What We Know
Since Vulcain’s revival in 2022 under the helm of Guillaume Laidet, a name familiar to most here thanks to his hand in brands like Nivada Grenchen and SpaceOne, it’s steadily cranked out watches under a few collections, from skin divers to chronographs, and most importantly, its iconic design that is the Cricket alarm watch.
While these modern Crickets have largely remained faithful in spirit to their predecessors, today marks a new limited edition from Vulcain with a contemporary twist: the Vulcain Cricket Titanium. The name kind of gives everything away here, with titanium being the main focus of this new run of 100 pieces. The 39mm case, in its slightly upsized modern form, is made this time in grade 5 titanium, polished throughout. The dial is also in titanium, with a stamped guilloché effect paired with white printing for a minutes track and applied indices. The handset comes in a variety of colors, with the skeletonized dauphine minute and hour hands paired with a black seconds hand, and a metallic nickel-plated alarm hand with a blackened arrow tip that points to the printed track to better set your alarm time.
But that’s not where the titaniumification (I’m going to pretend that’s a real word) ends. Here, the Le Locle-assembled and manually-wound Vulcain Cricket Calibre V14 is also produced from titanium movement blanks, meaning that the titanium theme translates all the way to the inside of the watch and can be seen through the exhibition caseback. Same as the more traditional V10, the V14 beats away at a leisurely 18,000 VpH, with a power reserve of 52 hours for the timekeeping. A separate barrel and mainspring handle the alarm functionality, which lasts approximately 20 seconds.
Delivered on a black calfskin leather strap with a quick-change system, the Vulcain Cricket Titanium is limited to 100 pieces and priced at $7,670.
What We Think
It’s been a while since we’ve covered a new release from Vulcain, but this one piqued my interest because of the interesting (and somewhat curiously strange) decision to make a full-titanium Cricket, including the movement. From an aesthetic standpoint, I think the guilloché effect of the titanium dial lends itself well to the overall design, even if it works against overall legibility.
Yes, the new Cricket Titanium is very expensive and marks a significant premium over a watch that already felt quite expensive to begin with. But modern mechanical alarm watches are simply not dime-a-dozen, and Crickets continue to basically be the one choice at this price point for such a complication. I suppose the one question I have for this edition in particular is something I won’t be able to answer myself without seeing the Cricket Titanium in person: how the new titanium movement sounds compared to the performance of the more classic versions of the Cricket.
The Basics
Brand: Vulcain
Model: Cricket Titanium
Diameter: 39mm
Thickness: 12.8mm
Case Material: Grade 5 titanium
Dial Color: Grey
Indexes: Applied
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 5 atm
Strap/Bracelet: Black calfskin strap
The Movement
Caliber: V14
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, alarm
Power Reserve: 52 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 18,800 VpH
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Titanium movement blanks
Pricing & Availability
Price: $7,670
Availability: Pre-Order, with delivery starting mid-July
Limited Edition: Yes, 100 pieces
For more, click here.
