Fine Swiss stainless steel open faced keyless lever Circa 1940

Stainless steel dress watch
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A fine and rare, elegant Swiss Staybrite stainless steel open faced keyless dress watch made by Vacheron & Constantin in Geneva, circa 1940. Mechanical movement with 18 jewels, a bimetallic compensation balance, wolf’s tooth winding, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance adjusted to temperature and five positions, blued steel Breguet balance spring and an index regulator. Polished case with an inclined stepped bezel and rectangular bow. Two tone silvered sector dial with applied silver baton and Arabic hour indexes, an outer minute track, subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock and silver hands. Dial and movement signed.
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Diameter: 47 mm
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Signed: Vacheron & Constantin Genève Swiss
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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 type of stainless steel that has been most widely used by watch companies, from the 1930s onwards.