Is the Yema Navygraf Marine Nationale CMM.10 the “French Watch of the Year”?
Jamie WeissYema seems to be on an absolute roll right now. The independent French brand is hitting all the right notes: classic designs; capable in-house movements; and most importantly, sharp pricing. Their latest creation, the Navygraf Marine Nationale CMM.10 – a modern recreation of a 70s model produced in collaboration with the French Navy – touches on all those areas. It’s even been named “French Watch of the Year” by the Union de la Bijouterie Horlogerie (the French jewellers and watchmakers’ union), an award that recognises watches that “combine both excellence in design and the best proportion of French-made components”. It’s an impressive appellation, but what do we Aussies think of this watch?
The dial
Yema describes the new Navygraf Marine Nationale CMM.10 as “a refined, enhanced take on the 1970s historical model developed in collaboration with Marine Nationale military personnel”. However, this new model’s dial (and overall design) significantly differs from 1970s Navygraf models… But that’s not bad, as this modern dial layout is cleaner and more fun. Also, to be clear, this is not strictly speaking a military-issued watch: Marine Nationale servicepeople can purchase it at a discount, however.
Anyway, it features a matte navy blue dial with white indices, hands and dial text, with a yellow seconds hand and “Navygraph” model designation providing a pleasant pop of contrast. It’s an extremely legible, timeless design. The Super-LumiNova glows light blue which is a nice, thematic touch.
The case
The Yema Navygraf Marine Nationale CMM.10’s case, simply put, is utterly inoffensive. It’s got a Goldilocks 39mm diameter and mostly brushed surfaces, aside from some polishing along its lug edges. It doesn’t particularly stand out from the pack, but there’s nothing you could complain about here, either. Something that’s worth praising is that it’s 1.5mm thinner than the original Navygraf, thanks to its namesake manufacture calibre CMM.10. More on that in a bit.
An interesting point of comparison is against the recently-released Yema Superman Slim CMM.20: the Navygraf is slightly thicker (admittedly by only 1.25mm) and has the same diameter and double-domed crystal, but a shorter lug-to-lug (46mm versus 48mm) thanks to a chunkier lug design. The Navygraf also has a slightly larger bezel. Speaking of which, it features a sapphire crystal insert and lumed markings. A water-resistance rating of 300m lands it in proper dive watch territory.
The strap
Two strap options are available for this Navygraf: an elasticated Marine Nationale-branded parachute strap, or an H-link steel bracelet. There’s only a US$100 difference between the two options, which is pretty reasonable when you consider that rival dive watch brands typically charge multiple hundreds for a bracelet.
The steel bracelet features micro-adjustment and a diver’s extension, but has a slightly cheap-feeling pressed clasp. Being at the more affordable end of the horological spectrum, I guess a compromise needs to be made somewhere – and if this clasp really bothers you, just opt for the parachute strap.
The movement
The CMM.10 in this watch’s name stands for Calibre Manufacture Morteau 10, an in-house “chronometric precision calibre” designed and developed by Yema, with its major components (namely its bridges and mainplate) manufactured in Yema’s workshops in Morteau, France. It’s also assembled, regulated and undergoes quality control in France. Yema doesn’t submit these movements to any observatory but claims an accuracy rating of -3/+5 seconds per day, which is better than COSC standard.
It’s an impressive movement and an aesthetically pleasing one too, featuring a very modern black galvanic microblasted finish and a gunmetal rotor, which are on display through an exhibition caseback (albeit slightly obscured by a Marine Nationale graphic). Its best feature, in my opinion, is its 70-hour power reserve.
The verdict
We’ve still got five months left in the year, and there’s already been some killer French watches released in 2024 – the Baltic x Time+Tide Hermétique Night Mode and Serica Ref. 8315 Travel Chronometer immediately come to mind – but this Yema Navygraf is certainly in contention for the French Watch of the Year, in our opinions at least. It’s not reinventing the wheel or anything, but it ticks a hell of a lot of boxes – with just a hint of Gallic flair with those pops of yellow contrast.
Our creative director Marcus was particularly taken by this Yema – when we got this in for filming, he was filled with praise, gushing “it’s freaking tempting to add it to my collection – the colour of the dial and bezel is so awesome.” For the price, too, it’s a steal: where else can you get an in-house movement dive watch with a 70-hour power reserve and these sorts of specs for under US$2,000? That’s pretty hard to top…
Yema Navygraf Marine Nationale CMM.10 pricing & availability
The Yema Navygraf Marine Nationale CMM.10 is available now for pre-orders from yema.com, with orders shipping in October 2024. Price: US$1,590 (on parachute strap), US$1,690 (on bracelet)
| Brand | Yema |
| Model | Navygraf Marine Nationale CMM.10 |
| Reference Number | 21.14.55.SN.M |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) x 13.2mm (T) x 46mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | 316L stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 300m, screw-down crown |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Matte blue dial |
| Lug Width | 19mm |
| Strap | Marine Nationale parachute strap H-link steel diver’s bracelet |
| Movement | CMM.10, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 70 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, unidirectional diving bezel |
| Availability | Open to pre-orders, shipping October 2024 |
| Price | US$1,590 / €1,590 (on parachute strap) US$1,690 / €1,690 (on bracelet) |