Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Du Rhône, Oct 15, 2006

LOT 427

?Ref. 4072, Staybrite Two-Tone Dial? Vacheron & Constantin, Genève, No. 431481, case No. 273534, Ref. 4072. Made in 1943. Very fine and extremely rare, "Staybrite" gentleman's wristwatch with square button chronograph, register and tachometer and two-tone dial. Accompanied by the certificate of origin.

CHF 40,000 - 60,000

EUR 25,000 - 38,000 / USD 33,000 - 50,000

Sold: CHF 94,400

C. Three-body, polished and brushed, sloped bezel, concave lugs. D. Two-tone silver with applied white gold faceted ?baton? indexes, subsidiary seconds and 30-minute register dials, outer minutes and fifths of a second track with Arabic five minute/second numerals, outer tachometer graduation for 1 mile. White gold "baton" hands. M. Cal. 13??? 434 chronographe, rhodium-plated, "fausses côtes" decoration, 21 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, index regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 33 mm. Thickness 11.5 mm


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2

Very good
Dial: 2-23-01

Very good

Later

HANDS Original

Notes

This watch was recently fully overhauled by Vacheron Constantin. This sporty and dynamic watch in Staybrite, like certain Patek Philippe or Rolex sports watches, is one of the models Vacheron Constantin became famous for during the second third of the 20th century. Beautiful, masculine, and technically perfect, not only was it a commercial success at the time, but has long been appreciated by collectors, who consider it one of the ?immortals? of horological history.

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. Another example of this watch was sold by Antiquorum, "The Quarter Millennium of Vacheron Constantin", April 3, 2005, Lot 56.