Who made the case for this 1937 Longines?

ropercider · Jul 12, 2026

I was hoping someone might know who made the stainless steel case for this watch.
Staybrite was the trademark of Sheffield steelmakers Thomas Firth & Sons and referred to the specific stainless steel used in the case. I understand at the time very few companies were capable of making watch cases in stainless steel. Someone must have patented the Three Notch design, it wasn't just used by Longines.
Any thoughts or information would be appreciated.

regards Harvey

gatorcpa · Jul 12, 2026

R ropercider
I was hoping someone might know who made the stainless steel case for this watch.

The “Staybrite” name appears on many steel Swiss watch cases from the 1930’s. It appears that Firth’s firm used an affiliate in Zurich to license the alloy to Swiss case makers.

Longines was noted for producing double branded watches, especially prior to WWII. Pay them enough, and you could have your company’s name on the movement, too.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa

Radiumpassion · Jul 12, 2026

https://longinesicons.com/the-longines-reference-4974/

Som good info here.

ropercider · Jul 12, 2026

Thanks for all the help and useful information. It would appear the case was made by“Fabrique de Boites La Centrale”, in Bienne but there is no evidence they held the patent for the three notch design.