Yema

Traditional Brand With New Roots

Yema was founded in 1948 by Henry Louis Belmont in Besançon, France. The manufacturer specialized early on in watches for divers and aviators. The Superman diving watch is still one of the French watchmaker's most popular watches, not least because of its excellent value for money.

The Flygraf was one of the first French pilot's watches and was used by the French Air Force. With the Rallygraf chronograph, Yema primarily targeted the motorsport crowd.

In the 1980s, like many watch brands at the time, Yema ran into economic difficulties and disappeared from the market for a few decades. In the 2010s, however, French entrepreneurs rediscovered the potential of the brand and its early models, and successfully relaunched Yema by introducing authentic reinterpretations of the Superman Heritage and various versions of the Rallygraf.

Today, Yema offers an extensive selection of mechanical and quartz-powered watches. Along with numerous sportier timepieces like the Superman, Superman GMT, Rallygraf, and Navygraf, the company's Urban Traveller collection is home to a line of elegant sports watches with integrated bracelets.

Along with serial-production Swiss movements, Yema also equips their watches with in-house calibers. These include the "Standard Grade" movements Yema 2000 and Yema 3000. The former powers the manufacturer's three-hand watches, while the latter offers an additional GMT function. Yema also produces complicated "Manufacture Grade" calibers with tourbillons, micro-rotors, or an extra-flat build.

Reasons to Buy a Yema Watch

• Traditional French brand
• Legendary models like the Superman, Rallygraf, and Flygraf
• Outstanding value for money
• Wide range of dial colors
• Select models with in-house calibers

Price Overview: Yema Watches

How much does a Yema watch cost?

A used/pre-owned quartz-powered Yema will set you back about 110 USD on Chrono24. Prices for newer models with a quartz movement, such as the rectangular Landgraf, start at around 220 USD. Another 100 USD more will get you a quartz-powered Rallygraf.

Prices for mechanical timepieces from Yema start at approximately 660 USD. This amount will get you a Pearldiver diving watch with a leather strap, for example. The Yema Superman 500 diving watch changes hands on Chrono24 for roughly 990 USD in mint condition, while the same model with an additional GMT function will set you back about 1,150 USD. If you'd prefer a bronze Superman, plan to spend an additional 100 USD.

Mechanical chronographs like the Speedgraf require an investment of around 1,900 USD. Vintage Rallygraf variants with a hand-wound caliber are very popular with collectors and notably more expensive, with prices in the 2,200 to 5,500 USD range.

Details and Prices for the Yema Superman 500

The Superman 500 diving watch collection consists of three lines, the Superman 500, Superman 500 GMT, and Superman 500 Dato. All three watches are water-resistant up to 500 m (50 bar, 1,640 ft) and available in sizes of 39 and 41 mm. The patented bezel lock, located at the level of the crown at 3 o'clock and attached to the crown guard, enables the wearer to lock the bezel in place. Depending on the model, buyers can choose between two different stainless steel bracelets or a leather or tropical rubber strap.

Superman 500 & Superman 500 Dato

The Superman 500 is a modern iteration of the classic Superman from the 1960s. The timepiece has no date display – a look typical of early diving watches. The dial features dot indices interrupted by bars at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, and a triangle at 12.

Dials come in black or blue, but the blue version is only available on right-hand models. Lefties can opt for the Superman 500 Destro with a black dial. The Superman 500 is powered by the in-house Yema caliber 2000, which has a power reserve of 42 hours.

The Yema Superman 500 changes hands on Chrono24 for roughly 980 USD in mint condition. If you'd prefer a date display, take a look at the Superman 500 Dato, which comes with a white or green dial and costs around 1,300 USD.

Superman 500 GMT

If you're looking for a Yema diving watch with a second time zone, the Superman 500 GMT may be the watch for you. The timepiece's bidirectional 24-hour bezel is available in six different color combinations. Depending on the combination, the bezel insert is made of aluminum or sapphire crystal. The dial is black on all variants, and all versions of the Superman 500 GMT are powered by the Yema caliber 3000.

Plan to spend about 1,150 USD on a Yema Superman 500 GMT in mint condition.

Heritage Superman & Superman GMT

The Heritage Superman and Superman GMT collections were among the first introduced by Yema after the company was relaunched in the 2010s. The Heritage Superman is water-resistant up to 300 m (30 bar, 984 ft) and a near-identical replica of the original from the 1960s. The main difference is the Heritage Superman's sapphire crystal and automatic ETA caliber 2824-2. Initial versions of the new Superman measured 39 mm in diameter, but a 41-mm model has been available for a number of years now. Buyers can choose between a stainless steel bracelet, black rubber strap, or brown leather strap. In mint condition, this watch will set you back about 1,100 USD on Chrono24.

Stainless steel GMT versions of the Heritage are only available pre-owned/used and cost approximately 1,000 USD. If you'd prefer a bronze watch from the current Superman Heritage collection, check out the reference GMTZ21A39-ZU31S. This model is powered by the Yema caliber 3000 and has a green dial. Prices here range from 1,100 to 1,300 USD. Older bronze models are available with various bezel and dial colors. These versions are powered by an ETA caliber and demand an investment of around 875 USD.

Navygraf: Yema Naval Watches

The Navy collection offers a number of mechanical three-hand watches officially designed by Yema for the French Navy. All models are water-resistant to 300 meters (30 bar, 984 ft). The Navygraf Marine Nationale is a 39-mm stainless steel watch with a blue dial and bezel. It comes with a stainless steel bracelet, but Yema also includes a blue NATO strap in the delivery. The timepiece is powered by the in-house Yema caliber 2000 and costs just approximately 1,100 USD in mint condition.

With the Navygraf Marine Nationale GMT, Yema offers fans a 38.5-mm nautical watch in stainless steel with a GMT function courtesy of the Yema caliber 3000. The dial is blue, and the bidirectional bezel is blue and white. The watch is available on a stainless steel bracelet or rubber strap and is priced at around 1,300 USD.

The case of the Navygraf FSM Bronze is – you guessed it – made of bronze. Yema designed this model in collaboration with the Marine Nationale to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Strategic Naval Forces (FOST). The 38.5-mm watch is fitted with the Yema caliber 2000, and comes on either a black and gold synthetic or a tropical rubber strap. Expect to pay just about 1,000 USD for an unworn model.

Urban Traveller: Elegant Sports Watches

Watches in the Yema Urban Traveller collection are decidedly sporty and elegant. It's probably no coincidence that the design of the Urban Traveller is reminiscent of luxury sports watches like the Patek Philippe Nautilus or Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. These timepieces have been popular style icons since the 1970s and were both created by star designer Gérald Genta. The design of the Urban Traveller is also characterized by an octagonal stainless steel case with an integrated bracelet. The bezel is round and has six recesses.

The dial of the Urban Traveller features applied baton indices and a guilloché honeycomb pattern, and is available in blue, bronze, white, or green. The watch is powered by the Yema caliber 2000 without a date function.

Prices for a new Yema Urban Traveller start at around 980 USD.

Yema Chronographs

Yema offers a range of chronographs, of which the 39-mm stainless steel Rallygraf is probably the most famous. Vintage editions with hand-wound calibers have become popular collectors' items and can cost several thousand dollars. The eye-catching bicompax dial layout is reminiscent of the dashboards in vintage racecars.

One famous fan of the vintage Rallygraf is US racecar driver Mario Andretti. Yema dedicated several Rallygraf versions to Andretti, including a number of quartz chronographs that you can buy on Chrono24 for less than 300 USD. Modern mechanical Rallygraf models are notably more expensive and change hands for roughly 1,100 USD.

In 2023, Yema released the Rallygraf A470 in a limited edition of 470 pieces. The chronograph is dedicated to the French F1 racing team Alpine, and features the team's color blue and the inscription "Alpine" on the dial. You can call this chronograph your own for approximately 2,400 USD.

Flygraf Navigator

The Yema Flygraf Navigator is a mechanical chronograph in the brand pilot's watch collection. The timepiece is similar to a Yema model from the 1970s, used by the French aviation industry to perform complex in-flight calculations with the help of the Flygraf Navigator's various bezel and dial scales.

The 40-mm stainless steel Flygraf Navigator is powered by the ETA Valjoux caliber 7750. The tricompax layout of the subdials at 6, 9, and 12 o'clock is typical for this movement. The watch comes with a stainless steel bracelet or rubber or leather strap. A mint-condition model will set you back about 1,970 USD.

The Flygraf collection also offers a variant with an additional GMT function, the Flygraf Chrono UTC. The watch has a black dial and yellow hands, and UTC is indicated using a 12-hour scale on the bezel. This timepiece is also powered by an ETA Valjoux 7750 and changes hands for roughly 2,100 USD.