This Affordable Sports Watch Has a High-End Feature I Didn’t Expect at This Price

We might have a new leader in the affordable integrated sports watch wars.

Published December 4, 2024

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Integrated sports watches may be old hat at this point, but believe it or not, there’s still innovation happening in the space — especially on the affordable end of the spectrum.

Yema entered the fray with the original Wristmaster Traveller back in 2021, which while very affordable at well under $1,000, didn’t leave much of an impression on the enthusiast market with its goofy curved logo and Patek Nautilus-lite dial.

But Yema has continually refined its Wristmaster line in the years since, and the just-released Wristmaster Slim CMM.20 represents the ultimate expression of the French brand‘s capabilities, which are among the market’s most impressive at this price point.

three yema sports watches on a marble table — Yema is staking its claim as the best affordable integrated sports watch with its updated Wristmaster Slim.

Party in the Back

With its sharp alpha hands, polished applied indices and minimal dial text, the dial of the new Wristmaster is much improved compared to the original incarnation of the watch from three years ago. But the real magic happens when you flip the watch over.

There, through a sapphire caseback, you’ll see the latest version of Yema’s in-house CMM.20 movement. It’s an ultra-thin micro-rotor automatic, which is absolutely not something I would ever expect to find in an integrated sports watch priced around $2K.

The movement measures just 3.7mm thick thanks to its tungsten micro-rotor — a feature normally reserved for far more expensive watches. It also beats at 4 Hz yet maintains an impressive power reserve of 70 hours, all the while maintaining a stated near-COSC accuracy -3/+7 seconds per day. This is all very impressive stuff for an in-house movement at this price.

the micro rotor movement on a yema sports watch seen through a display caseback — Yema’s in-house micro-rotor movement was always impressive, but now it has the premium looks to match its performance.

Yema has used this movement in several watches before, including in limited-edition Wristmasters, but the movements used were frankly pretty ugly with undecorated PVD-coated bridges. Here, the bridges have been decorated with Côtes de Genève in a sunray pattern that’s reminiscent of Omega’s “Geneva waves in arabesque” treatment. It’s gorgeous and looks quite luxurious, and is a far better fit for the micro-rotor.

Luxury for Less

In addition to the movement, the new Wristmaster has another trick up its sleeve — yet another feature borrowed from high-end watches. The butterfly clasp hides a micro-adjustment system that allows 1.5mm to 3mm of extra room in the bracelet.

It’s a feature first seen on the $20,000+ Vacheron Constantin Overseas but adapted earlier this year by Christopher Ward, a Yema competitor, for its own integrated sports watch, the Twelve. All three systems function very similarly: You simply pull and push the clasp to adjust it.

the adjustable clasp on the bracelet of a yema sports watch — The new on-the-fly adjustable clasp offers 1.5 – 3mm of extra room in the bracelet.

The rest of the watch is par for the course when it comes to integrated sports watches, but everything is well executed. There’s a 39mm octagonal case with some sharp angles, a bezel featuring multiple finishes and six cutouts that also somewhat recalls the Overseas but is actually based on a 1980s Yema model, a tapering integrated bracelet with flat brushed links and polished edges, a 3D patterned dial with irregular stripes, and 100m of water resistance.

Pricing and Availability

I had the chance to preview the new Yema Wristmaster Slim CMM.20 earlier this fall at the Windup Watch Show in New York, and I was very impressed. The watch has excellent finishing throughout, it’s seriously thin at 9mm, and that micro-rotor movement is both surprising and stunning to see.

a closeup of a a yema sports watch dial — If you hadn’t given the Yema Wristmaster much though before, you’re probably going to from now on.

Considering that all of this comes together in a watch that costs just $2,249 is quite remarkable, and I can’t think of another watch with a comparable in-house movement that’s priced anywhere near this.

The Wristmaster Slim CMM.20 is available to purchase now on Yema’s website in three dial colors: blue, gold and gray. There’s also a limited edition in black that’s hand-finished on the dial, case, bracelet and movement bridges for a unique look that resembles carbon fiber. It’s priced slightly higher at $2,449, which is crazy inexpensive for an almost completely hand-finished watch.

Yema Wristmaster Slim CMM.20

Yema has given a major dose of refinement to its integrated sports watch by adding its in-house micro-rotor movement as well as an on-the-fly micro-adjustable butterfly clasp for the bracelet.