• Vintage Vulcain Cricket mechanical alarm watch circa 1950 with aged dial and gold-filled case.
  • Front view of the Vulcain Cricket manual-wind alarm wristwatch with brown leather strap.
  • Side profile of the 10k gold-filled Vulcain Cricket alarm watch case.
  • Close view of the Vulcain Cricket case, winding crown and alarm control.
  • Vulcain Cricket alarm watch dial showing its vintage patina and applied hour markers.
  • Additional front view of the Vulcain Cricket circa 1950 mechanical alarm watch.
  • Side view showing the gold-filled case and lugs of the Vulcain Cricket.
  • Case-side detail of the Vulcain Cricket mechanical alarm watch and controls.
  • Front view of the Vulcain Cricket alarm wristwatch on its brown leather strap.
  • Stainless steel caseback of the vintage Vulcain Cricket alarm watch.
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Past2PresentWatches

Vintage Vulcain Cricket Mechanical Alarm Watch circa 1950 Serviced UK Warranty

Vintage Vulcain Cricket Mechanical Alarm Watch circa 1950 Serviced UK Warranty

£695.00 GBP
£695.00 GBP
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.

SPECIFICATION

Reference: Vulcain Cricket Alarm
Movement: Vulcain calibre 120 manual wind alarm
Age: circa 1950
Case Size: 34mm
Case Thickness: 12mm
Lug to Lug: 40mm
Lugs: 18mm
Condition: Used vintage watch
Box and Papers: No
Case Material: Gold-filled case, stainless steel back
Warranty: 12-month mechanical UK warranty

POINTS TO MENTION

  • In great pre-owned condition, with some wear from use
  • Case and bezel have some light scratches
  • 10k Gold filled case
  • Dial has some age related patina
  • Fully serviced manual alarm movement
  • Alarm function working beautifully
  • Non shock protected movement
  • Paired with an unworn brown leather strap

THE WATCH

Long before a phone could remind you of an appointment, Vulcain made a wristwatch that could demand your attention all by itself. The Cricket, introduced in 1947, was a wonderfully practical idea: a proper mechanical watch with an alarm you could set for something you didn't want to forget.

Making an alarm small enough for the wrist was only half the challenge. Vulcain's watchmakers gave it a separate spring for the alarm and designed the case to help its buzzing sound escape. What makes the Cricket so appealing is that the complication isn't there simply to impress another watchmaker. It was meant to be useful in someone's day, and rather entertaining into the bargain.

A BIT OF TRIVIA

A Vulcain Cricket was presented to Harry S. Truman in January 1953 by the White House press photographers' association. It helped begin the watch's association with American presidents and its nickname, 'the President's Watch'. For a presidential watch, its defining feature was rather unusual: not a precious metal or an imposing dial, but the ability to make a noise when its owner had somewhere to be.

OUR THOUGHTS

There's something cheering about a dress watch with a sense of humour. A Cricket can look perfectly polite until its owner has a reason to hear from it. We can imagine the pleasure of winding it, setting an alarm for a particular moment and knowing the reminder comes from little springs and wheels, rather than a battery or a notification. That's the attraction for us: a beautifully human idea expressed entirely through watchmaking.

VCT919WO

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