Vulcain watches are now available at Ace Jewelers in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Vulcain is a Swiss watch brand best known for its iconic Cricket alarm wristwatch. But there's much more to this storied watch manufacturer!

The Vulcain watch manufacturer was founded in 1858 in La Chaux-de-Fonds as 'Manufacture Ditisheim' by Maurice Ditisheim. The name as we know it today first appears in the late 1890's, when the manufacture is renamed to 'Fabrique Vulcain'. By then, the brand had grown from a small workshop to a respectable name. It had many awards to its credit, including a prize for the large complication pocket watch 'La Vallée de l'Arve' at the 1898 World Exhibition in Paris. In 1919 Vulcain opened a brand new factory building in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Here, they employed over a 100 skilled workers. Production was focused on pocket watches and ladies wristwatches. Wristwatches for men would not become popular until after the second World War. After all, their practicality was highly appreciated by the military.

In 1940 Vulcain presented its first chronograph wristwatch. The 1947 the brand introduced the Cricket alarm watch. This was in fact the first ever watch with such a complication. It took Vulcain over five years of development to create a reliable mechanism with a loud alarm and sufficient power reserve. The former was achieved in part via a double case back design, which amplifies the sound. The latter was made possible through the use of two separate barrels - one for timekeeping, one for the alarm. The Cricket name? This is a reference to the buzzing sound, which does indeed resemble a cricket's chirp. In 1953 the White House Press Photographer's Association gifted Harry Truman a gold Vulcain Cricket watch. Since then, the Cricket is also known as 'The Presidents Watch'.

The quartz crisis hit Vulcain hard, as was the fate of many Swiss watch manufacturers.  As a result, the brand all but disappeared. It was revived in the early 2000's. This new lease on life included a relocation to Le Locle, a town known for its watchmaking history.

Ace Jeweler is Authorized Dealer for Vulcain starting today. The watches are available at the Ace & Dik boutique at Van Baerlestraat 46 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. They are also available for purchase online at AceJewelers.com. A few of our favorites;

Vulcain Cricket Tradition 39mm Eggshell

The Vulcain Cricket Tradition is a modern recreation of the brand's icon. This watch pairs a classical design with a contemporary size of 39mm. The dial has a rich and warm tone, which is enhanced by the polished golden indexes. This watch is powered by caliber V-10. This is a hand-wound movement with alarm function and a 52 hour power reserve (20 second alarm). The Cricket Tradition is in stock and available on our website.

Vulcain Skindiver Blue

The Vulcain Skindiver dive watch is inspired by a watch from 1960. The stainless steel case measures 38mm across. It is water resistant up to 200 meters. In this version the dial is blue, with a subtle vertical brushed finish. With [vintage] watches, the term skindiver is used for watches designed for recreational divers rather than professionals. This fact notwithstanding, the Vulcain Skindiver is water resistant up to 200 meters. The Skindiver Blue is in stock and available on our website.

Vulcain Chronograph 1970 Silver

The Vulcain Chronograph 1970 is one of the latest additions to the Vulcain line-up. Nomen est omen: this watch is modelled after a 1970's chronograph. The 38mm stainless steel 'step' case is near identical to the original. The silver dial has contrasting black sub dials creating the so-called 'panda' look. This limited edition of 100 pieces is powered by a hand-wound movement with chronograph sourced from Sellita (SW510 M BH b). The Vulcain Chronograph 1970 Silver is in stock.

Check out our full collection of new and exciting watches including our full Vulcain collection in the Ace Lab.

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