French watch brand YEMA launches new Superman Bronze with in-house calibre

You’d have to go back to 1963 to witness the launch of the original YEMA Superman watch. Developed for professional divers, it was waterproof to an impressive 300m and featured a forward-thinking bezel lock.

It was the brainchild of French master watchmaker Henry Louis Belmont – who had, three decades before, graduated top in his class from France’s National Watch Making School in Besançon, close to the border with Switzerland.

The YEMA brand was launched in 1948, and by the 1960s was the country’s biggest selling watch brand. It continued on to new heights – literally – becoming the first French watch brand in space in 1982.

And now, YEMA is releasing a new three-hand manufacture calibre: the CMM.10 boasts a 70-hour power reserve as well as high resistance to magnetic fields and shocks. It is made up of 208 micro-components of which the mainplate and bridges are individually manufactured by YEMA's engineers in their workshops. A calibre as hardy as this calls for a suitably impressive timepiece to house it. Enter the Superman Bronze.

YEMA Superman Bronze with blue gradient dial

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Available in two dial colours (gradient blue and lacquered black) in 39mm and 41mm, each Superman Bronze CMM.10 model is limited to 1,948 numbered copies in a nod to the company’s founding year. They’re distinguished by their high-quality brushed and polished finishes, which preserve a unique neo-vintage appearance. Depending on use and exposure to weather conditions, bronze will patina differently making each watch unique and authentic.

Specially designed for the Superman Bronze CMM.10 is a new Tropic integrated bracelet made from Viton® rubber – ready for intensive use in the most extreme conditions.

YEMA Superman Bronze with lacquered black dial

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Take a peek through the watch’s exhibition case back sapphire crystal, and you’ll see YEMA's new CMM.10 manufacture calibre. The ingenious mainplate’s symmetrical architecture is home to high-quality regulating organs, shock absorbers, escapements and barrel all ensuring price point-leading precision and reliability. In fact, its -3/+5 seconds accuracy delivers chronometric levels of performance.

In line with YEMA's crowdfunding approach to finance, the company has launched a new Kickstarter campaign to support the first Superman Bronze models equipped with the new CMM.10 calibre. If you buy now as part of the campaign, you’ll receive a preferential rate of €999 (€1,199 including tax for EU residents), which represents a saving of -44% off €1,790 MSRP (-33% for EU residents).