Back in November of last year, Yema announced that their long-standing aim to establish their own manufacture in Morteau has been accomplished – an event they celebrated with their final ever Kickstarter project. Now with the launch of the Yema Superman Slim CMM.20, we have the results of their first project in this fresh and exciting chapter of the French brand’s existence. As the name suggests, it’s a slimmed down version of their signature three-hand diver and I have it here for a hands-on review.
First impressions are overwhelmingly positive. The updated case is gorgeous, measuring 39mm in diameter with a 9.95mm thickness and made from stainless steel. It has the perfect heft and weight that you want from a tool watch, which it certainly is with 300m water resistance, while also being eminently wearable. With this model they’ve introduced more of a curve and rounded design to the lugs so it’s a little less severe in its profile and also leans into the arc of the bracelet better.
Which is important because the bracelet is new as well, called Scales Slim, based on a heritage design from the 1960s. It features a pattern of elongated hexagons that tesselate together, looking like the skin of a snake. Throughout my time with the Superman Slim CMM.20 in Oracle Time HQ, it was the bracelet that drew the most attention for sure.
The only slight drawback I find with the design of the bracelet is the stiffness of the first few links near the body of the watch before it tapers, which makes it flair a solid 5mm beyond the end of the lugs on both sides, so the lug-to-lug of 48mm is perhaps a little deceptive compared to how it actually wears. I would add the caveat that as this is a press sample it’s very new, so I don’t know if time or perfectly adjusting the size to your wrist would solve the issue – it very well could. Plus, it’s a non-issue for those blessed with thicker wrists than I, so let’s not dwell on it any longer.
What I personally like more than the bracelet is the Superman Slim CMM.20’s dial, which is the most pared back, quintessential dive watch display I’ve seen in a while. A solid blue dial (it’s also available in black) with lumed indexes in triangle, circle and rectangle shapes paired with lumed hands for hours, minutes and seconds. The seconds hand has also been updated with slimness in mind to pair with the smaller proportions of the watch, swapping from the traditional shovel shape of the Superman to a simple baton. It looks great below the double-domed sapphire crystal.
Speaking of sapphire, the bezel features a sapphire insert with a 0-60 dive timer scale. It features a 180-click unidirectional rotation that’s very satisfying to use and easy to rotate thanks to its knurled edge. Obviously with a dive watch you don’t want the rotation to be too loose otherwise its utility as a dive watch comes into question but that’s not even a consideration here because the watch features a bezel lock, which is the little device on the righthand side next to the crown. Essentially, when the screw down crown is locked, the metallic window clamps the bezel into position and then when the crown is released, the bezel can be moved. Simple, effective and fun to play with.
The majority of those features can be found across any member of the Yema Superman family. What makes the Superman Slim CMM.20 stand apart (aside from the smaller case) is the movement housed inside. It’s the titular CMM.20, an automatic micro-rotor movement visible by flipping the watch over to look through the exhibition caseback. The bridges and mainplate are manufactured by Yema and are combined with some Swiss components, all of which is then assembled in their Morteau workshop. I like the combination of galvanised black plate and golden coloured balance as it really draws the eye to the frenetic mechanism. Specs-wise, it features a 70-hour power reserve and accuracy of -3/+7 seconds per day.
It’s priced at €2,490 (approx. £2,130), a new price point for the Superman and almost double its predecessors such as the 500 GMT. But then, this has much higher specs and an updated, more refined case as well as the seriously cool Scales Slim bracelet. If Yema keeps pushing the quality of their horology higher and higher with watches like the Superman Slim CMM.20, they are a brand to keep an eye on in the future.
Price and Specs:
More details at Yema.
