The Vulcain Nautical Legacy x Massena LAB Watch ($4,950) masterfully reinterprets the iconic Cricket Nautical diver’s watch through the lens of 1950s design. Limited to just 25 pieces, this timepiece marries vintage aesthetics with modern engineering, offering both serious divers and collectors a stunning nod to horological history.
The Nautical Legacy pays homage to Vulcain’s original Cricket Nautical, released in 1961, which was one of the first diver’s watches to feature an alarm audible underwater. Pioneering divers like Hannes Keller relied on this innovation, including during his legendary 1966 record-setting dive to nearly 250 meters, witnessed by the renowned Jacques Cousteau. The collaboration with Massena LAB asks an intriguing question: What if the Cricket Nautical had existed a decade earlier, in the 1950s?
The answer lies in the watch’s elegant design. Its rich chocolate brown dial, inspired by vintage tropical dials, shimmers subtly in the light, adding warmth and depth. The completely redesigned hands are unique to this collaboration: a baton-style hour hand, a bold arrowhead minute hand, and a striking red arrow alarm hand. These, along with the beige lume-filled plots, mimic the glow and charm of period-correct tritium while ensuring legibility in low light or dark water.
One of the Nautical Legacy’s most fascinating features is its double dial with a decompression table, revealed through an aperture. Divers can set the table using the crown at 4 o’clock, rotating the dial’s upper plate to determine safe ascent times at nine, six, and three meters. This detail, functional and beautiful, harks back to a time when mechanical ingenuity ruled underwater exploration.
Housed in a robust 42mm stainless steel case, the Nautical Legacy retains the hallmark of Vulcain’s alarm system—a closed triple case back that amplifies the sound of the alarm, ensuring it’s loud enough to alert divers to ascend. The watch is powered by the manual-wound Cricket Alarm Calibre V10, featuring two barrels: one for timekeeping and another for the alarm. With a 52-hour power reserve and a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour, the V10 ensures precision and reliability.
Completing the watch is a Massena LAB-designed black rubber strap, versatile enough for both underwater adventures and everyday wear. Fitted with a Vulcain-logo stainless steel buckle, it’s as comfortable as it is practical.
Limited to just 25 pieces, the Vulcain Nautical Legacy x Massena LAB is a collector’s dream—a seamless fusion of diving heritage, vintage elegance, and modern craftsmanship.
