Vulcain Grand Prix watch makes a comeback with ‘grandpa’ elegance

It was in sleeping mode, and now we are waking it up.” That old chestnut might be a favourite way of describing a defunct watch brand’s revival, but it sounded appropriate coming from Carla Duarte, until recently the CEO of Vulcain – celebrated as the inventor of the mechanical alarm wrist watch.

Nothing much had been heard of Vulcain for years until it was acquired in 2017 by a Luxembourg-based investment group which has set out to revive the brand’s glory days when it was among the most innovative, successful and far-reaching dial names in the business.

Vulcain’s revolutionary Cricket alarm watch was launched at the 1947 Swiss Watch Fair after physicist Paul Langevin developed a system that combined a tiny hammer and metallic membrane with a patented double case design to produce a sufficiently loud sound.

And because the resulting noise was more of a ‘brrrrr’ than a ‘trrrring’ it was likened to the chirp of a cricket – hence the model name.

The Cricket proved especially popular in America where it was given a turbo PR boost after the White House News Photographers Association presented a 14-carat gold Cricket to outgoing US president Harry S Truman.

The gift led to the tradition of Vulcain offering a watch to each new president, with the first to wear one in office being Dwight D Eisenhower. Lyndon B Johnson got one too – and was so keen on the Cricket that he is said to have given away around 200 as presents. Richard Nixon and Barack Obama are also known to have been given the watches, but Joe Biden had bought his own several years before taking up the top job in January 2021.

But there has always been more to Vulcain than the Cricket, and since the maker’s return to prominence it has revived a string of classics including the Skindiver, the Chronograph, the Nautical and the Monopusher.

The watch you see here is the latest model to make a comeback – the Grand Prix. Although the name made it a shoo-in for this page, it actually refers to the fact that Vulcain won the top award at the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, an achievement it celebrated more than 30 years later with the launch of the original Grand Prix watch.

This new Grand Prix retains the old-school look of that ’60s model, but gets a larger, 39mm case with a retro-look domed crystal and a Swiss Landeron automatic movement beneath its decidedly sober dial. Choose from champagne, light grey or black, all finished in a semi-gloss sunray pattern. Yes, we know it looks a bit like the sort of watch your grandpa might have worn in the ’50s – but it’s certainly elegant.

And it could be just what you’ll need to complete your period outfit for this year’s Goodwood Revival.

Vulcain Grand Prix, from £1100. vulcain.ch

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Breitling launched the Top Time in 1964 as a more affordable line to attract younger buyers. The name was resurrected four years ago and has since been used on models made in collaboration with motorcycle lifestyle brand Deus ex Machina and British bike builder Triumph. This Top Time, however, celebrates the original Ford Mustang (which also launched in 1964) and is one of a series of three designs inspired by muscle cars of the era, the others being the Shelby Cobra and Corvette Sting Ray.

Breitling Top Time Ford Mustang, £6600. breitling.com

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The new RW 1895 Heritage Chronograph harks back to another 1960s model, the Aquaplunge. As the name suggests, that was a water-resistant chronograph and this is an updated version. A bezel with red detail makes for a racy look and works with an inner tachymeter scale for speed and distance calculations. Behind the dial you’ll find a meca-quartz movement that uses battery power for the main timing functions and a mechanical module for the chronograph. Just 500 of the strap option and 500 on bracelets will be made.

Rotary RW 1895 Heritage Chronograph, from £269. rotarywatches.com

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Precision is written by renowned luxury goods specialist Simon de Burton