each number, and the result is this bold and wide numeral display. If you look closely at the zeroes or the twos, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Similarly, the same vibe is found in the 23 Jewels and Incabloc wordmarking. I didn’t know I was this much of a typeface nerd until I wrote this, but it is something I keep a keen eye out for, whether it’s on the dial or the bezel. It’s a minor detail, but in my opinion, it can really change the character of a watch.

The Vulcain Chronographe 1970’s adds some new color to the model.Traditionally, there’s a black dial with silver sub registers, as well as a silver dial with black sub registers, or otherwise known as their Silver Panda. In addition to that, there’s also a silky blue variation, and lastly, a salmon dial which continues to be a special dial color for the brand, and like the salmon dial Cricket, is limited to only 50 pieces. I hate to use this word again, but I will. The dial has this charm to it, and I’ll go as far as saying that the black and salmon dials are just lovely.

Vulcain in its heyday were on the mark when it comes to case proportions, and that’s something in the brand’s resurgence that they have not messed with. They didn’t with the Cricket and the Skindiver Nautique, and the same goes for the Chronographe 1970’s. The stainless steel case measures 38mm in width and 12.40mm in height. A side profile of the case gives us the best opportunity to appreciate the stepped case design. It’s like a classic three-layer cake, and the high-domed sapphire crystal is just icing on the top for all the vintage lovers out there.

Within the Chronographe 1970’s you’ll find the Sellita SW510 M BH. It’s the same exact movement found inside of the Nivada Grenchen’s (another brand rich with history that Guillaume Laidet has brought back to life) Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver do-it-all chronograph. Except now, the hand wound movement is presented in a buttoned-up silhouette. On a full wind, the movement is expected to keep the Chronographe 1970’s running for 63 hours. It’s weekend-proof, as they say.

The Vulcain Chronographe 1970’s either comes on a pin buckle leather or crocodile style strap of your choosing. But throw this thing on some gray or olive suede, and I think you might have yourself a banger of a vintage-modern chronograph. The Chronographe 1970’s is currently available to order on Vulcain’s website and retails for $2,650. Keep in mind that if you’re leaning towards the salmon dial, it is just limited to 50 pieces. Vulcain