Elegant Swiss aluminium open faced lever watch Circa 1946

Aluminium ultralight watch by Vacheron & Constantin
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An ultralight and elegant Swiss aluminium open faced lever pocket watch, circa 1946. Aluminium bridge movement, a lever escapement and screw compensation balance. Plain brushed case, an engraved dedication on the back Presented to Ward Van Alstyne by Alumium Ltd. 1946. Silver plated dial with Arabic hours, an outer minute track, sunk subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock and Breguet moon hands. Dial signed, case and movement signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 44 mm
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Weight: 21 g
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Signed: Vacheron & Constantin Genève Swiss
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An aluminium timepiece weighing just over 20 g. as a thoughtful gift to a longtime employee of the Northern Aluminium Company Ltd.
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The aluminium watches from Vacheron & Constantin were not allowed to go on sale. They were reserved exclusively for an aluminium factory in Canada. Production was 30 pieces in the 1930s and 500 pieces until the early 1950s.
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The Northern Aluminium Company Ltd. was founded in Canada in 1902 as a subsidiary of the Pittsburgh Reduction Company. In 1925, the company changed its name to Aluminium of Canada, later to Alcon, under which name it still produces today.
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Vacheron Constantin SA is a highly regarded Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer founded in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron. It is one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world in continuous operation since its foundation. Jean-Marc Vacheron was an independent watchmaker in Geneva, Switzerland. At the age of 24, he signed on his first apprentice, thus founding a business by clarifying his intention to pass on his skills. In 1770 the company created the world’s first horological complication and nine years later it designed the first engine-turned dials.

The son of Jean-Marc Vacheron, Abraham Vacheron (1760-1843) took over the family business in 1785. In 1810, Jacques Barthélemi Vacheron (1787-1864), the grandson of the founder, became the head of the company. He was the first to initiate the company’s exports to France and Italy. Later, Jacques-Barthélemy realized that he needed a partner to travel overseas and sell the company’s products. Therefore, in 1819, François Constantin became his associate. The company continued its activities under the name Vacheron & Constantin. Both men shared the same interest in sophisticated and complicated watches. François Constantin had a keen eye for business, opening several new markets during three decades of travelling for the company. On July 5, 1819, he wrote to Jacques Barthélémi Vacheron from Turin. In his letter the phrase that became the company’s motto: “Do better if possible and that is always possible.”

In 1833, Vacheron and Constantin hired Georges-Auguste Leschot to supervise the manufacturing operations. Leschot was an inventor and his creations turned out to be a success for the company. His inventions had a significant impact on the watchmaking industry in general. He was the first person to standardize watch movements into calibres. In 1844, Leschot was awarded a gold medal from the Arts Society of Geneva, which highly appreciated his pantographic device, a device that was able to mechanically engrave small watch parts and dials.

After François Constantin died in 1854 and Jacques-Barthélemy Vacheron’s death in 1863, the company was taken over by a series of heirs. In 1862, the company became a member of the Association for Research into non-magnetic materials. Vacheron & Constantin, Fabricants, Genève became the official name of the company in 1877. In 1880, the company started using the Maltese cross as its symbol until today. This was inspired by a component of the barrel, which had a cross-shape and was used for limiting the tension within the mainspring. In 1887, Vacheron & Constantin was reorganized into a joint-stock company. The first Vacheron & Constantin boutique in Geneva was opened in 1906. During the Great Depression, the company found itself in a difficult situation. In 1936, Charles Constantin became the head of the company, for the first time since the 1850s a representative from the Constantin family became the president of Vacheron & Constantin. However, in 1940, Georges Ketterer acquired the majority portion of the stock of Vacheron & Constantin from Charles Constantin. George Ketterer died in 1969, and his son, Jacques Ketterer, succeeded as the head of Vacheron & Constantin. In 1970, the company officially changed its name to Vacheron Constantin. The company was affected by the quartz crisis during the 1970s and 1980s. When Jacques Ketterer died in 1987, Vacheron Constantin changed hands. Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani the former Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia and eager watch collector, became the company’s majority shareholder. Since 1996, it has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group. In 2004, Vacheron Constantin opened its new headquarters and manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva.