Hands-On with the Vuclain Skindiver Nautique

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Vulcain Skindiver Nautique

The Vulcain Skindiver Nautique has been out for at least a year or two now, and these days there are quite a few variations, but earlier this year the Swiss brand released a vintage-style bracelet that, in my opinion, is a game changer. This 38mm retro diver is akin to the Oris Divers Sixty-Five. Both are very vintage-inspired by their own historic models, and both use vintage aesthetics but are made with modern manufacturing and materials. The Vulcain Skindiver can now be had in bronze, in a gold-plated version. Quite a few dial color and texture options, but this vertical brushed blue dial in stainless steel with this new bracelet is stunning in my opinion, and while the $1,920 price tag is not cheap, the design, finishing, and quality more than live up to the price.

Specifications

• 38mm Stainless Steel Case

• 140 Grams (On Bracelet)

• 20mm Lugs

• 44mm Lug to Lug

• 12 mm thick, including crystal

• 9.6mm case back to the top of the bezel

• 6.3mm screw-down crown

• Bracelet tapers from 20mm to 16mm

• Clasp is 20mm

• Water Resistance 200m/660f

• Double Domed Sapphire Crystal 

• ETA 2824 Automatic movement

Price $1920 as reviewed 

https://vulcain.ch/collections/skindiver-nautique

Many have probably seen reviews of the Vulcain Skindiver Nautique by now, or you own one yourself, but this is my first time with the reborn Swiss Brand. I mention this in the video but the brand has been helped by Guillaume Laidet, who is behind the ressureciton of Excelsior Park and Nivada Grenchen. These 3 brands are all making new versions of their original models, and while I have not got my hands on an EP yet, I have had quite a few Nivada pieces that I have reviewed, and while they are a nice watch, I feel the Vulcain is on another level.

The main reason for that just comes down to the fine details, the machining, and the level of finishing. Quite frankly, I didn’t know exactly what to expect, and after some brief handling of a gold-plated Vulcian Nautique Skin Diver (that just wasn’t my style at all), I was concerned this wasn’t really going to wow me. I could not have been more wrong. From the vertical brushed blue dial, which can change from dark blue or more of a denim jean blue depending on the lighting, the double-domed crystal, the clean dial, polished hands, and the case finishing, not to mention this new bracelet, I started to fall in love.

While a combination of mostly brushed with highly polished accents is nothing new, it’s the level of finishing on this piece that makes it stand out. The chamfers of high polish are subtle, just enough to sparkle in the light without being blingy, and the bezel edge and crown match in finish. But the real highlight here is the satin brushing on the top and case sides. While you would expect this level of finishing on a watch that costs almost $2,000, sadly, that is not always the case. This watch is well made and finished from almost every angle, and more so than a lot of watches at the same price.

The Vulcain Skindiver Nautique comes in quite a few dial colors these days, from black to orange and even purple, and there were some limited editions or collaboration variations that are no longer available, but as good as they all looked, I chose this vertical brushed blue dial, as I haven’t seen a vertical brushed dial yet that I didn’t like. Vulcain added another version recently as well, with the blue and black dials getting a white lume variation instead of the brown khaki lume as they refer to it, and I was hoping that was the one that would be sent, but I got the original version instead, and I am glad I did. While the vintage lume isn’t always my thing, it works well with this dial, the blue color, and the contrast of the white on the bezel.

Because of the double-domed sapphire, which mimics an acrylic or plexiglass crystal from the olden days, the blue dial can look like a gradient dial at times, as shown above. But if you take a look under harsh lighting as seen below, the dial is the same hue throughout. And while these are printed markers as opposed to applied, you can see how well the printing is done on lume and markers underneath, as well as the lumed inset into the polished steel hands. It’s a gorgeous and, of course, very vintage-looking dial, harkening back to the ones of the 60s.

And not to discount the rest of the watch or specs, as this piece does have a nice solid crown that can feel a little sticky at times, probably due to the ETA 2824 and the crown stem, but that’s not uncommon, and a very solid 120-click bezel with a ceramic insert that moves smoothly and stays in place. More on the bezel shortly, though. And the case back is nicely engraved, nothing overly special, but I do like a nice solid case back, and this is one. But the big highlight is the new bracelet.

Oh, that bracelet. It took a while for this Vulcain Skindiver Nautique on the bracelet to get to me. When they first announced it in early summer, it wasn’t available yet, and when they finally had it available, the workers went on a two-week holiday, and the order was put in just before that. So, after all that time, a lot of emails, and waiting to see this piece, but mainly the bracelet, how is it? One word. FANTASTIC. There is a lot to unpack here. This is a very retro-looking bracelet, a bracelet style that wouldn’t have been uncommon in the late 60s or 70s, but I will note I could not find images of the vintage reference, even though it says on the Vulcain website that this is a re-edition of sorts.

So while I couldn’t find a vintage one, this feels vintage to me, very vintage. The links are long, they are chamfered or almost faceted, with the slightest amount of high polish on the inside edge of the links. It uses screws, so very easy to size, and it has quite a large taper, from 20mm down to 16mm, with a 20mm clasp. And the end links are a perfect fit, and you just don’t see end links like these regularly. It’s a large one-piece end link, and one male link from the bracelet that connects to the end link, so it doesn’t extend outwards, making it wear longer on the wrist.

Then there is this clasp. I didn’t realize until I got this Vulcain Skindiver Nautique that the clasp had a little surprise. I knew it was quite a chunky clasp, and it looked fantastic with the mix of satin brushing and high polish, and those prominent round buttons. But I assumed it just had your traditional micro-adjust holes on the inside, hidden holes, if you will. I was wrong. This vintage-looking clasp that looks like it belongs on a watch at a much higher price point has the on-the-fly micro-adjust extension, and one that works really, really well.

I know what you are thinking. These micro-adjust push-button deals are on lots of watches these days, including many microbrands. And you would be correct. But I will tell you, all are not created equal, and while they are all functional and allow you to adjust to get that perfect fit, some are better than others. This one is better than most, at least in my example. It just glides very smoothly, the button is easy to press, and nothing feels rough or janky on it at all. This clasp looks great on the wrist, as you can see below.

Yet this is a small watch for my tastes and my 7 1/2 inch (19.0cm) wrist. It’s 38mm, with a slim bracelet. That is all true. But as I have always said, specs on paper do not tell the whole story. Would I prefer this to be 40mm with less of a taper to the bracelet? Absolutely. Is it more wearable compared to most 38mm watches I have worn or reviewed? Yes. This watch does not feel like a 38mm; I wouldn’t say it exactly fits or wears like a 40mm, but it doesn’t feel tiny like the Vero I recently reviewed. It is also extremely comfortable with this bracelet. Not sure how a bracelet that looks like a large watch bangle is so damn comfortable, but trust me, it is.

The one area I do take a little issue with is the lume. Not the lume on the dial or the hands, which is more than sufficient, especially for smaller hands and small dot-printed indices. No, that glows just fine. The bezel, on the other hand, has no lume. And that’s odd to me. I wasn’t looking for a fully lumed bezel, that would be out of place on a vintage-style piece like this anyway, but the triangle should be lumed and is an oversight in my opinion.

I am undoubtedly a big fan of the Vulcain Skindiver Nautique. I have no qualms in saying I would still prefer it to be 40mm and have less of a taper to the bracelet, and I am hoping version 2 at some point would have a lumed bezel triangle, but it’s built like a $2000 watch should be, has fantastic finishing, looks great at every angle, and the new bracelet is a game changer. As I don’t tell people what to buy, I won’t say you need to grab this. That’s not my style, and who am I to tell someone that? I will say if you have been on the fence, if you were waiting for a bracelet or cross-shopping between this and an Oris 65, in my opinion, this is the better way to go. Again, though, that is just my opinion. If you want to see more, check out the Vuclain Website and, of course, the video review above.