Huma Vintage Watch Tonneau — NOS Sector Dial (1940s)

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An tonneau sector dial, never worn or distributed

This Huma watch is distinguished first and foremost by its tonneau case, whose sides are cut into facets and whose prominent right-angled lugs set the strap away from the case middle. It is an angular, entirely geometric design that post-war production gradually abandoned in favor of round shapes. The brushed metal case is topped with a chrome-plated bezel and closed by a snap-on stainless steel caseback — the standard construction of the period.

It is also new old stock: from an undistributed watchmaker's stock, it was never worn or sold to an end customer, and comes to us with its original tag still attached to the strap. After nearly eighty years in storage, it shows a few minor imperfections related to transport and storage, visible in our photographs.

The dial answers the case with the same geometric logic. It is a sector dial, a design inherited from the interwar period: the beige champagne surface, executed in two tones, is divided into concentric zones by printed lines — a railway minute track around the edge, a chapter ring bearing the Arabic numerals, then a raised central reserve carrying the HUMA signature. The twelve, three, and nine are emphasized in relation to the other numerals.

The sub-seconds register, at six o'clock, is circled by a printed line and graduated in tens. The baton hands in blued steel provide the only note of color — a blueing obtained by heat treatment, whose hue is in the metal and does not flake. The hand-wound mechanical movement has been serviced and is functioning properly, with a rate measured on the timegrapher at approximately forty seconds per day.

Huma is a watch brand founded in Annemasse, Haute-Savoie, in the 1920s. The town is so close to Genève that it is almost a suburb of it, and production was carried out in Switzerland — to the point that the company name became Huma Genève. The firm first produced watches intended mainly for women, before expanding its catalog by relying on third-party movements. It continued its activity until the mid-1950s.

Three points to note

• Case tonneau with faceted sides — faceted flanks and prominent right-angled lugs, a geometry that later production abandoned.
• Champagne sector dial — concentric zones drawn in fine lines on a two-tone ground, a design inherited from the interwar period.
• Never worn or distributed — from a watchmaker's stock, it comes to us with its original tag attached to the strap.

Why choose a vintage mechanical watch?

Buying a vintage watch rather than a contemporary reissue gives access to a graphic vocabulary that current production reproduces only as pastiche. The sector dial is an example of this: printed with the means of its time, it displays a fineness of line that reissues struggle to recapture.

This watch occupies a distinct place among men's and women's vintage watches: its 23mm by 37mm Lug-to-lug format corresponds to that of mid-century wristwatches, wearable equally by both. Small vintage watches are now experiencing a marked revival.

Like all our vintage mechanical watches, this one has been opened and inspected by our watchmakers: movement verification, examination of the dial, hands, and case. Every vintage watch we offer comes with an invoice Atelier Victor serving as a certificate, a one-year warranty, and guaranteed lifetime authenticity.

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Technical characteristics

• Brand: Huma
• Model: Dress watch tonneau with sector dial
• Estimated year: 1940s
• Origin: française brand from Annemasse, Swiss production
• Gender: Men's and women's watch (Unisex)
• Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, serviced
• Functions: Hours, minutes, sub-seconds at 6 o'clock
• Case: Brushed-finish metal, tonneau shape with clipped corners and square lugs
• Bezel: Chrome-plated metal
• Case back: Stainless steel, snap-on
• Dimensions: 23mm (including the crown)
• Lug to lug: 37mm
• Thickness: 8.8mm
• Lug width: 15mm
• Crown: Flat, original
• Dial: Two-tone beige champagne sector dial, Arabic numerals with emphasis on 12, 3, and 9, railway minute track, original
• Hands: Blued steel baton hands, original
• Crystal: Plexi (condition 9/10)
• Strap: Brown leather lamella strap, original, light wear
• Buckle: Original steel pin buckle

Condition and warranty

• General condition: New old stock, never worn or distributed, with its original tag attached to the strap. The sector dial is intact, its lines and numerals perfectly crisp, the sub-seconds register unaltered. The blued hands have retained their hue. The case shows micro-imperfections related to nearly eighty years of transport and storage, visible in our photographs. The original lamella strap shows light wear.
• Water resistance: Not guaranteed (vintage watch)
• Authenticity: Lifetime guarantee
• Mechanical: Serviced movement, rate measured on a timegrapher at approximately 40 seconds per day, guaranteed for 1 year
• Included: Invoice Atelier Victor, original tag
• Not included: Original box and papers

Frequently asked questions

What is Huma?
Huma is a watchmaking brand founded in Annemasse, Haute-Savoie, in the 1920s. The town lies on the doorstep of Genève, and production took place in Switzerland — the company name in fact became Huma Genève. The house initially produced mainly ladies' watches, before expanding its catalogue with movements from third-party suppliers. Its activity continued until the mid-1950s.

What is meant by a tonneau case?
The term refers to a rectangular shape whose sides are curved or chamfered, to be distinguished from the cushion shape, which begins from a square. On this watch, the chamfers are faceted and the lugs form projecting right angles that set the strap away from the caseband. This geometry belongs to the vocabulary of the first half of the twentieth century and virtually disappeared from regular production afterwards, in favour of round cases.

What does “new old stock” mean?
It means the watch has never been worn nor sold to an end customer. It comes from a watchmaking stock that was never distributed, and reaches us with its original tag still attached to the strap. The dial is in the condition in which it left the atelier. The case, however, shows micro-imperfections linked to nearly eighty years of transport and storage, which we note and photograph.

How accurate is this watch?
The hand-wound mechanical movement has been disassembled, cleaned and adjusted, and its rate measured on a timegrapher at approximately forty seconds per day. This is a normal figure for a serially produced movement from this period, designed at a time when a daily deviation of this order was considered acceptable. One should therefore expect to reset the watch regularly: this is a watch worn for what it is, not to compete with a quartz watch. Finer adjustment remains possible with a watchmaker, within the limits allowed by the calibre's architecture. The movement is guaranteed for one year.

For what wrist size is this watch suitable?
With a case 23mm wide and 37mm Lug-to-lug, this is the format of mid-century wristwatches: ideally worn on a slender to medium wrist, where its angular lugs elongate the silhouette beyond what the width might suggest, while remaining discreet under a cuff at 8.8mm thick. That said, a watch is also a matter of style: depending on personal taste and the look sought, this piece can be worn equally well by a man or a woman, on all kinds of wrists. The measurement is only a guide, never a rule.

A piece selected by Atelier Victor

Authenticated, checked, and photographed by us. As all sales are final, our team remains available 7 days a week on WhatsApp to answer your questions, share additional photos or a video of the piece in hand — so that your choice can be made with complete peace of mind.

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