Yema Miniplan Watch Steel — Patinated Silvered Dial (1950s)

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A vintage Yema Miniplan Watch from the 1950s, steel with a patinated silvered dial

This vintage Yema watch dates from the 1950s, the brand’s earliest years: Yema was founded in 1948 in Besançon, the capital of française watchmaking, under the guidance of Henry Louis Belmont, who graduated from the city’s National School of Watchmaking in 1931. According to legend, the name emerged from a student competition. The young house moved quickly: in 1952, a series of automatic chronometers made in Franche-Comté; in 1953, one of the first French watches capable of descending to 200 metres; in 1958, an Export Oscar. The Miniplan, signed on the dial, is one of its models from those years: a steel mechanical watch de ville with centre seconds, in the restrained design that predates the great sports watches of the following decade.

Its original silvered dial bears seventy years of patina, speckled, denser around four o’clock and at the centre, born of time and unique to this example. Six applied Arabic numerals at the even hours, six pointed applied markers at the odd hours, a fine minute track, two original dauphine hands and a slender central seconds hand. The looped Y, Yema and Miniplan below 12 o’clock.

The steel 31mm case, 42mm Lug-to-lug and 8.6mm thick, features a polished bezel and long tapered lugs that lengthen the watch on the wrist, with a steel caseback and an acrylic Crystal; the fluted crown was replaced during the life of the watch. The hand-wound mechanical movement has been checked and regulated by our partner watchmakers and is guaranteed for one year. The watch is fitted on a dark green crocodile-style leather strap with white stitching and a steel Buckle, both later additions.

Three points to note

Why choose a vintage Yema watch?

This vintage Yema Miniplan watch holds a distinct place among vintage men's and women's watches: its 31mm case with long lugs suits both, and it offers a piece from the early days of a française brand that collectors now follow for its dive watches and chronographs, here in its original de ville register. A vintage mechanical watch by française, at an entry-level price point for authentic vintage.

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

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Technical specifications

• Brand: Yema
• Model: Miniplan
• Estimated year: 1950s
• Origin: France (Besançon)
• Gender: Men's and women's watch (Unisex)
• Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, checked and adjusted
• Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds
• Case: Steel, round, long lugs, steel caseback
• Diameter: 31mm (34mm including the crown)
• Lug to lug: 42mm
• Thickness: 8.6mm
• Lug width: 16mm
• Crown: Fluted, not original
• Dial: Patinated silver-tone, Arabic numerals and applied pointed markers, original
• Hands: Dauphine, tapered seconds hand, original
• Crystal: Acrylic, signs-of-use scratches (condition 7/10)
• Strap: Dark green crocodile-style leather, not original
• Buckle: Steel, not original

Condition and guarantee

• General condition: Fair state of preservation for its age. The original silver-tone dial shows a speckled patina, born of time, denser toward four o'clock, specific to this example; its numerals and hands remain crisp. The steel case shows the signs-of-use scratches of a worn watch, and the acrylic Crystal has scratches (7/10). Our photographs are presented unretouched.
• Water resistance: Not guaranteed (vintage watch)
• Authenticity: Lifetime guarantee
• Mechanics: Movement checked and adjusted, guaranteed for 1 year
• Included: Atelier Victor invoice
• Not included: Original box and papers

Frequently asked questions

Who is Yema?
A brand française born in 1948 in Besançon, founded by Henry Louis Belmont, a watchmaker trained at the city’s National School of Watchmaking. It became known in the 1950s for its robust watches, a series of automatic chronometers from 1952 onward, a 200-metre dive watch in 1953, then for the Superman in 1963 and the Rallygraf chronographs. The leading French exporter of watches in 1966, it is now based in Morteau.

What does Miniplan mean?
It is the model name, printed beneath the signature, just as Yema gave names to its lines in the 1950s. Its meaning is not documented; it designates this de ville steel watch with central seconds, one of the Yema from the brand’s early years.

What does “checked and adjusted” mean?
It means that our partner watchmakers have opened the watch, checked the movement, the dial, the hands and the case, and adjusted the rate of the movement. It is guaranteed for one year. A hand-wound watch must be wound every day, and a vintage watch is not guaranteed water-resistant.

What are the speckles on the dial?
The patina born of time on the silvered ground: fine dark spots, denser around four o’clock and at the centre, traced by time alone and reproduced by no other example. The dial is original and has never been restored.

Is this piece suitable for a slim or larger wrist?
With a 31mm diameter, 42mm Lug-to-lug, and 8.6mm thickness, it suits wrists of approximately 15 to 18cm — a guide, never a rule: everyone wears what they like. Its long lugs give it on the wrist the presence of a larger watch. The Lug width measures 16mm.

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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