Yema Superman Heritage 39mm Review - Substantive and Sharp
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- Опубликовано: 19 окт 2024
- Today I review the Yema Superman Heritage 39mm. I've recently added it to my own collection so admittedly I am very high on this brand and model. But I strive to take an objective and holistic look at the overall package. I hope you enjoy seeing the details and that you get a good sense of what this watch brings to the table. I am really looking forward to reviewing more from this French brand. Check out Yema's product below and please reach out with any question, thanks!
en.yema.com/
Full chronology of the yema superman:
leclubyema.com...
The true story of their use in the french army:
leclubyema.com...
I'm posting every couple days in my exclusive Patreon group. Come check it out for a month, its a lot of fun-
/ brucewilliams
Just bought mine. Fantastic watch, flawless. The bracelet is amazing for this level of price.
Yema makes a exquisite diver with a ton of history behind them . I bought a superman Maxi-Dial 2 and really like that watch . Recently I pre-ordered the upcoming Yema Superman Heritage 63, limited edition. I can't wait to get it in hand and on wrist. Great video Bruce.
Congrats Tim!
It seems like a compelling, well made watch.Since I use a timing bezel all the time it would be a pain to have a locking bezel on a watch.
It is definitely 2 extra steps- unlock, use, re-lock
It looks so cool and the function make sense. But sadly not for us desktop divers
You have the option to order without the locking bezel.
The case profile on this Yema is gorgeous. Lots of things going well with this watch. I'm currently contemplating the Maxi-Dial version. Very cool. Thanks,
Case and bracelet just so nice on this ..... I really think the sleeper is the flygraf ..... Yema giving enthusiasts a lot to think about these days .... good work .
The Yema reminds me of the Sinn 104 in that it is a super solid tool watch with an H-link bracelet and no frills, too basic clasp. At the price, I think I might choose the Yema.
Brilliant review Bruce! I love the brand and watch, as said waiting for my Air Force version impatiently... As well as my Green Oris Aquis :-)
New watch day will be incredible for you bro
Great choise, great video Bruce! I wait for my Yema Superman French Air Force lim. ed. in 39mm all steel version to arrive by the end of July. Can't wait to have it on my wrist.
You are in the home stretch! August is almost here
@@BruceWilliams Guess sooo. Question: Do you have a prof. website?
@@sadaka201 Not yet
So many microbrands, reissues , Seiko divers. There's so many I'm actually falling out of love with dive watches. I'm glad you love the watch Bruce, but i tried a friends one on and i could not see any part of the watch that was above average and really could not understand the hype. But my biggest annoyance is that bezel, I often like to use a diver to time anything in day to day life and to remove the watch, to unscrew the crown setting the bezel and locking it in is a solution to a problem no one ever had.
The bezel lock feature was a solution to keep a sliding bi directional vintage bezel from moving when being used underwater. They keep it today for the heritage element. If they would have omitted it, we would have seen a bunch of 'watch fans' complaining about it not having it. lol you can't please them all
The hype on yema is pretty simple to understand, this is at the moment the only french watch brand that do things properly, they respect and celebrate their heritage, they do in house mouvements. All of this with affordable prices, i really think they go in the right direction. Plus i love solutions to problems no one have :)
I don't know anything about this watch, but I own a Seiko turtle 6309-7049 since new in 1984. Lost the bezel diving in Key West, I own a Tag Aquaracer quartz, failed at 3ft while scraping the bottom of my sailboat, now I have an Omega 300m coaxial, no date,no helium escape valve, and we'll see. If it annoys me enough, guess I'll breakdown, and try a Rolex. Dad owns a GMT, he's 84,hope he lives to 100,but i may not even have to buy one. Capt.Bob, SV 27th Chance, Tampa Florida
@@sailinbob11 great story and your dads watch will be a great memory of him although i wouldn't take an heirloom into the water i think its great you actually use your tool watches
@@hammalamiri12 could be,and i know true watchaholics will freak on the idea that,if i can't use it,I don't need it. The turtle stays. My ex wife bought it for our first Christmas, so it's sentimental. Lost the bezel, but think I've found one,so maybe it'll get back to normal. After 36 years, it looks like you would expect a daily cowboy/carpenter/yacht builder/sailor/liveaboard Capt.'s watch is gonna look. It certainly wasn't babied. The Tag, i bought as a replacement, after I lost the bezel, on the turtle, thinking a couple grand made a better watch. My mistake. Actually, for a quartz, it did ok,considering I never had it serviced. 10 years,and Tag rebuilt it for $450. Didn't have it polished, figured why bother ? Bought the Omega 300m master coaxial, because i see Rolexs by the bushel, every day,at work. I'm a consultant for a company that paints mega yachts, and they just don't impress me. Don't get me wrong, they're an excellent watch. I was with my dad when he bought his Rolex in 1975,for $500 US.,so I've seen em all my life. Probably figure it'll be mine,one day,hopefully no time soon,but I'm not a fan of the "Look at me " factor, and pop has an Omega seamaster, he picked up in Germany, when he was in the Airforce back in the late 50s,and I've always been a fan. More of a dress watch, but I've always admired it,so I started looking at preowned Omegas, 2 years ago. Was trying to decide between the 300m with the helium escape valve, and the Planet Ocean, and though i like em,they've got that" Look at me " aspect I'm not fond of. Many people asked if my Tag was a Rolex. Ugh.... Blue face,and bezel. To me ? That's irrelevant. Just not important. Then I saw the 300m coaxial, and it ticked all my boxes. Could do without the see through case back, but you don't really see it,so... Who cares ? Long as it's accurate, and can deal with the stress ? I'm good. If not,I was fortunate to buy it 50% off retail, brand new, in the box, grey market,so I'll do ok,on trade,or sale,though I don't anticipate either. It's a watch. It's a nice watch, but it's only special to me. That's, in my humble opinion, what's important. Like it ? Buy it,but do your due diligence,and be prepared for disappointment. It could happen. Hope I contributed something to the conversation. Capt.Bob, SV 27th Chance, Tampa Florida.
Bruce, as always: Excellent review, thank you!
Another excellent and fair review 👍
Thank you so much for posting the link to the history, very interesting! Making me want the GMT even more.
Hi Bruce. Do you find the lack of anti reflective coating on the crystal a negative? I really like the watch, but I’m not used to crystals without AR coating, so I’m seeking your opinion on this.
It is simply the most elegant of my six divers! ❤️ Accuracy was a little poor with +16 s/d when I bought it. I corrected it and now it is very stable and is one of my most precise mechanical watches.
Bruce, do you think this bracelet will fit the Speedgraf model?
I have the exact same watch on my rotation for little over 2 years.
I wore it on a leather strap, at 19mm width isn't that hard to find
nowadays. It's a keeper for me.
great review! I'm loving my Flygraf.
Thanks man, I'm looking forward to that one
I also want a flygraf it looks so nice!
Hi Bruce
If you missed something. Well, in my opinion you, as well as the Urban Gentry and several others on RUclips, missed one obvious question...
I like the locking system of the dail very much, very effectively securing its functionally as a divers watch. So why do they make it with a uni directional bezel? Here you get every opportunity to avoid the tiresome process of turning the bezel all the way around again - if you accidentally turned it a bit too far while setting it to the correct diving time you want. So why? Is it just because we’re used to divers being uni directional?
A minor detail, I know. And I’m not even a diver, so why do I care?
Maybe because I really like this nice diver and am really considering buying one. I truly do understand your enthusiasm about this piece.
Nice vid Bruce, keep up the good work👍
Good question I hadn't thought of. I would imagine it comes down to ease of keeping uniform production. Your guess is as good as mine
MagicRising
Yes, I’m aware of that. And the unidirectional dail on the traditional diver designs secures you’re not diving too long due to accidentally pushing the bezel while diving...
But why make a unidirectional bezel when you’re already secured against that risk by having a locking function? Here you’re secured against that before the dive. The benefit of dropping the unidirectional bezel would make it easier to set the time without risking diving too long...
@@magicrising I understand the purpose of a unidirectional bezel. I just don't know the reason to your question of why if there is a bezel lock feature did Yema not opt for a bi directional bezel for ease of reset
Bruce, how does it compare to the new Seiko MAS reissues, in particular, the LE version, Seiko Prospex SPB149? Very similar price point.
Will need to do a comparison when I get the new releases :)
Hey Bruce. I ended getting myself the Superman Air Force in black. I absolutely love it! What a great watch.
Great review. I love the aesthetics of the watch head with a few minor niggles. Tho I like the look and appreciate the history of the bezel lock I suspect it's a pita just for setting time, date and winding. I'd like some brushing on the case...perhaps just the top of the lugs. I'd like a sunburst black dial option and 20mm lugs. That blue dial looks great here and in pics I've seen but I suspect I'd just not like on wrist. However, that case, bezel, crown, hands and indices are just fantastic and keep pulling at me.
Like the dramatic tapering of the bracelet and the vintage feel/look. But I'm not a fan of that bezel lock and that lug to lug distance is quite big. What's the lug to lug distance including the bracelet? Looks like 60mm in pictures!
If I include the protruding center links it is 53.2
Waiting for my Yema Navygraf to arrive 😊
I added this watch to my short list. Great watch for the $$$.
Seems to be a cool and fun watch. Great video Bruce 🤜🏻🤛🏻
Thanks 👍
I love this! I bought the 39mm black dial heritage and can’t take it off. It almost made me sell my Doxa because I just haven’t worn the Doxa once after getting the Yema. I have also owned the reverse panda rallygraf and that’s an awesome one as well. There is something about the Superman that I just can’t explain. I love it.
Yes, I know exactly the feeling
Great review, as always! I'm partial to the brand new Superman 63 Scales Limited Edition myself.
It's a beautiful design and the remake is very faithful to the original. Unfortunately, that also means that we have no lume pip on the bezel. The point is: Those little flaws don't matter. This watch makes up for it by being as charming as it possibly gets. All is just very well balanced. It is tooly yet elegant, it offers a little of pop colour of colour but is still classy. It is affordable, comes from a brand with a great history, but you still won't see it on many wrists. What more could you ask for when considering buying a vintage diver? It's an enthusiast's watch in the best possible sense.
I agree with you, well stated. I believe the latest release is a full lumed bezel which is nice
@@BruceWilliams yes, the 1963 model. I like it, but I wonder why they went to great lengths to rebuild the original bracelet, but then decided to use the 1970s seconds hand which is historicallly inaccurate.
Great review! Can’t wait to get my Superman French Air Force
Jeff Jacobson PVD
Brilliant fair review, I will buy one, really suits your wrist
yeah! can't wait to watch
Whatever happened with your nomos club sport ended up selling it and swapping this into the collection?
Nice piece Bruce - thank you. So so many heritage divers watches on the market these days - some good some not so. This one is really pretty nice!
Yema still are offering a newbie discount of 10% which isn't bad. I just bought a Yema Meangraf B70 with its motor-inspired looks and 70s stylings its a looker.
A lot of negatives for this watch unfortunately:
- Not most accurate mvmt, even if it's in-house
- Case end links stick out, not curved
- Crown is a bit sharp when rotating, due to the guards
- Bracelet not great (uses collars and pins)
- Curved spring bars
- Font for the date window looks very off
Lume is awesome though
Edit: looks like they fixed the font for the date
i hate pin and collar. They are a pain.
Bruce, why don't you try getting the MBP1000 movement? They are famous for having the relatively serviceable in house movement despite being a small brand.
Great video Bruce
Nice, you have put the links i send by mail! Cool review as always. Cheers Bruce.
Cheers!
Hey Bruce can you tell me how the bracelet is adjusted? Does it use screw links, push pins etc..?
Pin and collar system
The case size is perfect, but it looks to me that the way they designed the end links, not articulated, makes the watch look kind of long for a small wrist, what do you think?
I had my wife put it on and call me crazy I thought it looked excellent
Do you still own your Yema, Bruce?
One of three Yema watches I own (I own the quartz version)👍🇫🇷
I think I prefer the 38 mm pearl diver but both are amazing
Is it just my eyes, or is the graduation on the bezel misaligned somewhat? I can't unsee the 3 o'clock graduation marker between 10 and 20 secs drooping a bit below where the date window is? The window on the bezel lock makes it really apparent. Also, the 20 marker on the bezel is not aligned with 4 o'clock marker on the dial. Something looks off to me.
I like the look, as it keeps coming up in my newsfeed ads. Really disappointed that they did not at least give it a lume pip at that price point and water rating.
The pip is lumed on mine. It's weaker than the dial lume, but not by much.
I'm always a sucker for one of those domed crystals.
Always
It's a nice watch Bruce but it's not floating my boat as far as a diver, and all the euros for a nice watch and nice bracelet, a bit too shiny but a friction clasp, that let's it down. The bezel lock, I don't know? Great vid Bruce glad you enjoy the watch I wouldn't say no to one.
These are nice looking watches. But the quality is lacking to say the least. I fell for the hype and bought a heritage 63 and the number fell off of one of the indices after a couple months of intermittent wear (not my only watch).
Wow love this watch this brand have nice y beautiful style the green one it’s my favorite
Very beautiful watch, but I cannot get past that bezel lock. When logging dive time, one would set the bezel in the water, on the surface, while waiting for the rest of the divers to do their checks and OK each other to descend (start the dive). How would one set this bezel in the water since it involves unscrewing the crown... while in the water?? Even if I will not take this diving (I only use dive computers in the water), but the fact that this bezel lock is so out of touch with actual diving circumstances, puts me off. What am I missing here?
Is it comparable with Oris Aquis or Sinn 104?I mean the quality and value for money factor?
I don't own an oris or s Sinn, but I'd say the quality of the Yema is nowhere near them.
This watch is awesome
Aren’t the outer edges of the minute markers the 1 and 4? The spacing seems right.
Great review. I think Yema should have incorporates a railway minute track behind the indices rather than having just 2 lines in between the markers.
Can the bezel lock guard be removed ?
My son bought himself one after working for the state DOT for a year. Nice watch, but that bracelet is hard to size because of the taper.
Yes it’s a stylish piece..
Thank you, awesome review, Bruce. If it had better lume hour markers, lume in blue, 41-42mm, their in house movement, and wow needs luminous bezel dot.... it's a gorgeous watch, just not for me.
I own the Flygraf M1 (black dial) and it is absolutely beautiful. The dial really plays with the light well and the finishing is great. Nice brushing on the whole case and that embossed case back is 🤌. HOWEVER..... It's horribly inaccurate, and I've somehow managed to strip the threads to the crown *twice* . When I say inaccurate, I mean it was running +48sec/day out of the box (remember, Yama claims they regulate it to +/- 10 sec a day in-house) and only got worse as time went on. Also, going back to the crown, I own probably 2 dozen automatic watches with screw down crowns and this is literally the only one that I've had problems with. As a matter of fact, this is the only watch I've ever owned that has required me to file a warranty claim. Even after getting it back, it was still running at +21/day. They told me that this was "within spec" for the in-house movement and therefore didn't qualify for another warranty claim. Customer service wasn't exactly polite about it either.
I still love it though. It's pretty, the dial really has a beautiful texture and plays with the light. The bracelet fits really well and I'm honestly not bothered by the clasp like a lot of other people are. The lume on it is also amazing and lasts a really long time and stays super bright for hours.
Maybe things are different now, as I bought the watch back in 2020. I'm pretty sure that they have discontinued this model as a matter of fact which is a shame. I'm sure they've worked some more kinks out with the in-house movement and they work better. But when it comes to the "guts" of the watch, I'm very dissatisfied. Mine is now out of warranty and just sits in its box unworn for the time being. And, that's a shame.
You wouldn’t be the only one with bias. Seems like every reviewer is a bit biased on this watch. Yema definitely marketed very well with YT reviewers. Haven’t seen this much swooning since the BB 58, but that slightly made sense. Not being a hater, just calling a spade a spade.
Bulletin!: New Yema in-house calibres to replace the MB1000. Yema2000 & Yema3000 (this one for the GMT complication). They will sell the GMT on Kickstarter with the new 3000! Holy Sh**.
Have my eye on the new GMT/3000 in bronze since there’s a tropic rubber strap with matching bronze buckle. I have the watch in this review but on the black leather strap with red/white/blue French flag 🇫🇷 color stitch and it’s very comfy and eye catching.
@@arikjohnson412 The big question, that they 'say' they do not have information about, is whether their new in-house Yema3000 has jumping hours. One would think that the main reason for making an in-house GMT caliber would be to add this feature, make it a true GMT. If not, it will be disappointing.
It's charming, but nothing seems to line up. I'm a Seiko fanboi so I'm used to that, but this is something else. Dial markers don't align with the bezel, the 3 bezel marker isn't centered in the bezel lock window, finishing on the hands and markers looks worse than entry level Seiko.
I think you need glasses brotha :)
Bollocks
Hi, It would be really nice if you could compare a 41mm to your 39mm. Thanks
🤔that date window, looks unbalanced to me, wider on the right side? or is that the distortion at the edge of the sapphire?
Just some distortion. Its a square
I am waiting for the new limited air force edition for review soon
They really let it down by not adding AR coating on this one. That would bother me. It is beautiful in many other ways though.
This or the Seiko sbdc101?
I have the 41mm Superman Heritage Blue, and the 39mm Navygraf. I love them both but the bracelets are criminally bad. I mean un-useable. I've had to put them each on aftermarket straps. I WISH the weak spot was the clasp... but the real weak spot is the lack of articulation where the bracelet meets the endlink. Also, the bezel is NOT 120 clicks, it's 90 clicks, at least it is on my 41mm. That kind of sucks.
It is a very pretty watch, the dial is amazing. I mean really beautiful. But I have mixed emotions about this brand... I've bought two of them so far, I want to recommend Yema, but I really can't recommend Yema
Hi, John.
I have a few questions if you would be so kind. I’m looking to purchase this watch and I keep going back and forth on which size case to buy. I’m a big guy at 6’3”, 215#, but have a smaller wrist at 6.75”. 39mm looks kind of small on me. 41mm looks good, but I am worried about the end links you speak of. Does the bracelet actually make the effective lug to lug much longer than the said 49.5mm on the 41mm version? Are the bracelets the same on both models you have? Any and all information would be much appreciated!
Looks OK, doesn't float my boat tho tbh.(hate 3 o'clock dates on divers) ..l do like their space watches tho. Cheers mate 👍🏻
The yema looks nicer than the rolex.
I see the Yema brand making the rotation on the various RUclips watch channels but it doesn't float my boat sorry. Those outlandish crown guards and that bezel lock gimmick cause a pass for me.
I'm glad to see they are getting some well deserved exposure
I understand not liking the bezel locking mechanism, for sure. I heard they wanted to leave it behind but purist fans complained, and it is a "Heritage" model. I don't get how the crown guards are outlandish, though. They seem pretty ordinary and fairly conservative
A watch is good not only for its appearance or history, now the most important thing is the service, and this company, I say this from my own experience, has a disastrous service
I've heard other stories which is why I no longer feature the brand
This or Oris divers 65?
Flip a coin I like them both!
Both are really good looking, but the Yema is a more "serious" divers, like Bruce said, flip a coin if u really can't decide ;)
Oris,no doubt.But is like 1.5k$
I’d pick the Yema above the Hulk any day.
It’s as though it’s confused about whether it’s a dress or a tool watch.
For the money, I'd rather buy another Aquis and I already have 2. That clasp is atrocious and the lume is too weak. I'm indifferent on the bezel lock.
I love the Aquis!
Bracelet is a killer for me as I like the bracelet to lay flat
It will lay flat it just doesn't do so on the first link if that makes sense
@@BruceWilliams i no what you mean Bruce i like them to lay flat on case from the first link the watch head is nice tho just needs a little attention to the finish of the markers great content and good luck with being fulltime on the tube.
What’s with all the float the boat comments ??
Requiring you to unscrew the crown in order to operate the bezel is a terrible design. You're basically negating the screwdown feature if you need to operate the bezel underwater.
The bezel is used initially above water before a dive to time your dive. It's not operated underwater. Plus nobody diving nowadays actually uses a dive bezel anymore, they use dive computers
@@thehypercovery that's not how a diving bezel is meant to be operated. I'm a scuba diver. While I mainly use a dive computer, the dive watch is a backup timing device I use on every dive to time my safety stops, and that's done underwater.
I understand most people don't use dive watches for actual diving, but I'm commenting regarding the poor design. It should be able to do the job it's advertised to do.
@@theguardian3431 oh yea good point on the safety stops. I guess they wanted to be faithful to the original so they kept the design.
@@thehypercovery yeah that makes sense. They were more committed to design over function. And like you said, most people don't dive with dive watches.
Discount means it's over priced. All your doing is haggling over the salesman's commission. You do you man but,if you're not a collector, buy a Seiko turtle 6309-7049. 36 years,and still ticking. That,or lay out some cash, and buy a known classic.
It is a direct to consumer sale. No commission. I think just to drive some business during a relatively slow time for the watch market
Markers are a bit rough round the edges
True
Wow, Yema seems to send watches to every youtuber. As a paying customer, I have been strongly disappointed: watches look nothing like the great pictures online, QC is a joke, in 6 month Yema has sent me a faulty delivery, then an ex with appalling QC issues, then an ex with a blocked bezel.... customer service is extremely rude and ineffective. In the end, I was able to get a refund, but needed help to send an official complaint via a French solicitor.