The Yema Superman model lineup continues to grow, and one of the latest versions is the Yema Superman Skin Diver, their vintage-inspired take on a non-crown guard dive watch. Similar to a lot of watches from the 50s and 60s and many vintage-inspired pieces today, it has applied trapezoid and triangle indices, with the familiar 12,3, 6, and 9 numerals, and it lacks a date to keep dial symmetry. The bezel and dial are burgundy, a beautiful, deep red hue, with a vertical brushing, and of course, it has a domed sapphire crystal. It’s 300m water resistant, high for a watch labeled a skin diver, and it has a new push-to-turn bezel lock system. Perhaps the biggest highlight is the Yema manufacture CMM.20 micro-rotor movement, which you can see through the display case back, and a new slim scales bracelet that gives it even. more of that retro vibe.
Specifications
39.5mm Stainless Steel Case47mm Lug to Lug20mm Lug Width11.5mm Thick (13.7mm w/Crystal)136 Grams in weight20mm Bracelet, tapers to 16mm18mm Clasp WidthDouble Domed Sapphire CrystalSapphire bezel insertPush to Unlock Bezel300m Water ResistantCMM.20 Manufacture Micro-Rotor MovementSlim Scales BraceletManufactured and Assembled in Switzerland and FranceMSRP: $2,790https://yema.us/products/yema-skin-diver-cmm-20-12-25-20-66-sn-m3
There is quite a lot I like about this watch, and I am glad I chose this model to review, as this is, in fact, the first Yema I have reviewed, and probably the first Yema I have seen in hand in well over a decade. Yema is a resurrected brand, starting in 1948 and in the late 80s and 90s was owned by Seiko, and in 2009, the brand really started up again, with watches being designed and assembled in France, and eventually having their own manufacture movements made, like the CMM.20 micro-rotor that’s used in this Skin Diver, among others. I fell in love with the look of this watch, specifically the burgundy color and that brushed dial, and I have always had a fondness for this style of bracelet.
The case is rather slim at only 11.5mm thick, partly due to the micro-rotor movement being thinner, but not much thinner than Yema’s CMM.10 central rotor movement, as the Yema Dato that uses it, is 11.85mm thick. Still, without including the double-domed sapphire its well under 12mm, and if you include the sapphire, 13.7mm, though the crystal doesn’t make this watch look or feel thick.
The case is all finely brushed with a polished top chamfer, with a coin-edge bezel and crown, and the lugs are curved but not as prominent as, say, a Tudor Black Bay.
The crown of the Yema Superman Skin Diver screws down; it’s not a massive crown, but proportionate to the case size, and I didn’t have any issues with it with my medium/large size hands. The crown action is smooth on this example, but it is important to note that this movement does not hack, so the second hand will continue to sweep when you pull the crown to the time setting position.
If you own or are familiar with the Yema Superman, you would know that many models come with a locking bezel mechanism, a metal clamp that sits between the crown and the case, and it is used to lock the bezel, so that it can’t accidentally be moved where you set it, while on a dive. It’s been in use for quite a long time, going back to the original Superman model.
The Yema Superman Skin Diver has a new push to rotate bezel system that does away with the metal clamp. Instead, the 120 click bezel is locked by default, and by pushing downwards on the bezel, you can now turn it. I found it to work really well, in fact, the amount of pressure needed to push down on the bezel isn’t much different than how I do it with non-locking bezels, so it felt pretty natural to me. I believe there is a spring underneath, and the bezel pushes down into the case, hence the space between the bezel and the midcase. The insert is sapphire with that beautiful burgundy color, matching the dial.
But my favorite aspect of the Yema Superman Skin Diver is the dial. It’s a no-date dial, with trapezoid shaped 12,3 6, and 9 indices with the numerals in them, which are very similar to the original 1963 Superman. The rest of the indices are triangles, and while Zodiac and others used triangles, Oris used square-ish-looking indices (which I do admit are close, especially at a glance).
I absolutely love the color of this dial, a deep burgundy color, and while it is available with a cream color or a black dial, the burgundy spoke to me. The dial has a subtle vertical brushing, a feature I am always fond of. I feel it just gives an elegance to the watch, compared to a standard matte or gloss dial. The hands, again, are pretty much the same as your standard Superman, a stick or pencil-shaped hour hand with the minute hand having the large arrow.
The Yema Superman Skin Diver is powered by Yema’s own CMM-20 micro-rotor movement. A micro-rotor is just that, a movement with a micro-rotor instead of a large central rotor. It is a pleasing movement to look at through the sapphire crystal, with galvanized metal, the rotor being made of tungsten and 33 jewels.
While it is nice to see that Yema manufactures a movement such as this, something different from the norm these days, there isn’t much benefit to it beyond the central rotor movement. Yes, it is slightly thinner, but the CMM.10 movement still has slightly better accuracy (-3+5 seconds per day over -3 +7), and still has a 70-hour power reserve.
Micro-rotor movements historically did not hack, though they were made before non-military watches hacked, so it wasn’t looked at as a missing feature. The hacking lever could make the movement thicker and more complex as well, and Yema does tout the thinness of this movement (3.7mm), probably the reason it lacks a date complication. While I do understand it, it is odd to see a modern watch that doesn’t hack.
Currently, the Yema Superman Skin Diver only comes with one bracelet, a familiar bracelet that is used on a few models, the Slim Scales bracelet. There’s no denying that it adds to the retro look of this piece, and it’s a well-finished bracelet as well, with screws for the links and a micro-adjust clasp, though this is an older style, dive extension type of clasp, extremely similar to what Citizen uses on their dive watches. It functions just as it should, and if you are using it to help obtain a better fit on your wrist after sizing, it will work, though it feels inelegant on a $2800 watch with a manufacture movement and such attention to detail everywhere else.
I can’t help but love the look of this bracelet, though, it’s much better to me than a BOR bracelet, and it really feels wonderful on my 7 1/2 inch or 19.05cm wrist. It lies well on my flat wrist, and made the watch very comfortable, though it is a small bracelet, with no extra links included, it fit my wrist only with having to let out the dive extension a little. I know it’s a 39.5mm watch, and that many with small wrists probably gravitate towards this size, but there are quite a lot of men with a bigger wrist than mine, and more links should be included with this watch. Again, it is a $2800 watch after all. It also does not fully articulate or bend from the end links, and as such, has somewhat of a bangle effect, which could make it harder for those with smaller wrists to wear, but it fits my wrist like a glove.
The Yema Superman Skin Diver uses Grade A C3 Super-LumiNova, and it’s beautiful in the dark. The indices and hands glow way brighter than I assumed they would and last a good 5 hours, and I love how those indices look all lumed up in the dark.
I am really quite fond of this Yema Superman Skin Diver, especially the burgundy color and the slim scales bracelet. I love a good vintage or retro style watch, and even though there are a lot of them these days, I do think this Yema stands out. It’s a gorgeous piece, no doubt, but there are a few things that would make it better for me.
I would love to see this in a 41mm size, as the Yema Superman Dato uses the same case and bracelet as this Skin Diver, but is available in 41mm. That watch also uses the CMM.10 movement and, as such, is about $700 cheaper. It does not have the gorgeous brushed dial with the trapezoid indices, though, so if maybe they could make the Skin Diver in 41mm, using the same dial, but with central rotor movement, it would be a better fit for me.
I will take it one step further, and I think it’s fantastic that Yema is making these movements for their watches, even assembling them in-house, which is quite the accomplishment. But I don’t see the benefit of the micro-rotor movement, at least not in this Skin Diver model. One would really have to love the novelty of the micro-rotor and this dial, to grab this watch over the Dato. But as always, that’s my opinion, and I’m just a man who writes about watches on the internet.
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.
