History

1858 : Founding of the Manufacture Ditisheim frères in La Chaux-de-Fonds

1889 : World Fair in Paris, Vulcain wins an award for a Grande Complication watch, La Vallée de l’Arve

1898 : Ditisheim & Cie becomes the Fabrique Vulcain

1919 : New Vulcain factory, a large manufacturing facility to secure the future

1947 : Cricket, the first alarm wristwatch with a shrill chirping sound that delighted the world

1958 : Calibre 406 for the Cricket Golden Voice, a model designed for women

1961 : First dip for the Nautical, a diver’s watch unique in its kind

2002 : Rebirth of Vulcain, relocation in Le Locle

2004 : V-11, the Cricket calibre enhanced with a date display

2005 : Imperial Gong, the first tourbillon alarm watch, a stunning Grande Complication

2008 : The voice of the jubilee, the Anniversary Heart model, a tribute to the legendary Cricket calibre

2010 : V-21, the Cricket calibre enters the self-winding era. – Launch of the 50s Presidents’ watch

The 50s Presidents’ Watch

While the 1950s were undoubtedly a period of renewal and hope, in which people firmly believed that the best was yet to come, the origins of this positivist attitude date back to the immediate aftermath of World War II. A wealth of new experiences and ideas were about to blossom and make their mark on the century. It was in 1947 that American president Harry Truman presented before Congress his "doctrine" intended to "protect free peoples from the advance of communism". On June 5th of that year, he outlined the "European Reco-very Program", generally known as the Marshall Plan, which devoted over 13 billion dollars to the recons-truction of 16 European countries. That same year in the United States, albeit in a completely different register, Charlie Parker headed a quintet composed of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillepsie, Curly Russer and Max Roach. And meanwhile, across the Atlantic in Switzer-land’s Neuchâtel Jura region, Vulcain’s engineers and master-watchmakers were busy attempting to resolve an equation comprising a number of hitherto unknown factors: how could one miniaturise a striking mecha-nism enough to house it within a wristwatch while en-suring it emits a noise loud enough to be genuinely functional? None had succeeded in doing so until Vul-cain presented the Cricket alarm calibre in 1947.

Vintage 1950s Cricket model.

Robert Ditisheim and his team during the development of the Cricket calibre in 1947.

4

5

The 50s Presidents’ Watch

Staged in December 1947, the worldwide launch of the Cricket took place at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The entire

press had been summoned for the occasion and the room was packed with journalists who created a huge stir of publicity

for the Cricket just before Christmas. Jewellers soon sold out and had to distribute vouchers promising speedy delivery to

customers who had not yet received their order.

6

7

The 50s Presidents’ Watch

New currents of thought were to emerge during the Fifties, Europe did indeed progress towards recovery, the bikini was invented, jazz enjoyed a new surge in popularity, and Vulcain’s Cricket alarm calibre gained a worldwide reputation thanks to the huge technolo-gical breakthrough it represented. The movement was sufficiently innovative to equip a number of Vulcain wristwatches that were found on the wrists of some of the world’s most powerful men. Successive American presidents succumbed in turn to its charms, to the extent that the Vulcain alarm watch simply became known as "The Presidents’ Watch". The most eminent of them have worn a Cricket: starting with President Harry Truman, who often wore his Cricket presented to him by the White House photographers. He was succeeded by Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower who, despite a well-known aversion for publicity bearing his name, wore his Vulcain quite ostensibly. The young Richard Nixon also received a Cricket as a gift in May 1955, af-ter giving the inaugural speech at the annual congress of the National Association of Watch and Clock Ma-kers. And then came the turn of Lyndon Johnson to wear this legendary watch, first as the head of the de-mocratic majority in Congress, and then as President after the assassination of J.F. Kennedy.

President Dwight Eisenhower wears his Cricket watch on

this photo published in The Saturday Evening Post.

Left: President Harry Truman, and President Lyndon B. Johnson on the right. Both are wearing a Vulcain Cricket watch.

8

9

The 50s Presidents’ Watch

The 1950s were considered the golden age of jazz and of the mechanical alarm watch. Vulcain offered a watch entirely in

tune with its era, and the "Cricket" enabled its owner to activate useful audible reminders.

During the 1950s, statesmen, businessmen, scholars, athletes, explorers and mountaineers the world over paid tribute to the

Vulcain Cricket. 10

11

12

13

The 50s Presidents’ Watch

At the heart of this new model that so powerfully re-vives the legend beats the new self-winding Cricket V-21 alarm movement. Developed on the basis of the legendary Cricket Calibre V-10, stemming from over 60 years of evolution and fine-tuning, the self-winding Calibre V-21 is a 12-lignes (12’’’) movement fitted with two barrels – one to deliver the energy required for the hours, minutes and seconds functions, and the other to power the alarm function which sounds for a full 20 seconds. It has a balance oscillating at 18,000 vibra-tions per hour and a 42-hour power reserve. Com-prising a total of 257 parts, it features unidirectional winding by means of an oscillating weight fitted with a ceramic ball-bearing mechanism. A worthy heir to the famous Cricket alarm calibre that has been shaping the Vulcain legend since 1947, the Cricket V-21 mo-vement drives displays of the hours, minutes, central seconds and date – and of course the alarm function on which the reputation of Vulcain watches has been built for over 60 years and which significantly contribu-ted to establishing their reputation as "The Presidents’ Watch".

Self-winding proprietary Vulcain Calibre V-21 alarm move-

ment equipped with the Exactomatic system ensuring regu-

lar amplitude and enhanced rating accuracy.

Each movement is assembled within the Manufacture Vulcain.

14

15

The 50s Presidents’ Watch

A Fifties spirit expressed through a contemporary mo-del: such was the intention behind the creation of the new 50s Presidents’ Watch collection by Vulcain – an alarm watch inspired by a model from the Fifties, while meeting the highest modern standards. Elegant, un-derstated and imbued with a classicism that betrays its origins, the 42 mm-diameter case available in 18K rose gold and steel versions is water-resistant to 50 metres. With its slender case middle, its alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces and its subtly designed lugs, the 50s Presidents’ Watch makes a perfect fit on every wrist. In a manner characteristic of the timepieces of the era, the dial with its slightly cam-bered circumference features applied hour-markers and Arabic numerals, as well as Dauphine hands with a decidedly Fifties look. The 50s Presidents’ Watch is also fitted with a cambered sapphire crystal and a sapphire crystal caseback adorned with the stylised "V" for Vulcain. The dial comes in a choice of anthra-cite or silvered colours for the rose gold model, and in silvered, anthracite or smoky grey for the steel version. The Louisiana alligator leather strap is fitted with a rose gold buckle on the 18K rose gold version or a folding clasp with safety pushpiece for the steel version.

210550.279L210550.280L 16

17

210150.278LF

The 50s Presidents’ Watch

210150.276LF210150.277LF18

19