YEMA

Yema is a French watchmaking company founded in 1948 in Besançon by Henry Louis Belmont. Henry Louis Belmont was a student of the National Watchmaking School of Besançon when he decided to create his own watchmaking company. In 1963 the brand unveiled the first Yema Superman, the famous diver. A few years later, in 1966, the brand introduced the Yema Yachtingraf, a watch made for sailors. This chronograph watch featured an automatic Valjoux movement and was 200 metre water-resistant. In 1970 Yema became the official supplier of the French Sailing Federation and equipped the French National team. The Yema RallyGraf collection, presented in 1966, was designed for car racing amateurs. Mario Andretti, the Formula One Champion, used to wear one of these watches. In 1982, a French astronaut, Jean-Loup Chrétien, went for the first time for 10 days in space. He wore the Yema Spationaute I watch during this mission. In 1987, Jean-Louis Etienne, an explorator, wore the Yema North Pole watch, especially created for his solo 800km trip to the North Pole. More recently, in 2009, Yema announced a new automatic in-house movement, the MBP 1000, developed with Yonger & Bresson.