This Retro Diver-Chronograph Gets an Eye-Catching Dial Update

Vulcain is one of the Quartz Crisis victims from the 1970s and early 1980s that received a second life in the 21st century after new owners bought the IP and rebooted the brand.

The Swiss watchmaker was founded in 1853 and provided a rich archive to work with when production started up again in 2002.

Vulcain

Vulcain 2.0 made a splash with the vintage watch crowd by reproducing long-sought-after models like the Skindiver Nautique, Cricket and Grand Prix.

Then, in early 2025, the new owners made the brilliant move of digging up a design from Vulcain’s archive that looked promising but never made it to production. Better still, it was a variation of one of the brand’s most successful watches.

Vulcain

The Skindiver Chronograph debuted with two dial colors, black and silver. Both options were pure gold to any fan of sporty tool watches from the 1960s, but there was still room for improvement.

The watch that never was

If the Skindiver Chronograph looks like a perfectly preserved vintage watch from the late 1960s, that’s because it kind of is, at least on paper.

Vulcain

When Guillaume Laidet, who oversees production for Vulcain, Nivada and SpaceOne, got creative control of the brand in 2002, he dug into an extensive design catalog.

Using original plans, and incorporating a well-respected ETA caliber 7753 automatic movement, Guillaume and his team brought the Skindiver Chronograph to life after decades on the drawing board and in the closet.

Vulcain

Less than six months later, the Skindiver Chronograph line is expanding with two limited edition references. Along with the Saumon dial, there is a gray Meteorite textured dial.

Both new limited edition references replace the engraved steel case back of the regular production models with an exhibition case back to show off the custom-decorated movement.

Dive time

The Skindiver Chronograph isn’t just a beautiful 1960s-style tool watch; it is also a useful chronograph equipped with rare dial features.

Vulcain

Unlike traditional chronographs, which are designed for motorsports and athletics, the 30-minute totalizer at three o’clock is formatted for diving. The first nine-minute segment is broken into three-minute sections, with the first being blocked off with a distinct color.

The dial’s outer rim has a tachymeter, which is a standard issue, but placed inside of that is a relic of twentieth-century analog time measurement. A decimal track, which breaks a minute into 100 segments, allows for complex measurements rarely done by hand anymore.

Vulcain

Vulcain nailed the vintage look of the Skindiver Chronograph with the first two dials. While some of that 1960s sporty tool watch aesthetic is lost with the new Saumon dial, it is more than made up for in overall beauty.

The Skindiver Chronograph Saumon has all of the fun features of its predecessors, with a much more eye-catching dial that will never go out of style.

Availability and pricing

The Vulcain Skindiver Chronograph Saumon will be available from Vulcain on July 3 for $2,850.

Additionally, the Meteorite dial launches on the same day for $3,180.

Both watches are limited editions of 100 pieces each.

Vulcain

Vulcain Skindiver Chronograph Saumon

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	ETA caliber 7753 automatic
Water Resistance	200m

• $3,140 at Vulcain

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