The Curious Case of the Cricket - Or the Importance of Being Earnest

Or the importance of being earnest.

Regular readers of the "Blog Formerly Known As Tempus Fugit" can attest that I am, indeed, a serious fan of the Vulcain Cricket. I have owned four over the years, 2 vintage which were passed on to other owners, and two modern versions. The one above my most recent addition. The one below is one of the Ditisheim / Paajanen Crickets in stainless steel -

But my interest goes well beyond the watches. I am also interested in the history of the brand.

I have visited the former factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds (above), as well as the current one in Le Locle (below).

And I have met the two most pivotal figures in the history of the Watch of the Presidents, Michel Ditisheim -

And Keijo Paananen -

And I, like many people who cover Watch Town was very excited to learn that there were new models coming out. And that's when things got weird.

For quite some time, Vulcain and Anonimo have been joined at the hip owing to the purchase of each by an owner who spends the majority of his time in Luxembourg. If my admittedly sometimes foggy memory serves there has been a bit of a musical chairs at the top level. Most recently Carla Duarte was at the tiller -

She stepped away last autumn, and since then there has been no clear signal as to who would be stepping in to run things. Prior to Ms. Duarte there was Aldo Magada. Now even more curious to relate was that during Ms. Duarte's tenure, a brand consultant was brought in by (assumedly) the owners. There was quite a bit of buzz, but it seems that perhaps sales were not as robust as hoped for. I can only base this the two models that Vulcain partnered with Revolution / The Rake on. The first selection was a limited series of 4 pieces with 25 available in each execution (2 versions in 36 mm, 2 versions in 39 mm). These have been in the market place for over a year now, and if the Revolution store front is anything to go by, they have not sold through. The same goes for the second version that was launched in May of last year, and again, if the Revolution store site is a barometer, it seems that as of this writing, there have not been 50 customers. 

And so now we find ourselves in February of 2024. To the best of my understanding there has not been a new appointment at the CEO level.

One last odd development - a limited edition collector's Cricket paying homage to a member of one of the founding families - The tribute to "André Didixein" -

https://vulcain.ch/products/vulcain-cricket-didixein

I thought it was sort of intriguing and was happy to see that there was finally some  in the family behind the brand, as I count one of the last surviving members from the original Vulcain as a friend - Michel Ditisheim. He is still alive and well and living within minutes (admittedly by driving) of the current Vulcain HQ. I wonder if anyone working on the project reached out to him?

Here's the thing. I know that nothing lasts forever. Things change, brands change hands, employees, managers, CEOs - even owners, come and go. The only certainty is change. With that being said, I would encourage whoever emerges at the top of Vulcain to reach out to the people who know the history, who know the brand background and can help them truly connect the past to the future. 

But that's just one fan's opinion ; )

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 -

A Vulcain Cricket President's Day

Okay, this has run before in various iterations, but as it is President's Day here in the "Land of the Free" I thought I'd re-heat this one a bit for you.

Now while it is true that president's have had various watches of note, it is, in fact, the Vulcain Cricket that has gotten the most "mileage" in terms of the number of US President's who have received and worn them.  This tradition started back before many of you readers were born.  President Johnson was presented one, and got so "wound - up" that he dispatched staffers to scour watch stores for Vulcan Cricket watches so that he could present them as gifts.

Vulcain, like so many other watch brands, bet big on The River card back in the late sixties/early seventies and got, well, "Rivered".  Per Wikipedia (as this is a lot cleaner than the Urban Dictionary):

river

The river or river card is the final card dealt in a poker hand, to be followed by a final round of betting and, if necessary, a showdown. In Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold'em, the river is the fifth and last card to be dealt to the community card board, after the flop and turn. A player losing the pot due only to the river card is said to have been rivered.

But time heals all wounds and Vulcain was brought back to life not by a fund manager or wealthy hedge fund in the UAE.  No, it was a small family jewelry store in Helsinki Finland.  They worked with Revue Thommen to create a new version of the Vulcan Cricket -

This one is mine ; )

So this President's day, let's take a look back -

Keijo Paajanen and his family brought Vulcan back and the tradition of presenting a Vulcan Cricket to US Presidents and others was re-born.  Here's a few excerpts from the Q & A with Mr. Paajanen -

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.

Well, time has since moved on, the Paajanen's are no longer in the jewelry business, but Keijo is kind enough to stay in touch and share stories about what were for me the glory days of Vulcain.

Vulcain - MIA

"We are reorganizing..."

How often do I get email messages like this?  Quite often, actually.

In the case of Vulcain, I have NOT received such a message, but the word around the campfire is that this is what is happening at Vulcain behind the scenes right now.

Following and appreciating the "reborn" Vulcain is not unlike being a Cleveland Indians fan (for those of you in England, it is not unlike supporting the England world cup squads).  So much potential, always on the verge, and always "bottling out" in the end.

I can already hear the consultants and "brand experts" around the tables now:

"We need to re-position in the luxury sector"

"We need celebrity ambassadors"

"We need ...."

And in all honesty, it is clear that they have had NO IDEA of what they needed to do or how to do it.  Nor have their partners.

What's wrong with Vulcain?

Very simple, a lack of understanding of WHAT Vulcain is, and WHO the Vulcain customer is.


Make it simple:
Mechanical Alarm Watches
Watch of the Presidents
Realistic Pricing - PUNCH YOUR WEIGHT!  Sell thousands of reasonably priced watches, instead of NOT selling very many over priced watches at all,  grey market not withstanding.


Vulcain, I WANT to have faith.  Finger's crossed that the third time's the charm.  I am pulling for you!

What I want -

For those of you who read my post about Vulcain in Finland (i.e. prior to the recent relaunch), I have now found the NEW Vulcain that is at the top of my wish list -

Courtesy of Vulcain

This is the Vulcain 50s Presidents’ Watch Heritage Gold & Steel.  This is as close as I have seen to that watch that teased, taunted and tormented me back in Helsinki.  I have started saving my pennies!


Some details if you're interested -

Caliber Vulcain Cricket V-10

Technical characteristics:12-lignes mechanical hand-wound alarm caliber, 17
rubies, 157 parts, double barrel, equiped with the Exactomatic
system, lift angle 48°

Dimensions diameter 28mm, height 5.6mm

Frequency18,000 vibrations per hour

Power reserve42 hours

Alarm lasting15 to 20 seconds

Movement: Cricket Calibre V-10

Functions: hour, minute, centre seconds, 20-second alarm lasting

Case: two-tone 18K rose gold/steel, 39 mm in diameter, sapphire caseback revealing the stylised "V" for Vulcain

Water Resistance: 50 meters / 160 feet

Strap/Bracelet: alligator leather

Read all about it  -

www.vulcain-watches.ch/