Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena LAB

Massena LAB collaborates with the storied Swiss watchmaker to produce a limited-edition diver’s watch that combines vintage 1950s charm with rugged technical savoir faire.

Vulcain and Massena LAB are proud to announce their partnership at the launch of the Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena LAB, a 1950s-inspired diver’s watch with a rich, brown dial; redesigned, vintage-inspired hands; and a brand new, Massena-LAB-designed black rubber bracelet. Powered by an in-house movement, the Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena LAB retains all of the rugged, technical know-how of the original Vulcain Cricket Nautical, one of the very-first diver’s watches with an alarm that could be heard underwater.

The original Cricket Nautical was released in 1961, the result of research conducted by three passionate divers: Hannes Keller, a Swiss deep-sea diving pioneer as well as a physicist and mathematician, Max-Yves Brandily, the explorer and filmmaker, and Arthur Droz, a national certified diving instructor. In 1966, Hannes Keller wore a Cricket Nautical in a record-setting dive reaching an extreme depth of almost 250 meters. The legendary Jacques Cousteau, acting as Keller’s witness, recorded and validated Keller’s record.

The Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena LAB ponders “What would the Cricket Nautical look like today if it had been created a decade earlier, in the 1950s?” To start, the dial has been recolored a rich, chocolate brown, which shimmers subtly in the light, inspired by some of Massena LAB’s favorite vintage, tropical dials. The hands, which have been completely redesigned and are unique to this Massena LAB collaboration include a baton-style hand for hours, large arrowhead for the minutes, red arrow alarm hand, and a charming lollipop hand for the center seconds. 

The hands are filled with beige lume, with matching lume plots on the dial, and glow green in low light or dark water for maximum legibility and echo the watch’s vintage inspiration by mimicking the period-correct tritium. The black rubber strap, designed by Massena LAB and fitted with a Vulcain logo stainless steel buckle, is comfortable and practical in and out of the water whether you are wearing a wetsuit or sitting at your desk.

The double dial features a decompression table, an invention of the Hannes Keller team, which is revealed through an aperture on the dial. To set it correctly, the wearer must first determine the length and depth of the intended dive, using the crown at 4 o’clock to rotate the dial’s upper plate. When used correctly, the scale which is revealed by the aperture, shows the diver for how many minutes they must stop at nine, six, and three meters before returning to the surface.

The stainless steel case, measuring 42mm, features a closed “triple case back” which acts as a resonance chamber and allows for the alarm to be loud enough to be heard underwater, alerting the diver that they should start their ascent.

The watch is powered by the manual-wound Cricket Alarm Calibre V10, with a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz) and a power reserve of 52 hours. The in-house caliber has two barrels: one is the energy source for timekeeping, while the other powers the alarm function. Both barrels are charged by turning the crown at three o’clock: clockwise for timekeeping and counterclockwise for the alarm system.

The Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena LAB is a limited edition of only 25 pieces, which will be available starting Wednesday, December 11 at 10:00am EST at MassenaLAB.com.

Technical specifications

Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena LAB

Limited edition of 25 pieces

Case

• Material: 316L stainless steel
• Diameter: 42 mm
• Thickness: 17.5 mm including triple case back
• Glass: Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides
• Case back: Closed “Triple Case Back” in stainless steel acts as a resonance chamber, allowing for the alarm function to be used underwater
• Water-resistant to 30 ATM (300 meters)

Dial and hands

• Chocolate brown with white and blue markers and beige lume
• Hands designed by Massena LAB and unique to this collaboration

Movement

• Manual-wound movement, Cricket Alarm Calibre V10
• Diameter: 12 lignes or 27.07mm
• Double barrel, equipped with the Exactomatic system
• Number of parts: 165
• Frequency: 18'000 vph (2.5 Hz)
• Power reserve of 52 hours

Functions/Indications

• Hours, minutes, center seconds, alarm, decompression scale adjustable via screw-in crown at 4 o’clock
• Ringing time: 20 seconds +/- 5 seconds

Strap and buckle

• Massena-LAB-designed black rubber strap with Vulcain logo stainless steel pin buckle
• Lug Width: 22mm

MSRP: USD 4'950

For more information, please visit massenalab.com