Repeat - Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev - Vulcain Cricket Owner

When we think about the Vulcain Cricket, one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is that it is considered the "Watch of the Presidents" (of the USA). In the process of updating my book on the Vulcain Cricket and the Presidents of the US, I came across this story that I shared over a year ago in a different outlet, and thought that I'd reheat it here -

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev - Vulcain Cricket Owner

With the passing of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev the last remaining link between the Watch of the Presidents and the leader of the Soviet Union has gone with him.

Vulcain is, of course, well-known for its connection to US Presidents - particularly those who wore their Vulcain Crickets regularly - Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, and (then Vice) President Biden. 

As noted previously, the first US President to be presented a Vulcain Cricket directly from either Vulcain Switzerland or the Paajanen family in Helsinki, Finland was President Reagan. Curious to relate, just prior to that, a Vulcain Cricket found its way to the wrist of the leader of the Soviet Union. 

Credit Time Magazine International Edition

This first ran in the blog formerly known as Tempus Fugit on January 17, 2022 -

Yes watch fans, the Soviets beat the US to space with Sputnik, and Gorbachev beat any US President in being presented with a Vulcain Cricket, directly by Vulcain.

What has been missed, or simply assumed by most accounts of the Cricket and the US President connection was that the company had given the watches themselves. This was never the case up to this point. And it is quite intriguing that Michel Ditisheim, the son of the inventor of the Cricket would be the one to set up his father's invention on its second act on the world's geopolitical stage.

What Mr. Ditisheim explained to me was that the idea to give Mr. Gorbachev a Vulcain Cricket came about in what I often refer to as the "between time". 

This is the time when Vulcain had slowed down its production and became part of the  Manufactures d'Horlogerie Suisses Réunies SA, or MSR. This group was formed in 1961 and included Revue Thommen, Buser Freres,  Phenix, and later Marvin (in 1976).

Mr. Ditisheim with the help of Vulcain enthusiast (and member of the Swiss Federal Council) Pierre Aubert helped to arrange the  presentation of a Vulcain Cricket to the leader of the Soviet Union. The watch was delivered to the Kremlin in 1987, and then... nothing. Not a peep. Mr. Ditisheim could not have been blamed if he might have felt it was a failure as a PR plan. Three years passed, and  it wasn't until he went to his mailbox, and took out that week's copy of Time Magazine's International Edition (December 30, 1990, number 53) that he knew that the Vulcain Cricket had not only been successfully delivered, but had found its way onto Mr. Gorbachev's wrist! Vulcain never received any sort of acknowledgement or thank you. But there it was, the first ever Vulcain  Cricket presented to a sitting "president" by the brand itself, splashed large across the front cover of (at that time) one of the world's most important news magazines.

A Grand Day Out - Visiting Vulcain HQ in Le Locle Part 3

Any story about visiting Vulcain HQ would not be complete without a tour of what may be a pretty phenomenal museum in the not-too-distant future. 

Although there are administrative offices on the second (first) floor, and an atelier on the third (second) floor, there is a magnificent, sun soaked area on the first (ground) floor that will make an amazing, albeit small museum should Vulcain ever decide to create one -

Lots of light, lots of beautiful vitrines, and luckily, lots of treasures to display -

This is the same (not exact, but the same) Vulcain Cricket that was presented to President Barack Obama upon his election, and curious to relate? That was the very first Vulcain Cricket ever given as a gift to a United States President.

But beyond that, lots of fun pieces from the archives -

But the archives run far deeper than the past 50 years. The thing that gets lost in all of the (justifiable) buzz about the Cricket, is that Vulcain was a pretty significant producer even before back in the day -

And this includes some pretty esoteric pieces -

But a visit to the Vulcain HQ will also reveal quite a bit of history - some downright historical, and some relatively recent.

While it is certainly true that watch brands are fond of professional footballers (soccer players) and vice-versa, it is worth noting that back before it was a fashionable (or today, overdone) notion to partner with players or teams, Vulcain was one of the first to dip their toes in the partnership waters -

With Real Madrid (above) and Fiorentina 

(below) -

And continued on into more recent times partnering with a Grinnell College graduate from Chicago who opted to pursue music rather than electrical engineering.  

His name was Herbert.  

While we may always wonder what he might have contributed in terms of inventions and developments to improve our daily lives, I personally feel that the world is a much better place thanks to Head Hunters and Future Shock, and Herbie Hancock made the right career choice -

And a small bit of Henki lore - the idea for the Herbie Hancock partnership was born in a seafood restaurant in Beverly Hills, California back in 2011 with the (then) new distributor of Vulcain. I was having dinner with the new North American distributor Mark Wasserman who had just taken over Vulcain having formerly distributed Oris. Oris as you may know had done a slew of jazz musician partnerships, including one of Herbie Hancock's former bandleaders, the son of an East St. Louis dentist and Julliard drop-out, Miles Davis.

In terms of "Presidential" brand ambassadors, it is important to once again try to clarify some misinformation that has continued to swirl around the Vulcain Cricket and its relationship to the Commander in Chief. The Vulcain Cricket gifted to Barack Obama in 2010 was THE FIRST Vulcain Cricket gifted to a US President (sitting or former). 

In fact, it might surprise you to know that before Vulcain presented a Cricket (the Watch of the Presidents) to a US President, Vulcain actually presented a Cricket to the leader of the Soviet Union!  But that is a story that we will be picking up in the next installment of The Greatest Marketing Campaign That Never Was (a marketing campaign).  

Like all good things, my visit had to come to an end, but my nearly 24 year quest to compile a clear and accurate record of the Vulcain Cricket and its relationship with the Presidents of the United States continues. 

It has taken me from Helsinki Finland, to San Francisco, Basel Switzerland, on to Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, La Chaux-de-Fonds and finally to Le Locle.  But the quest continues, so please stay tuned!

And nearly 24 years later, our story will take us to Finland.

And I will introduce you to a family that with the help of the son of the inventor of the Vulcain Cricket reinvigorated the the legend of the Watch of the Presidents.

Until then - Tempus Fugit!

The Presidents and Henki

So just what does your old pal Henki have in common with Ford, Carter, Reagan, Gorbachev, Clinton, Bush, Obama and one Joe Biden?

I've got what I like to think of as the REAL President's Watch.  One of the Paajanen Vulcains.  These were the watches created and ordered by Keijo Paajanen's family in Helsinki to present to US presidents, present and past when they visited Finland.  I am sad to say that the Paajanen's are no longer in the watch and jewelry business, and that the last of these was most likely presented to Joe Biden on a state visit to Finland. 

The Paajanens represent what is good and right in the watch business, and their efforts to keep the Vulcain tradition alive should be remembered and appreciated by watch fans on this President's Day.

And let's hope that some deep pocketed financing Gigi sees the value in Vulcain, and hires Keijo Paajanen to help save it!


So below is a rerun, enjoy!


Being a day to think about presidents - both current and previous, it seems a good time to sharpen up some of the "lore" that surrounds the presidency and their watches.

So - despite what some of my colleagues at Hodinkee would share - which is 90% of the total, allow me to fill in the gaps - they left out some important points.

This story is from a previous posting in 2012.

A Real Brand Ambassador!

It seems that this is the age of the "Brand Ambassador" - generally someone very famous who has more money than God.  Someone who likes a "freebie" and gets paid an insane amount of money to accept a luxury gift.  Also, as we have sometimes seen, someone who then behaves in such a way that it truly embarrasses and shames the company that hired them.  Why is it, in this age of insane advertising budgets, that we do not see a true brand ambassador?  Someone that the company should well and truly be proud of?  

Well, today I got to speak with someone who I have come to believe is one of the few true brand ambassadors. Someone who represents the very best of the watch brand ambassador.  The man who with his father worked to revive and sustain a wonderful tradition, and helped ensure that Vulcain would remain The Watch of the Presidents.

So now, a few minutes with  Keijo Paajanen.

James Henderson - How is it that you and your family got involved with the Vulcain Cricket in the first place?

Keijo Paajanen - It was through a meeting we had with Mr. Michel Ditisheim in Switzerland.  He was the Director for MSR (Montres Suisse Reunion) and a shareholder for Revue Thommen S.A. 

It was actually his father Robert Ditisheim who originally created the Cricket!

JH - Helsinki, Finland is a long way from the US.  What was it that motivated your family to start presenting the Vulcain Cricket to US Presidents in the first place?

KP - As many watch historians and fans know, there was in the past a tradition of presenting a Vulcain Cricket to US Presidents.  We wanted the great story to continue and also because our family has always wanted to have good relations with the USA. My father and his family escaped from advancing Russians (Soviets) in 1939 (JH notes - this is the period of the Winter War).

JH - Who have you presented Vulcain Crickets to?

KP - To Ronald Reagan, George Bush (and same time Gorbachev), Gerald Ford (I personally met), Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter (I met also personally) and finally last year to Vice President Biden.

Keijo Paajanen presenting a Vulcain Cricket to Jimmy Carter

JH - Who was the most interesting President/Vice President you have presented a Vulcain watch to?

KP - That must be Jimmy Carter I met personally. He was such a nice person. I also met his lovely wife Rosalynn

JH - Do you now carry the current Vulcain collection?

KP - We did have some of the new pieces but at the moment no, we do not carry it.

JH - It seems that there is a great deal more to the Vulcain tradition than simply presenting a watch, you and your family have really acted as true ambassadors not just for the Vulcain Cricket, but for Finland as well.  

KP - It is our family tradition to present this very special Vulcain Cricket watch every time a US President or Vice President visits Finland.  The Vulcain Cricket is the watch of the Presidents.  The Cricket is also a Great Story.  It has been worn by Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.

We wanted this Great Story to continue, so in 1988 when President Ronald Reagan was in Finland we presented him a with a Cricket watch. 

In 1990 we presented a Cricket to President George Bush during the Helsinki Summit. (Actually we also presented a Cricket to Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev.  We never got a letter but you can see him wearing the watch on the cover of Time Magazine's International Issue  (December 31, 1990 number 53).

Courtesy of Time Magazine

In the summer of 1995 we presented a watch to President Gerald R. Ford while he was in Finland to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Accords.  I had great honor to meet him personally! 

Keijo Paajanen presenting a Vulcain Cricket to Gerald Ford

In 1997 we presented a Cricket to President Bill Clinton while he was in Helsinki.  A few months later we presented a Cricket to President Jimmy Carter, with him being the ninth President of the United States of America to wear the very same watch model.  I had the great honor of meeting President Carter and his lovely wife Rosalynn.  No wonder we call the Cricket the watch of the Presidents.

One important historical note is that Richard Nixon got his Vulcain Cricket while he was Vice President in 1955. He received his Cricket from the National Association of Watch and Clock Makers.

JH - And the tradition continues with Vice President Joe Biden?

KP - Yes.  And I feel it is time for me to provide some information concerning my gift to Vice President Biden since the PUBLIC FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT was released. I knew this was going to take place since I was contacted long time ago by  The Ethics Counsel of the  Office of the Vice President.

The watch (the particular model) given to Vice President Biden is from a stock my father kept (only a few pieces) for future presentations and this is why they are no longer in stock lists and therefore no longer for sale. My father passed away 2009.

And most recently, a Vulcain Cricket was presented to President Obama -

Love Overdue - Part Deux

So what do Joe Biden, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, and Mikhail Gorbachev and ME have in common?

Courtesy of Moi

Well, thanks to the efforts of participants in "Operation Cricket" I am now the very, very proud owner of what I refer to as the REAL President's Watch.  Allow me to explain…