On Thursday 15 October 2020, Yema was playing a part of its future with a large-scale Kickstarter launch. Four bronze watches, in limited editions, and fitted with the two new in-house calibers were offered for pre-order. That is more than 3,000 watches representing funding of over 2 million Euros ! Among these 4 watches, two caught our attention. Two GMT models in two different colors fitted with the new Manufacture Yema3000 caliber. Analysis and Review.
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A prodigious launch!
It took Yema just 3 minutes to reach its stated funding target of 200,000 Euros. Then 30 minutes to pass the one-million-Euro mark. Things then calmed down, with 1.5 Million Euros in 2h30.
Yema therefore beat its own record of 900,000 Euros and 1,222 backers in 2019. And the brand owes it above all to one model: the Superman GMT Bronze! The 1,948 pieces available sold out in just a few hours. Now only a few “Steel Bronze” pieces remain.
With this success, Yema is establishing itself in the French, if not global, watchmaking landscape. Its Superman GMT model has just been widely praised and its Manufacture Yema3000 caliber “endorsed” by the public. It even makes you wonder whether we are witnessing the birth of a leader in French watchmaking!
Genesis of an in-house caliber
The particularity of the two watches we have in front of us is, above all, the movement that powers them. This movement was developed in-house by Yema. This on the basis of a movement that has existed since 2011 and which Yema decided to develop further.
This approach is to the brand’s credit. Indeed, we know that it is customary to require a minimum of 5 years to develop and make a manufactured caliber reliable. This is what explains why few brands, even among the most prestigious, are able to offer in-house Manufacture movements.
Take the example of the brand Hublot, which is among the most dynamic on the market. In 2004 it launched its flagship model, the “Big Bang”, fitted with a Valjoux 7750 movement then derivatives, but only introduced its Unico movement in 2010. And today, 10 years later, this movement equips only a small part of production. The majority still being fitted with ETA and Valjoux movements.
It is therefore not pointless to take time, a lot of time, to make a movement reliable. Yema’s MBP1000 was no exception to this rule. A “simple” 3-hand movement, it required 2 years of development and an investment of 3 million Euros. But above all it required production of 250,000 units and 9 years of commercialization to see its first evolutions. It is with this Kickstarter campaign that these evolutions arrive. The Yema2000 and Yema 3000 calibers are its origin and its fruit.
Yema 3000, an exclusive caliber
The movement going by the name of Yema3000 caliber is therefore a derivative of the MBP1000 which evolved into the Yema2000 (3-hand calibers). It integrates a GMT complication allowing you to benefit from a second time zone, which can even go to three by “playing” with the bidirectional rotating bezel.
It should be noted that the brand shows appreciable transparency regarding its benchmark. ETA, Sellita, and Miyota are the movement makers to which Yema wants to compare itself. We could have added SII (Seiko), which is another heavyweight of the category. Alongside these giants of the global watchmaking industry, the French brand plays the role of the underdog. But the announced figures plead in its favor. The success of these calibers should depend at first on the success of this Kickstarter campaign, because the brand announces the exclusive use of these movements. They are not yet intended to be marketed for other brands.
With this decision, Yema shows prudence. At first, it agrees to bear alone the possible reliability issues (after-sales service) inherent in any launch of a new movement, but above all it avoids the growth crisis with demand that can be very strong then in decline, according to the ups and downs of the market. This too is a strong message of the brand’s independence.
Yema Superman GMT Bronze on the wrist
The analysis of a new product’s launch is only of interest if we place it in the perspective of the product’s usefulness: that of being worn on a daily basis. That is what we did for a few days by testing two of these Superman.
We had the chance to be able to test this watch in two versions of two different sizes. The Superman GMT Bronze Black at 41 mm in diameter, and the Superman GMT Bronze Blue at 39 mm in diameter. Two different impressions but a common feeling: the perceived quality!
These two watches seem well born to us. They sit very easily on the wrist. The “Tropical” strap that equips them is no stranger to this common feeling of comfort. The “Diver”-type case shape is unsurprisingly also very comfortable.
The Superman GMT Bronze Blue at 39 mm in diameter offers a vintage-watch feel. Its contained diameter recalls what was done before the 2000s and which a handful of brands continued to do afterwards. This watch fits into a “neo-vintage” trend and lives it very well. Obviously, the use of bronze also contributes to this vintage aspect.
The Superman GMT Bronze Black 41 mm offers, for its part, a real presence on the wrist. It fits into a more contemporary trend and adapts very well to a wrist of 17.5 cm in circumference that is more used to daily wearing a Rolex Submariner. And the reference to this model is not accidental. Because this Superman, even fitted with a GMT function, can continue to claim its inspiration from diving watches, of which the absolute reference is itself. The comparison having to stop there.
In use, and on the wrist, whatever the version of these two Superman, these watches are very quickly forgotten. And they are very flattering when you rest your gaze on their magnificent gradient black or blue dials. These dials are a real success. They too recall a Haute Horlogerie trend that was driven a few years ago by H. Moser & Cie and which has spread quite a bit among dial makers.
The indices and hands allow perfect reading of the time. The second-time-zone hand is also perfectly legible. Its adjustment is done via the screw-down crown with proven water resistance. The bidirectional bezel is used as is customary for the Superman model, with the unlocking of the clamping ring linked to the winding crown.
Deliberately, we did not wish to check the precision of the movement. Quite simply because these are two prototypes that we had at our disposal. Now there can be two possible scenarios: Either the precision is beyond what is announced by the manufacturer due to the prototype quality of watches that have to move quickly from journalistic editorial offices to photo studios. Or the watch is perfectly well regulated, due to particular attention from the brand which knows it is being watched by the press. In any case, none of these results would have been evocative of reality. Now, we wish to address our readers in full transparency, with commercial models that are intended for consumers. For this we will wait for the deliveries of December or next February.
Our impressions
Whatever our impressions might be, the truth always comes from the customer. Now, this Thursday 15 October the customer spoke. As mentioned earlier, it widely praised the Superman GMT model. But this enormous success must not hide that, more modest but very real, of the Steel Bronze model. Because if the stated target was 200,000 Euros, in 6 hours this model had already gathered 155,000 Euros on its own. Which is enormous.
This commercial success only confirms what we saw, perceived and observed of the watches tried on. They are well made, aesthetically successful, and arrive at the right moment. This crisis of luxury watchmaking benefits this segment of Premium watches. And at these price levels, the offer is not yet up to par. The “established” brands are purring along. A brand like Yema comes to shake up the “sleeping beauties”. It proves that with historical legitimacy, an industrial strategy, a careful timeless design, and ambitious marketing, one can reconnect with success. It only remains to hope that the team of the French brand is spared the arrogance that characterizes those with rapid success, and that it confirms its dynamism with new well-crafted collections and ever bolder marketing.
Frequently asked questions
Two GMT versions were tested: the Superman GMT Bronze Black at 41 mm in diameter and the Superman GMT Bronze Blue at 39 mm in diameter, both powered by the in-house Yema3000 caliber.
The Yema3000 is an in-house caliber derived from the MBP1000 that evolved into the Yema2000. It adds a GMT complication for a second time zone, which can extend to a third by using the bidirectional rotating bezel.
Launched on 15 October 2020, the Kickstarter reached its 200,000 Euro target in 3 minutes, passed one million Euros in 30 minutes, and hit 1.5 million Euros in 2h30 — beating Yema’s previous record of 900,000 Euros and 1,222 backers in 2019.
The 1,948 pieces of the Superman GMT Bronze sold out within a few hours of the campaign opening. At the time of writing, only a few “Steel Bronze” pieces remained available.
The review was conducted on prototypes, so precision was not tested. Yema announced commercial deliveries for December 2020 or the following February.
