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Vulcain Automatic Dive Watch, 1970s — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Vulcain Automatic Dive Watch, 1970s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Vulcain (maker)
Date
1970s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
VLCDW
Credit line
Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (VLCDW)
Catalogue title (original)
1970s Vulcain Automatic Dive Watch (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number VLCDW), this is a wristwatch by Vulcain, made in Switzerland, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

The Vulcain brand has somehow remained an insider's-only brand despite its well-respected and celebrated nature within the world of horology. Of course, most people associate Vulcain as being one of the very first producers of the alarm watch, the Cricket, which also happens to be the watch worn by almost every President since Truman. However, Vulcain created a large variety of timepieces ranging from diving watches to chronographs, all of which with an aesthetic that is unique to the brand and feature high levels of craftsmanship. SPECS Stock # VLCDW Brand Vulcain Style Diver Model N/A Serial N/A Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Matte Black Millimeters 37 Strap 2pc Handmade Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The charming and attractive skin-diver style mid-case is exceptionally well-preserved and appears to remain unpolished with crisp edges and factory finishing present throughout. The case exhibits very gentle signs of use. The stainless steel rotating diving bezel is in excellent condition and retains its black enamel, the pearl has been refilled with luminova and retains a charge in the dark. The case retains its orignial unsigned crown. The case back retains appears to have been gently polished in the past and retains its Vulcain medallion and factroy engravings in crisp and deep condition. The watch comes supplied on a 2pc handmade leather strap. DIAL & HANDS The orignal matte black dial dial is very reminiscent of a Speedmaster dial of the same era, featuring an almost identical 12 o'clock lumed marker. The dial itself is virtually flawless, showing no damage or visible elements of age. The tritium lume plots have achieved a lovely creamy-ivory patina and exhibit no degradation when inspected under UV light. The original tritium hands match the dial perfectly, under UV light inspection the hour hand shows some nominal cracking and remains stable while the minute hand is fully intact. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is keeping time, but the service history is unknown. A movement service can be provided upon request.

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Dive and water-resistant watches

Keeping water and dust out of a wristwatch was a long-standing challenge. Rolex's screw-down Oyster case (1926) and Omega's Marine (1932) were landmarks; in the early 1950s Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms and Rolex's Submariner defined the professional dive watch with rotating bezels for timing dives, luminous dials and high water resistance. The ISO 6425 standard (1982) later codified what a 'diver's watch' must do.

Dive watches became icons of post-war design and exploration, and their evolution — helium escape valves, ceramic bezels, saturation-diving depth ratings — records the history of underwater work.

What to look for

  • Unidirectional or bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markings.
  • Screw-down crown and case back; depth rating printed on the dial.
  • Luminous hands and markers (radium before c. 1960, tritium c. 1960–1998, then Super-LumiNova).
  • Reference numbers on the case between the lugs or inside the back.

Dating clues

  • Screw-down Oyster cases: from 1926.
  • Professional dive watches: from 1953.
  • Tritium 'T' marks on dials: c. 1960–1998.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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