Vulcain - Gold Honeycomb Bracelet - The Maker of the Cricket - Early 1970s

At the turn of the 1970s the hard edge went out of design. Chairs were molded in single curves of plastic, television sets lost their square corners, telephones turned smooth in the hand, and sunglasses grew into wide ovals. Rooms that had been all straight lines a decade before went round at every edge.

Watches went soft along with everything else. The Vulcain here is an oval without a corner on it, the case running straight into a bracelet of small linked hexagons, no lug and no strap anywhere, the whole of it one gold colored piece from end to end. It was built in those first years of the decade, and fifty years on, watch and bracelet are still together.

The dial is signed Vulcain, the maker of the Cricket, the alarm wristwatch American presidents wore from Truman through Nixon. 

The dial is champagne, with Vulcain and 17 Jewels printed at its center. Black hashes mark the hours, doubled at the twelve, and two black stick hands cross it. The crystal reads clear straight on; turned to an angle, fine hairlines show across it.

The movement holds seventeen jewels and winds from the crown, and its bridges carry a hammered finish, small facets struck in close rows across the plates.

The bezel is gold plated over base metal and the back is stainless steel, as the back is stamped. The crown has worn through its plating to the steel at its face, the case carries light scratches, and the bracelet links nearest the case have toned darker with wear. The watch runs, and its service history is unknown.

Terms: Please review all photos carefully as they are a part of the listing. This is a vintage timepiece. Accuracy, power reserve, and water resistance are not guaranteed. Vintage watches may require periodic service. Performance can vary with wear, temperature, and position.

All sales final.