One of our favorite French watchmakers has just made a huge horological leap: Yema is launching a new watch featuring its own movement, the Wristmaster Micro-Rotor. Even a basic “in-house movement” is a topic for debate among enthusiasts and a big deal for watch brands — but Yema is even more ambitious, creating an “ultra-thin” micro-rotor movement housed in an integrated-bracelet steel sport watch. It elevates the affordability-focused brand to another level among watchmakers, both in terms of prestige and price.
If you’re familiar with Yema, you might have seen the Wristmaster name and a similar design from the brand before, as well as the term “in-house.” For some time, Yema has used movements of its own design and assembly but with components produced by third-party suppliers. The new movements should be distinguished from them, as the brand candidly describes its movement as 80 percent French and 20 percent Swiss — the latter referring specifically to a structure that’s particularly challenging to manufacture, the balance (comprising the balance wheel and hairspring) which regulates timekeeping.
Yema doesn’t, in fact, use the term “in-house,” and rather opts for “manufacture” — though the two terms are often use interchangeably in the industry. Even if the movement can’t be called 100-percent Yema-produced, we’d say it’s good enough and cool enough to get watch enthusiasts’ attention — and Yema’s transparency is appreciated. The 80 percent French-made element is described as manufactured at Yema’s own workshops in its home town of Morteau (close to the border of Switzerland’s watchmaking region).
As in any case in which a watch brand is suddenly making an in-house movement, there’s potentially a lot to discuss (the level of investment required, the value it offers to collectors, etc.). A micro-rotor movement makes it even more interesting. In a nutshell, these are automatic movements that integrate the rotor (which automatically winds the mainspring, and here, it’s made of tungsten) into a movement plate. The motivation is thinness: though it involves a bit more complexity, you can theoretically have an automatic movement as thin as one that’s manually wound.
We’re excited about the possibility of not only watches from Yema with more interesting movements and the elevated execution that typically accompanies them, but those with thinner profiles. The Wristmaster Micro-Rotor limited edition measures 9.2mm thick, which is 2.8mm thinner than the brand’s Wristmaster Traveler (an existing watch that featured a more basic movement, design and finishing but with a similar look).
