# Stainless Steel For Watch Cases



## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Linking this to topics on the corrosion found in vintage chromed cases, I was wondering does anyone know when the first entire watch case was made from SS?

I'm guessing it was used just for watch backs since the early 1950s - on account of the allergenic property of nickel, which used to be the natural choice for cases (presumably because it's so easy to plate). All my vintages have SS backs, except for one solitary Rotopower with it's SS case. I think this watch dates from c.1962 and it might be one of the earliest examples of 100% SS?

The other thing is why didn't they use it more widely earlier? I know it was the Germans who invented it around the time of WW2, and that the secret was lost for a while after the war, and so it had to be 'rediscovered'. When it was eventually rediscovered, was it too expensive to be used for the whole watch case?

So I'm asking does anyone know the history of SS, and why and when did it became cheap enough to be used virtually for 100% of watches by the time the late 1960s came along?

Just wondering, being a bit of a history buff..


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## bjohnson (Oct 2, 2007)

I beleive I've seen it on as early as late 1930s watches.

I know I've seen it labelled "Staybrite" before it became generically known as stainless steel


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

bjohnson said:


> I beleive I've seen it on as early as late 1930s watches.
> 
> I know I've seen it labelled "Staybrite" before it became generically known as stainless steel


Checking on Wiki, it seems SS has been around for quite a while before WW2. I guess it must have been a cost thing why watch cases weren't using it sooner?

Nevertheless, let's have a competition to see who's got the earliest example, picture evidence required. Anyone up for it? I'll kick off with c.1962...


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## trim (Sep 23, 2010)

Well.... there was a commercial reason Roamer didn't use full Stainless steel cases until the mid 1950s - but certainly other brands used full SS cases in the early 1940s (Some ATP mil watches), and probably earlier, but I don't have an example leap to mind.

In terms of Roamer, I think the oldest I have would be mid to late 1950s with a 372 or an MST 420. I'll see what I can dig up.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

trim said:


> Well.... there was a commercial reason Roamer didn't use full Stainless steel cases until the mid 1950s - but certainly other brands used full SS cases in the early 1940s (Some ATP mil watches), and probably earlier, but I don't have an example leap to mind.
> 
> In terms of Roamer, I think the oldest I have would be mid to late 1950s with a 372 or an MST 420. I'll see what I can dig up.


Trumps my 1962 by a good margin. Interesting what you say about military watches, I was thinking there must be an early SS Rolex out there somewhere?


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

My older relatives (when they were still alive), had the opinion that if you were going to buy an expensive watch, you bought gold. Otherwise, you purchased plated base metal. The war caused many changes. Engineers, technicians and military personal gained a great deal of experience with somewhat exotic and/or new alloys. The war bore the brunt of the expense of training and tooling up for working with stainless steel. The post-war manufacturing boom coupled with younger consumers waiting for flying cars and jetpacks, made selling the still more expensive SS far easier.

My point, convoluted as it is, is that the names we recognize today (Rolex, Omega, etc.) would have started using stainless for production of certain models in the period from 1947 to 1950. This is not including wartime production of certain models and pre-war purpose built specialties. I suspect though, if we asked all of the big outfits who had the first mass production use of SS, they all would claim that honour. 

Later,

William


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

William_Wilson said:


> ..My point, convoluted as it is, is that the names we recognize today (Rolex, Omega, etc.) would have started using stainless for production of certain models in the period from 1947 to 1950. ... I suspect though, if we asked all of the big outfits who had the first mass production use of SS, they all would claim that honour.


I'll go along with at, William. So, 'proof of the pudding..etc', I'm waiting with baited breath for the first photos to come flooding in...


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## bjohnson (Oct 2, 2007)

I don't have one that can be positively ID'd to a specific year (few brands can be dated that closely) and we're not allowed to link to other sites so it will be up to you to google "watch staybrite" to find examples from the 1930s

Or google "The Metallurgical Evolution of Staybrite Alloys for Watch Case Applications" to find a pdf for some history from the metal producer's perspective. It notes that Staybrite "was introduced in the early 1920s" and was "proposed to Swiss watch makers for use in watchcases and bracelets"


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## trim (Sep 23, 2010)

Certainly the 1930s Panarei's produced by Rolex were stainless steel.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

bjohnson said:


> ..It notes that Staybrite "was introduced in the early 1920s" and was "proposed to Swiss watch makers for use in watchcases and bracelets"


Cheers, that's very interesting indeed, but when did they follow through?


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Digging around. Omega's only listed "Staybrite". 










* 30 mm*

* Gents' leather strap*


Dimensions: Ã˜37, 5 mm


* Reference*
CK 2097


* International collection*

1940


* Movement*

Type: Manual winding (mechanical)

Caliber number: 30

Created in 1939
15 or 17 jewels


* Case*

Stainless steel "staybrite"

Dimensions: Ã˜37, 5 mm


* Case back*

Press-in

Created in 1939
15 or 17 jewels


* Dial*

Different types available

 
* This watch may have existed with different dials.*


* Crystal*
Hesalite


* Bracelet*
Leather


* Water resistance*
No

 
* More product information*
Case : round (37,5 mm diameter), "staybrite" stainless steel
For leather straps or 20 mm lug-size
International Collection : 1940
Swiss retail price (1940) : CHF 61.-
Also available in 14K solid gold (OJ 2097, CHF 225.- or OK 2097, CHF 210.-) or in 18K solid gold (OT 2097, CHF 280.- or OU 2097, CHF 260.-).


Later,

William


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

William_Wilson said:


> Digging around. Omega's only listed "Staybrite".


That's a very 'modern' looking watch for 70 years ago, looks remarkably like the current De Ville - or have I got that the wrong way round!

I wonder who's actually got one?


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Roamer Man said:


> William_Wilson said:
> 
> 
> > Digging around. Omega's only listed "Staybrite".
> ...


That I don't know. :lol:

Doing some further hunting on Omega's website, I found 35 stainless models listed from 1929-1938. Some of these were variations on similar watches.

Their website listed 74 Stainless models from 1939-1945. Many of these were military models, with sevceral variations. Most (perhaps all) of the civilian models seemed to share features with the military models.

For the sake of comparison, I tried to do a count of non stainless watches dating from 1929-1945. I couldn't find a search option for plated base metal case materials and the results for gold watches were far from complete. The Omega site points out the gaps in their listings and the results I came up with seem to back this up. We certainly know Omega did work with stailess, we just can't reach a conclusion as to what the ratio was.

Later,

William


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

This is what comes up as the oldest stainless steel watch on Omega's website:










* - Other -*

* Gents' leather strap*



* Reference*
CK 805


* International collection*

1929


* Movement*

Type: Manual winding (mechanical)

Caliber number: 26,5

Flat
Created in 1926
15 jewels


* Case*

Stainless steel


* Case back*

Press-in

Flat
Created in 1926
15 jewels


* Dial*

Different types

 
* This watch may have existed with different dials.*


* Crystal*
Not available


* Bracelet*
Leather


* Water resistance*
No

 
* More product information*
Case : rounded square (approx. 30 mm diameter), with "ribbed" bezel.
For leather straps of 18 mm lug-size
International Collection : 1929-1933
Swiss retail price (1933) : CHF 65.-
Also available in chromium-plated nickel (MG 805, CHF 80.-).


Later,

William


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## trim (Sep 23, 2010)

Well, since we should be putting up photos of ones we own...

I think my two oldest are

1940 Omega 26.5T3












Roamer Man said:


> William_Wilson said:
> 
> 
> > Digging around. Omega's only listed "Staybrite".
> ...


Well, me - but with a dial variation - 1942 Omega 30T2


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

trim said:


>


Have those lugs been drilled or is that just a nick?

Later,

William


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## trim (Sep 23, 2010)

William_Wilson said:


> trim said:
> 
> 
> >
> ...


Actually a different case ref - this one has (factory) drilled lugs and is a few mm smaller in diameter, same period and style though.


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