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- [00:00]
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Foreign.
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Welcome back to Chronopolis Radio with me, your friendly neighborhood watchmaker, Rob Nudds, and our resident provocateur, David Vaucher. We are here to talk about a French brand who unfortunately can't join us in the studio prior to the event due to some very, very intense last minute requirements to get ready for the show that you are all hopefully attending as we speak. And that is Yema, one of David's favorite brands. So, David, welcome to the airwaves and thanks for all the recordings you've done for Chronopolis Radio. Why don't we start by you telling me how you know about Jema and how you feel about Jema.
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Bonjour, tout monde. I always start my episodes of that. That feels most appropriate today since we're talking about French watchmaking. As you said, I'm a huge fan of the French watchmaking industry because just to put it out there for anyone that still doesn't know, and maybe this is the first time listening to us, I am actually half French. I live outside of Paris, and more importantly than that, actually not only my French, but my family goes back like literally centuries to the French giraffe, which has some quite strong ties to the Swiss gira, the big Swiss watchmaking region. And so for me, it's just a source of national and personal pride to see these French watches really take off. And for those who also don't know, prior to the quartz crisis, France actually did have quite a developed watchmaking industry. So there's other names that you may have heard of, such as Leap, some names that you may not have heard of such Catan. There was actually a very developed watchmaking and movement making industry as well in France and around this area of the French Jura. Now. Yima, of course, was one of those brands. It did face some difficulties following the Quartz crisis. And actually, as far as I know, last time I checked, they, they sort of had some ups and downs. They were owned, I think, by a large French technology conglomerate called Matra, which had sort of, it had its sort of subsidiaries in things like the defense industry, car racing as well. They were very involved in. So basically Yemes had some ups and downs, but it's the prior rebirth of the brand, I would say over a decade ago now that seems to have gotten a lot of traction with watch circles. And that's because of the fact that not only are they making, I would say, quite desirable watches, if you look at things like the rally graph, if you look at the flight fly graph, I mean, they've just got some very attractive models, but more than that, they're really trying to take the reins back in terms of movement manufacturer. So it's not just the watches themselves, but the fact that they're making these watches with what they are calling manufacturer movement. So as someone who likes French watches, it's very exciting because you've got the ecosystem not only just from a consumer point of view evolving, but also from a production and business point of view, evolving as well.
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I've got to say, they've really landed squarely in the middle of my radar over the past three years with the. The reveal of this incredible movement. Movement that we didn't expect to see from a brand like Yema. I first encountered them when I was working for Fratello, and I think we had a couple of paid partnerships going on at one point, and we certainly wrote about them a fair bit because we were huge fans of the Superman model. We just thought it was a beautiful vintage style. Would you call it a skin diver? It's sort of close to that kind of style, isn't it? You know, there's quite a few pieces out there that are similar to. But it was a great value proposition from a brand that has got a long and often unsung history. But then they come with this proprietary caliber, or in house, even as what they're calling it, it's just really sideswiping. It's very, very recognizable. It has a bridge that a few people refer to as the Homer Simpson bridge because it has. It looks a little bit like Homer in profile. You can't miss it. It's a great thing to have in your collection if you are a fan of movements. And for me, as a watchmaker who actually doesn't really collect calibres, it still stands out as a main reason for me to buy this brand because the prices for these pieces is really, really accessible. But before we talk about the value proposition, some of the novelties that the people listening to this episode will hopefully be able to get their hands on in Geneva at Chronopolis. David, you talk at length and you have spoken privately with me about it in the past, about the aesthetics of French watchmaking and what it is for a brand to be French. Do you feel that Jema lives up to your expectations in that regard? And are they pushing the envelope sufficiently for you to feel they deserve the title as a leading light in the French watchmaking industry in 2026?
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That's a great question, and it's one I ask actually, anytime we have an Interview subject Representing a French brand. I'll ask them, what do you think to you represents French watchmaking? Because up until recently it wasn't the technical aspect. And you could even say that now, with some exceptions aside, Gemma being one of them, it still isn't the technical aspect because they're using imported movements. Having said that, the answer that always comes my way is design. And if I take it back to a, a well known French brand, which is Swiss based now, but nevertheless Cartier, I've heard with respect to Cartier that one of their complications is actually their design. And so if you think of the French brands nowadays, Al Silberstein as a popular collaborator, Beau Bleu, I mean Trilobe, any one of these, you look at them and you're like, okay, this is quirky. And it's quirky in a way that to me rings is very French. So if I bring this back to Yema, I would say Yema still manages to skew, I would say relatively traditional. If you look at the watches that they're known for, the Superman, for example, the Fly Graph, the Rally graph, I mean these are all very purposeful tool watches that do have some history with some official French bodies. So for example the French Marine national, for example, so they are hewed in somewhat by that traditionalism. However, when you look at them, and maybe this is because I know their watches, they're, they're not quite as traditional as you'd expect them to be. So one of the reasons that I bought my Fly Graph was that it's a pilot's watch that doesn't actually look like a pilot's watch. It's 38 millimeters. It's very slim, very. It just looks like a field watch basically. And so you end up with something that can do a job very well, but at the same time when you look at it. So the Superman, for example, it's got that very specific bezel ratcheting action with the sort of, it's not a cyclops, but with that cutout over the bezel to actually say where you're at. These are all touches that are very Yemen and in a way they're very French. Because that particular way of ratcheting the bezel kind of reminds me of, for example, like on a dish foe you change the gears actually from the dashboard. So it's these things where you're like, okay, somewhat engineered this in a way that maybe seems quite complicated. It's a little bit quirky as well. Ah, to me that means French engineering. So that's a very long winded way, Rob, of saying that Yema watches can be very traditional if you want them to be. But if you're looking for something that represents what French watchmaking does very well, I think they're an ideal brand for that.
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For me, the. The one that always grabs my attention is the Wristmaster. And I think that, that at the price point, with the movement that it has, is a smashing alternative to, let's say, if we go right up the, right up the food chain to something like the Czapek Antarctique or even Audemars Piguet Royal Oak or the vacheron overseas or the 222. It is a slim integrated bracelet steel sports watch with its own caliber. Doesn't really matter where it came from, what the provenance of that is, but it looks nothing else on the market. And for me, that is a real selling point. It's a platform that they've had some fun with in recent times. And we know there's boundless creativity within this brand just, just bubbling under the surface. I feel like it's starting to come out a little bit now, and I feel like we might be about to see the greatest expression thereof at Chronopolis. So there's something launching, something mysterious, something that anyone listening to this while walking around the halls of Chronopolis will be able to go and check out themselves in person. It's called the five acts. Now, it's quite biblical in its proposition, but, David, is it of biblical proportions when it comes to its impact on the watch industry?
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Well, I will say, look, you know, as you said earlier, I've done a couple of these interviews and when you ask them, what are your novelties, it's one, maybe two watches, something like that. And sometimes it might just be a twist on something existing, apparently. And this is the latest news. As of when we're recording, Yema has the five acts. And I'm gonna say these in French, translate them in English. So Yema's got five, apparently, new families or product offerings, which I think goes a long way, Rob, towards explaining why it's you and I doing this interview rather than them. I think they're just very busy. But the five acts are ombre, which means shadow. Vitesse, which means speed. Lumiere, which means light, which means game, and finale, which means, of course, the end. So I think we can assume that's probably the last one they'll unveil. I've got the email in front of me. I have no idea what it's going to be because we've got the case outlines. Vitess. However, you can see three chronograph pushers. I think that makes sense. Like a speed racing chronograph Lumiere. I also have no idea. Maybe something with some cool lume. Zhi has two crowns, so I think one of them might be like a compressor crown. So it could be like a dive style compressor and then finale. I have no idea. It's a traditional one crown thing. So, you know, I've got 40% of them somewhat guess the other ones, who knows. But I'm sure it's going to be something impressive.
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Yeah. So the three that David's pointed out here, Act 1, Act 3 and Act 5, they have sort of similar, quite traditional case shapes for standard lugs. It's kind of hard to pick out exactly which model family they might belong to. They could be supermen, but it's really hard to tell because we can't see the, the bezels unless they're throwing us an absolute curveball and just cheating with the silhouettes. Which would be a bit of a shame I think, because this speculation is a lot of fun. The way this is going to work, which I find really, really interesting and love from a marketing perspective and I think Chronopolis will probably appreciate it as well, is that each of these models is slated to be released on a different day throughout the fair. So that's the really cool thing. So we've got the Shadow coming out on April 14th. That's the first day of the fair. It's Tuesday. We've got speed debuting on April 15, light being revealed on April 16. They've translated you as play, David. So it's a play game. Whatever. April 17th, that one's coming out. And then finally on April 18th, we will see the finale, act five. So it's quite exciting for all of us, I think, and a good reason for people to visit Chronopolis every day if they want to be on the forefront of these releases. I'm not sure because I don't believe it's been openly communicated whether each of these models will be limited and if so, will they be limited to a very low number and only available for purchase on the day at the fair? If that is the case, it could become a release model for other brands to look to follow in the future. But whatever it is, it's exciting, it's intriguing, it gives us cause to speculate and it gives us cause to be excited about a brand that doesn't get as much pop as it deserves because of its efforts in the last few years. David, just very speculatively, do you have one of these models that you're most excited for?
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So I, like I said, love my fly graph, but I'm also a very big motorsports fan. I've had my eye on a rally graph for some time. They are actually the sponsor of the Alpine Elfka in France, which is really neat and I would love to see if they have any rally graph watches coming out. I just want to build on what you said. I don't know if the English email you have in front of you is different from the French one I have, but it says that as of the 19th of April, so I guess that'd be the Saturday they will open orders for the five limited editions. So the wording here does imply that they're limited and they say that each product release will prepare the next one. So it seems like maybe they're not even five individual releases, but it sounds like they tell a story. And the final one, the finale, seems to imply that as well. So I'm curious to see what that story is over the, over the days of the show.
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Yeah, what I was hoping for was basically the same concept deployed across five different model families. This is something I really love to see. You know, we're actually exploring a similar concept with Straum, for whom I work in marketing, if anyone didn't know. And we had our TRTS special edition that came out last October before I joined the team officially. And our plan was always to release an annual edition in the same sort of style using the Straum colorway based on the Stormy Seas adventure. And so it would eventually become a capsule in its own right. And I would love to see that. I would love to see a brand. Let's, let's take Cartier, for example, because we're talking about French brands as well, and it applies directly back to Yemen. This is what I'd like to see from them. If Cartier said one day, right, we're going to do blasted titanium versions of every single model that we have. So you've got a Panthera, you've got a Tank, you've got a Banoit, and so on and so forth. And they were just ultra limited and they were their own thing, their own family. They were sort of removed from the regular collection and catalog and just existed on an island. And I think that's a really, really cool way to like experiment with something that you don't really want to be in your normal production. Fair, but something you'd like to see or like the chance to analyze the reaction to from the audience. So maybe we'll see something like that. I don't know. I get the feeling from the names that these are going to be five distinct models that sort of explain the pillars of Yema's brand and how Jamir wants to be perceived going forward. So I'm excited to see it. David, have you got any other comments that you'd like to add to this short, but I hope exciting discussion about one of your favorite French brands.
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Well, you know, I will say that this is some behind the scenes information for listeners of the Real Time show and Chronopolis Radio. Yema have been quite hard to get in touch with, so I am very excited to actually see them at the show. Try the watches on and I would encourage you, if you haven't, please do that because when we talk watches, we talk. I think, Rob, I mean, this is probably the subject for a whole episode, but when you think of like nice watches, you think probably Swiss, then maybe Japanese, then maybe German, then British. And that's not any knock on any one particular country. I think it's just awareness. French, I'm not really sure falls into the hierarchy just yet, unless you're really like deep into the watch circle. So I would say that if you haven't checked out watch French watchmaking, if you haven't checked out Yema for sure, stop by their booth, say hi to everyone, try on all the watches, because I think that you will find something that appeals to you. They've just got such a broad range, it's such a broad range of prices. I think you're bound to find something that piques your interest.
- [15:23]
B
Yeah, I think the French watchmaking is having a real moment and there are some great brands. You mentioned Beaubleu, of course. We've got the Chinese French powerhouse of Atelier Wen. We've got Jema doing wonderful things and I think in a couple of years we could be in a situation where we have a French watchmaker's day in Paris, just like the British Watchmakers day in Lindley hall in London has done wonders for the visibility and recognition of British watchmaking and the creativity exists within that community. So go along to the aimer stands, hang out with the team there and come find us hanging around in the evening, enjoying the happy hour and tell us what you think of the five acts because we can't wait to explore it in Real time with you. Well, that concludes our recording for Chronopolis Radio 2026. We've had an absolute blast getting to know all 20 brands exhibiting here at the inaugural edition of the fair. And of course, getting to know the organizers and founders apres demand. We're already in talks with them about how we can come back next year even bigger and better, and integrate the Real Time show with Chronopolis even further. We'll be back very soon. Tomorrow in fact, with a Watches and Wonders recap. Until then, stay safe and keep on ticking.