This time for the review is Vulcain Nautical. The watch is 42mm wide with 22mm lugs distance, carries a Vulcain in-house manual winding Criket V-10 movement with 42 hour power reserve, and has decomposer, alarm, solid case back with curved plexiglass and 300m water resistance.
Vulcain Nautical, released in 2002, is identical to the original model relased in 1961. Both watches share all the same specification except two things. The 1961 model carried the the worlds first mechanical alarm movement, Vulcain Cricket Calibre 120. The other thing is 1961 model shared many deep dive successes with Hannes Keller, the extra ordinary Swiss diver with deep diving world records. So as you may realize Nautical is a watch with real history behind it.
As in the Cricket Calibre 120, Cricket V-10 also uses double barrel, one for the time and the other one for the alarm. The watch has one button and 2 crowns. To wind the time, you have to turn the main crown on the 3 o'clock position down. Turning this same crown up will wind the alarm, which in full wind lasts around 20 seconds. The button on the 2 o'clock position help you to turn the alarm off or pop out the main crown to adjust the alarm time. At each hour mark, there are indications 15 minute sections to help the user to adjust the right time for the alarm.
Manual winding Cricket V-10 movement was accurate by +4/5 seconds per day fully wind. This accuracy is a result of the Exactomatic system created in 1946. The system is to bring an equalibrium on the friction of the balance wheel axis on all position to create a regular amplitude. Cricket V-10 is laying the ground work for other Vulcain manual winding movements in their current models; Cricket V-11,13,16 and 18. They only have slight changes from the Cricket V-10 interms of applications or finish.
How about some of the diving point of this watch as it is a historical divers watch?
I first have to start with telling you that the lume of the watch is also from 1961. It is not great at all. In fact it might race with Longines Legend Diver on the unsuccessful lume function. However this is where the concaved plexiglass plays its trick. The watch is very easy to read. The glass is not reflective and the concave plexiglass is giving magnifiying affect on the dial. Therefore the dial, so as the time, is very easy to read even you are diving deeper. I have to say this is one of the dive watchs that is very easy to tell time underwater. The next pictures are from the surface and at around 46 feet down under water.
Vulcain Nautical does not have a rotating bezel as many of the diver watches do as a classic function. However it has the alarm function that many of the mechanical diver watches do not have. In terms of usability with direct comparison, this is a preference of the diver. Alarm function has some positive sides and negative sides versus the regular rotating bezel with proper minute indications. The positive sides are, the alarm function can let you focus on the diving task more compared to the rotating bezel. Vulcain Nautical, thanks to its design on the back of the case, has a very loud alarm sound underwater. In fact the sound is as loud as if the watch is place on the night stand, in a silent morning right next to your ear. Adjustment of the time for the alarm has to be made above water before diving.. The red indication also doing a very good job with the visual of the alarm status. However this is where the negative side starts taking place. Reading the alarm time, which is how much time you have got left, is hard underwater due to small indicators on the dial. As on a regular rotating bezel you can still see the time indicators from minutes 5 to 55. The lack of reading ability of Nautical alarm indication also mean that you are only going to get one sign to head back to surface, rather than the constant information gain from a rotating bezel.
Vulcain Nautical watch comes with a rubber diver strap, a polished stainless steel deployant buckle is included. The strap is very comfortable both above and under water. The curved ends lets the watch sit on the wrist stable and the deployant buckle is probably one of the best ones in terms of quality. The width of the strap is 22mm/19mm. Inside the strap is decorated with Vulcain symbol. However this are not only for decoration but also stability of the watch on the wrist. Strap also can be easily adjusted for diver suit by extending the radius, using one of the outer holes for the attachment.
What makes this watch however a true diver is not limited to its water resistance or the alarm function or the easy read of the time underwater. It is the decomposer function, a gift from Mr. Keller. The decomposer function is used by the help of the crown on the 4 o'clock position. There are two layers on the dial. The inner dial, which is also the one rotating, is the depth table. The gold colored bottom dial is the decomposition dial. With the help of these dials you can figure out the decomposition at the levels of 9m,6m and 3m. To use the decomposition table, first you need to set the inner dial to the minute hand which is the beginning of the dive. For example you are going to have a 30 minute dive at 40m depth. You start from the orgin, set time zero were you aligned the triangle on the inner rotating table with the minute hand, and go further along 30 minutes. On the same inner dial which is the depth table, you follow circle for 40m depth, and get the minutes of decomposition. The time will be under need on the same circle where you counted 30 minutes. The decomposition time will read 25 minutes. Then you need to find the 25 minute mark on the lower gold dial, decomposition table, which will give you the minutes to spend at 9m,6m and 3m depths respectively. In this case, they are 0 minutes at 9 m, 6 minutes at 6m and 19minutes at 3m. The watche's depth table allows only to calculate decomposition times for 30m,40m,50m and 60m. Keep in mind that to be able to use the decompositon table, you need a warning under water. The alarm function does the trick here. The diver has to set up the alarm based on how long the dive will take place before starting to head back up. There is a downside with the decomposition table of Vulcain however. As I mention before the watch is exactly same in terms of its functions as the 1961 model. Since then the decomposition tables involved a little bit.
Vulcain Nautical is a true divers watch. It does has some drowbacks but has major good points as well. I have to say it is also a handsome watch to wear daily. Change of the rubber strap to leather strap and you get a total different look. With its in-house movement and the unique features, Vulcain Nautical is really a good choice.
Here are some other photos from the last trip.
Lunch time...
As I was going back out
Back in to the water and saw this big rock fish. Only had one chance for the photo shot and then it was gone.
The entire time the waves made the buttom blurry or busy.
My favorite fish crowd, they are hard to come by and get close but always in large groups.
Until couple years ago the sea life was affected not in a good way by over fishing and trawling. The local government took a step to create new hiding places for sea creatures on several location and mark them. They banned trawling. They used barrels like this one to create hiding spots. So far in the last couple of years, there is a certain increase in terms of population of sea creatures again.
- teomeh