Model history
In 1961 Vulcain took its most famous complication underwater: the Nautical (later also known as the Cricket Nautical) was born from a collaboration with diving specialists of the time, including physiologist and deep-diving pioneer Hannes Keller, together with Max-Yves Brandily and Arthur Droz. The aim was practical: to give divers a reliable way of being alerted, even underwater, when to ascend or begin decompression stops, at a time when tools for calculating dive times were still rudimentary.
To house the alarm mechanism and allow it to work underwater, Vulcain adopted a 42 mm case — considered bulky by early-1960s standards — with two crowns and a complex caseback that still acted as a resonance chamber for the alarm's sound, while also providing the water-tightness needed for diving. The dial also incorporated a rotating disc designed to help the diver keep track of decompression times, adding a second practical calculating tool to the acoustic function.
The Nautical remains a relatively niche chapter in Vulcain's history compared with the "presidential" Cricket, but the brand has revived it several times in modern times with reissues faithful to the original layout — including the Cricket Nautical presented in 2023, which takes up the proportions of the 42 mm case and the two-crown system, bringing the in-house Cricket calibre to a stated water resistance of 300 metres.
Technical specifications
Main versions
Among the creators of the Nautical was Hannes Keller, known at the time for his pioneering attempts at deep diving: a detail that links the birth of this watch not so much to the world of fashion or politics, as with the "presidential" Cricket, but to the practical world of experimental underwater research in the early 1960s.