Yema - A French watch brand ...

…that you should definitely know!

The French watch brand YEMA, based in Morteau, has always been closely associated with the pursuit of excellence. Its founder, Henry Louis Belmont, laid the foundation for this commitment when he graduated top of his class from the Besançon National Watchmaking School. Founded in 1948, YEMA has been part of the family company Montres Ambre de Morteau since 2009 and is now managed by Pascal and Christopher Bôle, the second and third generations of the family.

YEMA's history is remarkable. Founder Henry Louis Belmont was a pioneer of manufacturing automation in the French watch industry and, from the very beginning, associated the brand with high quality and innovation despite mass production. By the 1960s, the brand was already one of France's largest watch exporters, shipping around 400,000 watches annually to more than 55 countries.

Over decades, YEMA has made a name for itself as a manufacturer of high-precision timepieces for the military, professional athletes, and explorers. Many of the historic models still characterize YEMA's current collections, making the brand a living legacy of French watchmaking.

In 1953, YEMA launched one of the first diving watches with a water resistance of ten bar. Numerous milestones followed in the 1960s: the "Yachtingraf" with a patented countdown timer (1966), the "Superman" with a water resistance of up to 30 bar and a patented bezel locking mechanism (1967), and the "Rallygraf," which race car driver Mario Andretti wore during his victory in Indianapolis in 1969. With the "Flygraf" chronograph and the collaboration with the French Air Force in 1970, YEMA definitively cemented its image as a manufacturer of reliable tool watches.

On June 24, 1982, YEMA made history when the “Spationaute I” became the first French wristwatch to fly into space with astronaut Jean-Loup Chrétien.

The 1980s also brought corporate changes: After being integrated into the Matra Horlogerie Group in 1981, Richard Mille developed the "North Pole," a robust titanium tool watch that proved its worth on Jean-Louis Étienne's North Pole expedition in 1986. That same year, YEMA became majority-owned by Hattori-Seiko, until Louis Eric Beckensteiner returned the brand to French hands in 2004.

Since 2009, YEMA has been part of the family-run Ambre France. Under Pascal and Christopher Bôle, the company invested in its own caliber. After four years of development, the MBP1000 was released, a reliable movement that has since been produced in 250,000 pieces.

In 2020, YEMA became an official partner of the French Armed Forces and, with experts like Olivier Mory and Patrick Augereau, optimized its caliber. The improved YEMA2000 (three-hand) and YEMA3000 (GMT) movements set new standards. In Morteau, YEMA's hometown, the brand combines manufacturing expertise with timeless design and attractive prices.
Design, prototyping, and assembly are carried out locally, and some of the movement components are manufactured in-house. The brand remains true to its philosophy of sourcing materials locally and verticalizing production locally.

Since 2023, YEMA has been producing its own calibers under the name Calibre Manufacture Morteau (CMM), combining Swiss regulating organs with baseplates and bridges manufactured in Morteau. The first movement, the CMM.20, was also the first French micro-rotor caliber. This was followed by the tourbillon caliber CMM.30 with tidal complication and the CMM.10, a precise three-hand movement with a 70-hour power reserve. YEMA also offers models with its own standard movements, quartz watches with Seiko movements, and hybrid movements such as the VK64, which combines quartz and mechanical movements. Prices range from €349 to €9,990.

You can find everything about Yema here: yema.com