I've followed a lot of watch RU-vidrs. They're also like fried chicken sandwiches: always going for the safe choices and some specifically shovelling out bog-tier """content""" just to get views. This is the only watch channel where I can click on a video related to a brand I don't care about and get an interesting lesson on the business case of fast food or how private equity works. Safe choices tend to kinda suck tbh and you can't even differentiate outside the personality of the hosts, or minor variations of the chicken. Here the personality of the host keeps the actual material fresh, and it means you don't always get a chicken sandwich but you do get an amazing meal.
If people are in the mood for a fried chicken sandwich, they don't want haute cuisine, they don't want molecular gastronomy or overly fancy plating. They want comfort food. Something familiar, nourishing and satisfying. Although I gotta admit, that micro rotor movement is one fancy pickle.
Oris to me is that brand. With their 120h inhouse calibre, the upcycled dials, the bronze candy models, their integrated bracelet diver, kermit and the laser propilot, which also come with interesting bracelet and clasp, fully in titanium all by an independent Swiss house
totally agree here except when it comes to the bracelet. oris are fantastic and when you look at their watches, they do not follow the standard “Let’s make it look like Rolex” the big Crown pointer date stands out with its unique dial, the aquis is fantastic with that 400 movement.
Oris prices have gone crazy though. For me, Formex has taken their place in that $1200-$2K sweet spot. Interesting watches with functional innovations. Their ratcheting clasp on leather and rubber is amazing.
Another key factor to keep in mind is that most of these "Chicken Sandwiches" all come from the same "oven". Hundreds of these microbrands are merely designers and they have companies like Roventa or Xantia make the actual watches. Most of these micro brands are watch designers, not watch makers.
There is definitely a directional truth to that - Check out some of my other videos (ie the Christopher Ward video). I talk about how sourcing skill in some ways is more important than actual watchmaking skill 😀
Love the CMM.20 movement. It really helps makes the watch case much thinner and far more versatile. Too many modern dive watches are akin to wearing a hockey puck on your wrist. Bravo Yema for offering an in-house micro-rotor at an affordable cost. Now just tweak the details (dial, clasp, bezel lock) a bit and you will have customers knocking down your door!
That's the thing - you are likely in the minority, but personally I appreciate that they took the time to do their own thing and not just slap in the safe sellita 😃
Such an in-depth Fried Chicken Sandwich analysis! 👏 We need more brands like Yema and CWard, that brings their own twists to the game as opposed to the same old/safe designs.
I've owned three Yema's, a Flygraf, a Speedgraf and now a Superman Heritage. It's got a delightful 1970s bracelet that is jangly, but also different than the rest. The case is different. I like Yema's because of that character. A certain Frenchness, like a Laguiole knife, or a Renault 5 electric car. :) That said, this micro rotor version is a beauty. I prefer my bracelet on the heritage, but the naked dial with the guard, bezel and micro rotor movement are super cool. It's got character. But you forget to talk about one aspect that makes these superman dive watches very Yema. Their boxed crystals. They are the sauce that gives the whole sandwich more, much more flavour. Love their sapphires. One other brand that does things like this is Serica. Serice is another French brand, and I also own their 5303 white dive watch with the very quirky milainaise, replete with P01-alike end links on it. These people also do the different thing, and I applaud them for it.
Seiko puts everything into chicken crunch and sells more watches. I love this Yema, but they invested into something that I don't care which makes the watch too expensive. Great video and analogy.
I don't know what else you might be doing for a living, but you would be a valuable asset in any marketing department. This video should be discussed in marketing classes. Kudos!
My biggest problem is that I would prefer just to have opinions and not actually do the hard work... If only that could be turned into a full time job 😂😂😂
Love this analogy. It’s actually pretty amazing how far you can stretch it whilst still making sense. Also, that’s a very elegant diver. I love the Summery colour.
Yes - First time I got to borrow a watch. Returned after two weeks. Have one other brand that has been so kind to send me a watch (which will also be returned). Hoping it will turn into a good video 😀
Love the analogy! Can't wait for the 'steak baguette ' segment...Next disruptor in the market? Customisation! Satory-Billard, Pinchbeck, Garrick etc will all offer you a custom watch for the price of a mid range Omega. Hmmm...
I have big wrists… It took a lot of watch buying to figure out I’m in love with the lugs of a watch. Skin divers are my favourite. Particularly the new purchase of the longine skin driver. The deal made it worth every penny. My favourite fried chicken sandwich.
Big video with good and funny content. The fried chicken comparison killed me every time 😂. Always when I see your videos get uploaded I watch immediately, my most favorite watch RU-vidr.
part of the reason I got the Sinn u50 was for this reason. I didn't want to buy a nice diver that looked like every $100 diver on the market. I wanted the function of a dive watch but with an identity it's own. i think this is one of the reasons I gravitate away from Swiss brands as it seems like most brands imitate certain swiss design. I also think it's amazing more brands don't imitate German designs. One interesting note is I feel like we don't see this diversity at the very high end which is the opposite of food. You go to a high end restaurant and it's largely about unique textures and it's all about providing dishes that aren't standard.
I love the Yema. I completely agree with you about the bracelet. The dial when compared to my new Squale 1545 is not as interesting,with the Squale at USD 880. I agree with you that the bracelet is the star of the show and that the dial therefore needs to be more restrained. Thank you for your content, it’s always thought provoking. I always look forward to your postings. Thanks again, cheers.
@@A_Dude_And_His_Watch78 thanks, but I’ll remind you that Squale made the cases for Blancpain and other Swiss companies in the 1950s and 60s. Enjoy your day.
Absolutely on the ball with the bracelet and dial. Make that dial a banger, like a porcelain or lacquer and, even with the simple lume plots, people will be lining up to buy this even ignoring the sub par clasp. The bracelet is absolutely gorgeous and that movement is sooo cool. Like some have also mentioned before, Oris is the independent brand that always seems to have their own quirky design choices and risky in-house movement manufacturing that sets them apart but you always wonder if it actually brings them any advantages sales wise. Were I more affluent and those 2 would definitely get plenty of my love ($). Great video again.
I'm just glad to see someone reviewing Yema, I love their Marine Nationale, also the Superman. It's not sitting i hide though. I love a good standard chicken sandwich
@@TheSlowoldman Funny, they look alike each other the most out of their category. Interesting options, either way. Those particular designs aren't for me but I will appreciate your taste and knowledge.
Great content and you should request more watches for hands-on reviews. I appreciate your business perspective and would like to see that some analysis of actual watches in your hands.
Thanks - I will be reaching out to some more brands. My goal isn't to turn into a pure watch review channel but I do like the variety in going down the rabbit hole of one single watch 😃😃
Yema is an interesting brand: French, doing as much as possible in-house, sourcing the rest from a limited geographic perimeter, looking for variations around their vintage/traditional/brand specific patterns which may, or may not appeal to you, but are distinctive. And besides their micro-rotor, they launched a complete range of in-house movements (3 movements in total, including a tourbillon with a unique tidal indicator complication) designed by one of the most promising young watchmakers in France and Switzerland: Olivier Mory. Definitely a bold move and a rarity, even I am not exactly fond of their design language in general.
Great review, left me hungry for more, or maybe just hungry. I wasn't particularly aware of Yema as a brand, and that is where I struggle with watches at this price point. It may be lovely and well built, but could easily be Ali express for all I know. If I want a cheap beater watch, Seiko or Citizen. If I want a posh watch, Rolex, Omega, Cartier or even Longines. I'm slightly over simplifying, but big brands with big brand awareness, or high availability( like citizen) are likely to win out. This falls into the...its not cheap, but then it's expensive for an unknown.…Without googling, I can tell you nothing about Yema. And I know the calibre inside my watch.
They are a relatively small brand, so there is a lot of trust that has to be put in your first purchase. IT's not like Rolex - You know what you're getting 😃
Excellent of you to have picked up that a number of (very) high end brands are sourcing their clasps from Brogioli. Which, to be fair, makes some of the best clasps I have come across.
I love your reviews and channel! I couldn't decide if you were happy or sad with what Yema have done here Tbh I am contrarian by nature so I love it and would pay extra just to support the guts to be different- I agree not everyone will buy it, but it's sheer existence in the space gives us a point of discussion whether Yema are "wrong" or everyone else could up their game Love the videos, keep em coming!!!
Your videos are so good they can be watched a couple of times. You made a great point in the last video take the bracelet off a lot of watches and put them on a strap.I think that does work with Christopher Ward. It works absolutely wonderful with the Tudor Ranger. You’ve found a real quality watch here where you don’t need to do that. I don’t particularly like the bracelet but I have to respect it.
I really like the fried chicken sandwich concept, although my priorities might be slightly different: For me the bun is the movement as I consider it to be the second most important thing after the chicken (the case). If ETA/Selitta are really solid, classic brioches, Miyota being the harmless saseme burger bun, then Seiko goes from the equivalent of a moldy toast (6R) to a organic whole wheat bun that is stale (6L/8L). This Yema MMC on the other hand is almost like a garlic butter naan. It is absolutely brilliant, just not what I expect to be paired with fried chicken.
This video is approved by the American Poultry Association and the National Chicken Council 😎! Great vid as always Mike. I applaud Yema for taking some bold design choices but I believe the dial is a bit too plain for the price. I’m a sucker for a beautiful dial!
I really like business philosophy of Yema. Coplaniea like that are what mmoves industries forward. This Superman model might have some flows for a 2.5K $, but a new movement and a new style of metal bracelet on the same watch is insane. As long as this donest bancrupt them, they now have a great raw base for a collection that they can refine, work at and improve little by little. They could make a new reference with premium looking dial, aplied markers and hands and stuff, and at some point it could become among the most interestong buys in the price range
yes. you are correct. Yema has been taking that sort of risks/chances, hoping that some big things will surface, but until today, it hasn't. that is the main issue for them.
Some time ago, I -needed- wanted a "GADAW" and the minimalism with premium features of an Explorer clomage appealed to me. And it has been the perfect wearing size with a great bracelet. Still, it was something mechanical to wear before I would get my Seiko Baby Alpinist. And I did get it, when it was discontinued and availability was dropping. First reason was the discontinuation. The second reason was it was the exact opposite of a Texplorer: Original, thick, display case back, on a strap, date, hands more prominent than indexes, colourful gradient granular gradient dial, wonky accuracy that got better, domed crystal. The Texplorer started to get on my nerve how there was nothing beyond the dial. Just the lacquer reflecting my gaze. And yet, I might have been perfectly happy with a Traska Commuter from the start: Same specs as the Texplorer, but a domed glass, hardened surface, nicer bracelet, *colourful brushed dial* and not a 100% copy. For the price of an Alpinist. Food analogy: Upgrading from a canned pork on toast to a schnitzel with boiled potatoes seemed like a logical choice, but I went for a fish with jasmine rice. Not the typical choice and not a 100% improvement - because I know myself. Of all the watches I bought, the safe sober choices eventually became the boring ones. Flair remained flair. Besides, there's a high chance I'll find the "perfect brushed dial" some day, unlike the chance of finding a better Alpinist-like watch. So, a conclusion to this rambling: There are still microbrands and big brands that come up with non-conforming stuff, or better yet have traditionally non-conforming designs in their back catslogue. And to some people, they're actually the best watches available. Seiko (Alpinist, Turtle, Willard), Studio Underdog, RZE (modern style in titanium), Citizen (pure tool divers that will eventually become "00's retro", Panerai (I do hope they get their shit together, persevere, and preserve their niche), Lorier (who's better at 50's/60's retro?).
It’s a nice watch and definitely nicer than a fried chicken sandwich (but I get what you mean). Appreciate the effort they put into making the movement slim. I like how they’ve made the dial attractive without being gaudy.
I like yema a lot. They seem to offer something unique in a lot of their designs. My watch collection is small, 10 watches, ant yet somehow, three of them are yemas. One needs to pay attention to their "end of line" sales which pop up every now and than, i managed to grab a flygraf 2, a great looking field/pilot watch with in house movment and 300m water resistance (quite unique for this kind of watches) for 475 USD, fantastic value.
Great video, and I love the analogy. Pickles can make or break a chicken sandwich in my opinion, but then again I am a movement fan. You know how I can prove that, I am contemplating buying a Roger Dubuis Easy Diver Chrono, it is comically oversized by today's standards but I LOVE the movement, a Geneva hallmarked Lemania (basis for the Omega 321) the movement that went to the moon. So I guess I'll put up with a huge bun to appreciate the pickles, to be fair the chicken (dial) isn't bad either on the RD. With regard to the Yema, I do find it to be a reasonably attractive watch and I like the uniqueness of the bracelet, the bezel lock could be a bit better if it wasn't so floppy with the crown unscrewed. Overall at that price point it would be hard to bet against Longines for me.
Fried chicken analogy is brilliant. I have a Yema Urban Traveller and enjoy the watch. I am not a fan of the Yema diver (though I do like skin divers - I own SPB 143 and 239) because of the dial. At the $2500 price point there is too much competition for my $$ once you consider preowned. I think the brand’s new pilot watches look great. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for your vid, Mike! I think the watch is not bad but the bezel lock would get on my nerves for sure. I think Squale could be a brand that is similar in having also some rather unconventional design choices.
Yema also has a Skin Diver Slim CMM.20 coming out in a couple of months with that bracelet and movement and man oh man is it gorgeous! I'm not a $2,250 USD watch guy but hopefully they put that dial or a similar one in a more affordable package in the near future. What a looker!
I actually have the new skin diver from them on loan right now... It's a cooler watch than the one in the video. Better dial. No crown guard. It's great 😀
The design esthetic definitely works here. The choice to spend the money on the in house movement will serve them well in the future as they expand. Going with an of the shelf movement and bracelet would send this brand straight to Amazon and Esty (not good). The bracelet has a beautiful design but let down by the clasp. They can keep the simple dial however it could use a more clever layout. Otherwise, I think this is a nice watch.
there has to be off the shelf scale bracelets offered by overseas manufacturers…. i’m wearing a Phoibos that has it w/ an on the fly microadjust clasp. maybe the other brands just don’t want to pay the cost? it’s not as flexible as an oyster bracelet.
Great video. This is why I buy vintage watches mostly from defunct brands - so much stylistic variety for so little expenditure. Also some really technically interesting, in-house movements - micro-rotors, bumper automatics etc. Oh and really comfy bracelets like my jangly, stretched, very tapered 70s Omega Genève. Mercifully I don't like divers as vintage ones are generally silly prices. I also reckon variety is one of Seiko's strengths and why people like them though they're not my cup of tea. Lots of toolish divers with distinctive designs - monster, turtle, samurai, sumo, tuna, arnie, skx, willard etc To extend the fried chicken analogy, the best in the world imo is from Frenchy's, served from a counter inside an HEB grocery store/supermarket in one of Houston's dodgier neighbourhoods. Eaten sitting on the curb in said HEB's car park/parking lot. You can pay five times as much and get something in a upscale location, with posher packaging, a more middle class clientele and all manner of additional overheads. But it won't taste as good.
Beyond the bracelet design and the micro rotor, there is nothing that jumps out at me to buy the Yema dive watch. You used the chicken sandwich analogy, but in my opinion, the Yema diver is a plain white tee shirt. Most dive watch buyers stay on land or go into a swimming pool, and barely ever go below the surface. In essence, the watch is a "plain Jane" design, and does nothing that speaks to me. My feedback to Yema is either drop the price, or make the dial eye catching (using your suggestions), and at the same time, make the bracelet with a micro extension.
What people (including the reviewer) fail to understand is that the Yema Superman is an historic dive watch. It dates from 1967 (including the general shape of the case, the dial, the bezel lock, the scale bracelet). It was the first bracelet watch to be water reistsant to 300m (except maybe some very low volume prototypes). It looks the way it looks since almost 60 years. It's not some micro brand copy of other successful divewatches. And definitely not a plain white t-shirt or a chicken sandwich (damn that was an analogy that made zero sense if you know a little bit of the history of the brand and model).
While searching for a vintage bracelet for a 1969 Accutron, I saw one similar in design to this "scale" bracelet. They called it a "coffin link" design, and it was usually sold with the Accutron Astronaut model, which is quite pricey.
Outstanding video as always sir. I like Yema I do own several Superman but they are typically French (so am I): able to do the bets one day, and the worse the next one. Their range is a bit of a mess. Still I love most of their Superman (the 500m in particular, I’m not into skin divers for me a tool watch doesn’t have to be slim). Among others I think that apart from CW who really tries stuff, I don’t see many micro or indépendants taking risks - in the high end Moser and Chopard do.
I am thrilled by the analysis but segmentation and differentiation are key to marketing. There are consumers who are serious about pickles and buns. Don’t know how many.
I still cannot fathom how a modern dive watch where one needs to unscrew the crown to operate the bezel could still be sold now. Unless YEMA specifically targets desk divers wearing timepieces that will never ever get close to water ?
I have a 3 year old $1,100 Yema Superman Blue that goes in saltwater 3-4 a week. Zero issues. I rarely use the bezel on any of my five dive watches ranging from $800 to about $9,000. The Yema has an SW200 movement for reference and it works very well. Yema gets hammered a lot. It appears when the brand makes mistakes they take longer than most to acknowledge and correct them, hence the “poor customer service problems” comments. I have not had any meaningful issues in my experience. I am about to buy another Yema. Am I taking a chance? Maybe, but I don’t might supporting a Company that doesn’t conform to the collective design language of an industry.
Upscaling through Seiko, Hamilton etc got a BB58 a while back. It set a benchmark where everything now feels much the same or offers a severely diminished returns for the price demanded. The Maen Manhattan is the only watch that has got my attention in months. Delicious chicken in a nice bun, decent pickle and not overly expensive. There is a real pleasure to be had in discovering good food at a bargain price. You expect a delicious chicken sandwich at a Michelin starred restaurant but may wonder about the markup on the bill and whether you could have got the sandwich cheaper somewhere else. The experience would have been great though🙂
To further your analogy, I respectfully submit that the action (bezel, crown, and otherwise) is the sauce. The chicken might be great, the bread might be fresh, etc., but what's bringing it all together? User interface, the point at which we interact with a watch. And I'd go further by suggesting that an "action" goes beyond touch and feel, to include the sound of a bezel, whether or not there's a grit to the crown, the sight of a sunburst dial, etc. I would, however, question the decisions of a watchmaker who introduces an olfactory element to their work..
Nearly all of what you say stops making any sense when you know that Yema is not the typical micro brand but actually has quite the history behind the name and when you know that the Superman (including the shape of the case, the dial, the bezel lock and the scale bracelet) dates from 1967. It was the first 300m water resitant watch. It did not just come out like a couple years ago...
Love the micro rotor, love the proportions. Love the dial and case. If it weren't for the bezel lock and the amount the crown protrudes, this would be the perfect skindiver. If Yema can do something about those, I'd buy it. With the leather strap.
From my perspective, it’s a little bit of stretch to say that the movement is the pickle. I would say the movement IS the chicken and the breading on the fried chicken is the case. Both need to be great for a satisfying experience. Just my 2 cents.
Great analogy. Love the bracelet; you’re too kind about the dial - that’s a very bland blue. Crown guards going all the way the edge of the crown doesn’t good good (or functional).
The first time I saw the Superman online, I was thinking nice to see someone bring back the unique coffin link bracelet design from the old school Seiko Bellmatic.
The unspoken truth about the Yema is it's French origin. The French have a tendency to chart their own course. That may help explain their somewhat iconic design choices; perhaps best illustrated by their choice of bun and pickle? Thanks for your unique insights, Mike.
Your analysis and perspective are once again eye opening and thought provoking. I've owned a Yema Superman GMT a while back. Very cool watch. Feel about the same with this watch you have here. Perhaps coincidental, but, I feel brands like Serica, Triton, ZRC have their unusual fried chicken sandwiches and they all happen to be French brands, like Yema. Are they making their own waves and not riding on the same ones? I think so. Next time, we want to see you eat that fried chicken sandwich while schooling us in another watch presentation. Seriously... I need a sandwich from Starbird or a McChicken from McD's this weekend. Seed planted in my brain, thanks.
As someone with an Instagram account about watches and sandwiches, I love the fried chicken sandwich analogy. Being also in the food space, I saw the beginnings of the fried chicken sandwich trend in the San Francisco Bay Area two decades ago and I now see the quick adjust clasp of a midrange diver as the sriracha aioli or ambiguously Asian coleslaw-it was a unique value-add until it became ubiquitous.
The problem is, most divers don't have what I'm looking for. I love the bezel for daily timing. But so many that I like don't come with a date or a displayback. I'd like to see more interesting movement options too.
All this talk about chicken sandwiches has me salivating for a Nashville Hot fried chicken sandwich. I gotta fight the urge, however, for my weight loss journey. Damn you, sir.
I like the aesthetic of the yema But Would I spend my money on this - probably not The movement is cool - but I’d want tried and tested, so maybe In 5 years once there is data on their products reliability
hello watch hero, got once this yema,sold it 4 months later: why? the locking item of the bezel is not only poorly designed but also a killer for wool sweaters ( so mostly a problem in autumn and winter ) but still have killed some of the my wool , i swear with cashmir not a funny thing 😅… the locking item itself is annoying laborious and sometimes not easy to adjust correctly… but other than that, this company has a good in-house movement but for me they are riding the french military and marine horse a bit too much… and for 2,5 K i would rather go for a a vertex M100 (even with only 42 h power reserveI ) or a Farer discovery black velvet 36 mm , or a Furlan Marri white sector ref 2161-a for half the price… surely the diameter of the previous watches are slightly smaller, but delivers in my opinion far more style and value…🍀
I've hoped, ever since Emmanuel Dietrich's DD-1, that his creativity and risk-taking would be rewarded. It seems that over time, the very issues Mike brings up in this video have escorted Dietrich's offerings from open water back to the safety of the harbor. It's unfortunate. In addition to his avant-garde dials and concepts, Dietrich's TC-1, for example, has a unique, high-quality bracelet that echoes the the shape of the watch case. Since that model's release, subsequent offerings have been very cost-conscious and (from my subjective viewpoint) vanilla on both design and manufacture. Here's hoping there will be another push forward!
