A deck watch numbered 55077, by Vacheron & Constantin. It has a very well-finished jewelled movement with the regulator scale marked ‘A R’ and other inscriptions ‘VACHERON & CONSTANTIN’, ‘GENEVE’, ‘455046’ and ‘166’. There is a club-tooth lever escapement and a two-arm compensation balance. The movement is housed in an open-face silver case with a snap-on bezel, glass and snap-fit jointed back. This is inscribed on the outside ‘H.S.2 / 55077’ and the broad arrow. The inside is inscribed, ‘VACHERON & / CONSTANTIN / SWISS’, ‘0,925’, ‘FFBA 1’, the Swiss silver mark of a duck, ‘286419’ and the letter ‘N’. The snap-fit dome is marked on the inside ‘0,925’, ‘FFBA 1’, the silver mark, ‘286419’ and the letter ‘N’. A pull-out hand-setting winding crown is at the 12 o'clock position. The bow is missing. It is interesting to note that the movement is numbered differently to the box, which shows that movements were interchanged with boxes at the Ministry of Defence chronometer workshops during the lifetimes of the watches.

A silvered-brass dial has Arabic hour numerals, Arabic five-minute/second figures outside and centre-seconds. The dial is inscribed in the centre ‘VACHERON & CONSTANTIN / GENÈVE’ and under the six o'clock position, ‘SWISS’.

The watch is housed in a mahogany deck box with hinged lid opening 180°. The box has a flip-catch to lock it. The box lid is lined with green baize and includes a brass label-holder (empty). The watch sits in a circular green-baize-lined aperture in the base of the box and can be seen through a circular porthole glass window when the lid is closed. The underside of the box is covered in green baize.

Vacheron & Constantin was a Swiss maker of high-grade commercial lever-escapement pocket watches. In 1942, they made very fine calibre 166 chronometer watches mainly for the British Admiralty. Cased in silver, with inner dome, the movements were extensively jewelled. The metal dial was a military specification, with enamel dials believed to be at risk of error owing to creep during firing. The watches were additionally housed in wooden deck watch boxes manufactured by the Admiralty chronometer workshops.