The Yema Navygraf Phantom is a limited edition of 200 pieces, which takes the standard Navygraf and gives it a stealth look with an all-black IP case and bracelet, a vertical brushed dial, a black matte ceramic bezel insert, and the Yema Manufacture Movement CMM.10, which can be seen through a tinted sapphire exhibition case back. It retains the iconic yellow hands that the Navygraf has become known for, and this is a more straightforward, and some would say sleeker, dive watch than the Superman Diver. With the Yema movement and only 200 pieces being made, it’s not exactly cheap, and it brings up $1000 more than the standard Navygraf at $2,099.
I have always had a fondness for the Yema Navygraf, as I love the vintage aesthetic to it, which is, of course, intentional, as it’s a recreation and redesign of the Navgraf model from the 70s, and this modern collection serves as an official partner for the French Navy. While the Superman diver is unique in its own right, I have always liked the classic and slim lines of the Navygraf and just always found the case and dial to be a very pleasing design, a design that can easily be worn daily, while also being 300 meters water resistant and ready for the sea or ocean, if one chooses to do so.
This Yema Navygraf Phantom takes it up a few notches, more so than I originally thought, and there are more differences from the Heritage model than I realized, which I guess justifies the $1000 price difference between the two models. The Heritage has a date window, an SW200-1 movement, a Hesalite domed crystal, and the bezel inset is enamel, and has a pretty standard flat painted dial.
This Phantom model, beyond the all-black case and bracelet, has no date due to the CMM.10 movement, for more dial symmetry, a vertical brushed black dial similar to the Superman Skin Diver I reviewed a few months ago, a double dome sapphire crystal, and a matte black ceramic insert.
I really admire the overall look of the case; it has a very industrial look about it, sharply defined lines, an all brushed case, vertical brushing on top with horizontal brushing on the case sides, and just a hint of high polish with a thin chamfer running down the top edge of the case. I also love the integrated crown guards and the taper from the lugs to create said crown guards, and the fact that this case is just a touch over 11mm, especially for a watch that is rated 300m. Despite this only being a 38.5mm case (more on that in a bit), the crown is still large enough and easy to grasp with my medium to large-sized hands, and has a great feel about it.
Same with the bezel. This is a steel bezel with the matte black ceramic insert, and while there are numbers and hash markers engraved on the bezel, Yema chose to stay with the phantom theme and only lumed or colored in the triangle 60 mark. This bezel, unlike the Superman divers, does not lock, so it’s your standard 120 click bezel, and yet I find it to be a great bezel with great action, easy to turn but not loose, and very crisp and precise.
The dial of the Yema Navygraf Phantom retains the now iconic yellow hour and minute hand, and has a tapered stick second hand, as well as the exclamation point marks, which are not exactly old radium lume paint colored, but more of a pale yellow. No date window here, which I personally like because it does not interrupt those markers, and I am just a sucker for no-date dials anyway. The big upgrade with this dial is vertical brushing, which I could just stare at all day, and looks great with that 2.5mm thick double dome sapphire above it. The dial is a definite upgrade over the standard Navygraf.
Turning the watch over, though, things start to get a little wierd. Yema chose to show off their CMM.10 movement here, which I understand as they are proud of their movement, and with great accuracy and a 70 power reserve, they should be. That said, for some reason, they chose to do a black-tinted crystal, which I show in the above video, just how much this blacks out everything, unless you get just the right light and angle to see the movement. It’s called an exhibition case back for a reason, so this had me scratching my head.
I also have an issue with the size of the case in proportion to the bracelet. This Yema Navygraf Phantom is listed at a compact, refined 38.5mm case, yet I measured it with my calipers at 39.3 from 10-4, and since my calipers were correct in measuring the lug width and bracelet, I am not sure how they came to that measurement.
And that brings me to the bracelet, which has a few issues. The lugs are 19mm, and the bracelet starts out at 19mm and then tapers immediately to 18 and then 16mm towards the clasp. My preference for larger watches aside, I just feel the bracelet is much too thin for the size of the case and feels really off balance.
My issues with the bracelet, unfortunately, do not stop there. This is a sample piece from Yema, and as such, I am not sure if it was not finished to the same standard as the production models. The coating is listed as black IP, not DLC, which I do find disconcerting, but the coating and finish do look good until you get to the inner links, which were clearly not coated separately; they were coated with the bracelet assembled, as you can see the rainbow mark between the links. This is not something I would expect to be on a $2000 watch.
It doesn’t end there, though, as this is a very basic clasp, functional with an old school dive extension, yes, but again, considering the price, and that it is limited, I expected the new Yema quick adjustment clasp, which is available on the Pearl Navygraf, which retails for $2500.
And because it was a sample piece, it did not come with any extra links, and was extremely tight on my 7 1/2 inch (19.05cm) wrist, and with issues I described above, along with not really being able to wear this Yema Navygraf Phantom for more than 5-10 minutes, I really did not enjoy how this Yema Navygraf Phantom looked on my wrist. I really like this design, but the thin bracelet width, coupled with the short bracelet, made it awkward-looking on my wrist. While this is a smaller watch, I do hope that production models come with more links; it would only fit up to a 7 1/4 inch (18.42cm) wrist.
On a brighter note, pun intended, the Super-LumiNova is pretty good on this Phantom model, especially considering these are painted markers instead of applied, and the thin area where it is applied to the hands. The second hand does not glow well at all, but it looks great in the dark with a nice bluish-green hue and lasts for around 4-5 hours.
The Yema Navygraph Phantom does have a lot going for it, and it has a lot of upgrades over the Heritage edition, more than I initially realized. I love all black cases and think the blackout theme works well for the Navygraf model, and I love the touch of color and contrast with the yellow hands and markers. The vertical brushed dial looks fantastic, and while I would prefer a bigger case for my wrist, this may be perfect for others. Everything is subjective at the end of the day. I do hope the bracelet links are evenly coated on production models, though, as I would be disappointed with an $800 watch with links like that, let alone $2100.
I've been an avid watch lover since the age of 7. Watches are not only my hobby but a passion. My favorite style used to be dive watches, but field or non bezel watches have been growing on me. When I'm not reviewing watches I am either cooking or with family and friends.
