Swiss Staybrite stainless steel open faced dress watch Circa 1960

Stainless steel keyless watch with gold details
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A Swiss stainless steel and yellow gold open faced pocket watch made by Vacheron & Constantin in Geneva, circa 1960. This watch features a mechanical movement with Geneva striping decoration and lever escapement. It has a two tone silvered dial with Roman and baton hour indexes, an outer minute track, subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock and gold hands. The polished case is complemented by a yellow gold crown and snap on back. The case, dial and movement are all signed.
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Diameter: 46 mm
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Signed: Vacheron & Constantin Genève Swiss
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The case is generally in good condition with surface scratches, scuffing, and wear throughout. There is a minor ding between 11 and 12 o’clock. Spotting is present throughout the entire dial, most noticeable along the outermost perimeter. Some losses to the dial are near the centre arbour and outer track of the sub dial and inner sub dial. Light dust is present throughout. The hands have surface scratches. The movement is running.
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Staybrite is the name of a steel alloy containing 0.2% carbon, 18% chromium and 8% nickel. It is a stainless material that takes a fine polish and is therefore often used for making watch cases. It is probably the stainless steel that has been most widely used by watch companies, from the 1930s onwards.