Touraine
1940 · 14k Solid Yellow Gold · Manual Wind
About the Touraine
Made only in 1940, the Touraine is a compact rectangular dress watch in a 14K yellow gold case, powered by Hamilton's caliber 982M with 19 jewels. The dial is genuinely striking: a two-tone sector design with painted black Arabic numerals at 3, 9, and 12, gold dot indices at the remaining positions, and a subseconds register at 6 o'clock. The Touraine belongs to Hamilton's prewar dress watch lineup, a period when the company was producing some of its most refined and visually refined cased pieces.
Finding one in honest shape takes some patience. The two-tone silver dials with solid gold markers and black enamel numbers represent a known variant, and dial condition will be the first thing to examine closely since two-tone finishes from this era can show uneven aging, loss, or prior cleaning that changes how the sectors read. The 14K gold case holds up well structurally, but the lug area and case back deserve a careful look before committing.
From the Catalog
Hamilton described the Touraine in 1940 as offering a modern, two-tone dial with applied gold dots in a 14K natural gold case, priced at $90, which placed it firmly in the upper tier of Hamilton's dress watch offerings for that year.
Hamilton Catalog Images
1940
What to Look For
| Dial | The two-tone sector dial is the heart of this watch and the first place to look. Check for uniformity between the two tones, since cleaning or moisture intrusion can cause the lighter sector to mottle or the darker to fade unevenly. Look closely at the painted black Arabic numerals at 3, 9, and 12 for chips or wear, and confirm the gold dot indices are all present and intact. |
| Crystal | The original crystal will almost certainly be an acrylic replacement at this point. A well-fitted replacement is fine, but make sure it sits flush and hasn't been sized down to the point where the bezel edge is visible inside the crystal perimeter. |
| Movement | Ask whether the watch has been recently serviced. A caliber 982M that has sat unworn for decades will have dried oil creating enough friction to affect timekeeping or stop it entirely. Look for smooth, consistent motion in the seconds hand as a basic indicator that the movement is running cleanly. |
| Case | The 14K yellow gold case is durable but examine the lugs for thinning, since decades of polishing can remove meaningful metal from straight lug profiles. The case back can be tricky to open without the right tools, so check for tool marks around the edge that suggest previous forcing. |
| Crown | Confirm the crown is original or at least correct in proportion and finish. A mismatched or oversized crown on a refined dress watch like this is a small detail that affects the overall presentation more than it might on a sportier piece. |
The Movement
The caliber 982M is a 19-jewel manual wind movement from Hamilton's 12/0 size family, built to a high standard for dress watch use. It's a dependable, well-finished movement, though reassembly requires careful attention when lining up the spacer plate, which can be fiddly even for experienced hands. When properly serviced and running cleanly, the 982M is a steady, accurate performer.