My Eastern Watch Collection: Yema Wristmaster Traveller - Awesome Beater Watch With Classic Look, A Review (plus Video)

I love integrated bracelet designed watches. I have the
IWC Ingenieur IW3236, Deep Blue Pro Seadiver, Tissot PRX Automatic Chronograph, Tissot PRX Powermatic 80, Hamilton American Classic PSR, just to name a few. When I first saw the Yema Wristmaster Traveller, it immediately appealed to me.

The vintage aspect of the design is also visually pleasing to me. The octagonal shaped casing is seldom seen and gives that 'uniqueness' to the watch.

This watch was launched as a Kickstarter campaign in November 2021. I should have participated but instead I waited to see how well the campaign went. I was very impressed that interest from the public was overwhelming and all the units offered were taken. I had to wait for another year before the watch was available again.

As I have owned a Yema before (click here to see the review) I am quite comfortable to the quality of the watch even though I have yet to see one in person.

Gnomon of Singapore carried the brand and when it was available on the site, I didn't hesitate and immediately put in an order.

The Watch

The design elements on the Yema Wristmaster Traveller, is best described by Mr. Christopher Bôle, Managing Director and Head of Design of Yema. He explains that he “drew inspiration from two distinct YEMA vintage models dating from the 1960s (for the octagonal case) and the 1980s (for the bezel). His original idea was to design a sporty watch with an elegant design for daily use.”

Made from brushed and polished stainless steel, the case has the shape of an asymmetrical octagon. Coupled with an integrated bracelet, the package has that vintage look that feels evergreen. Moreover, the bezel is inspired by a YEMA Sous-Marine quartz model from the 1980’s and is made from a single piece of 316L stainless steel with three separate finishes: top and bottom bevels featuring an elegant vertical brushing and an entirely polished transition where the bezel’s horizontal and vertical surfaces meet.

The Wristmaster Traveller measures 39.0 mm wide, a length of 43.5 mm (lug-to-lug) and 12.0 mm thick. It is a compact piece and fits well to most wrists. Above is the detailed design drawing of the watch which I found on Yema's website.

The black lacquered dial and printed minute markers at the edge ensures high legibility. Coupled with the applied Old Radium hour markers that have up to 13 layers of Super-LumiNova paint. Above is a photo of the watch in the dark.

There are five lines of texts and logo printed on the dial. The logo, the brand and word "AUTOMATIC" are located at the upper quadrant while the rest; the words "Wristmaster" and "FRANCE", are located at the lower quadrant.

An aperture has been cut through the dial at 3:00 and framed in a thin white line to view the date wheel. Unfortunately, the 3:00 hour marker was sacrificed for the date aperture. Personally, I don't like this style of placement for the date window as it disrupt the symmetry of the dial. Honestly, I don't mind not to have the date complication on this watch.

The hours and minutes hands are inspired from those of the 1970's Superman reference 53.00.16. The hours and minutes hands are painted with Super-LumiNova while the seconds hand is painted in white.

Protecting the dial is a slightly raised sapphire crystal. The fixed bezel has six short troughs next to the crystal at 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00 and 11:00.

The signed crown is located at 3:00 and protected by a pair of steel shoulders that protrude from the watch casing. The crown uses the typical push-in/pull-out system to adjust the time and date. Turning the crown when at the "in" position manually winds the watch.

The case-back is a solid piece of steel plate screwed down into the casing. The steel plate features a motif of the Yema logo in the center and some basic information about the watch at the peripheral edge. Underneath the steel plate is the YEMA2000 in-house movement. It has 29 jewels and a 42 hours power reserve. It operates at a frequency of 4 Hertz or 28,800 BPH and is regulated to within 10 seconds per day. Other specialty about this movement is the addition of a date function as well as seconds hand stop mechanism (or hacking). Yema is proud to declare that the movement is designed, developed and assembled in France.

The casing is water rated at 100 meters. This is more than sufficient for the usage of most people.

The Wristmaster Traveller is designed with an integrated bracelet. The continuous pattern of vertical brushed surfaces and polished angles extends all the way from the top of the bezel, to the case and further into the integrated steel bracelet. The tapered links end at the signed butterfly clasp.

The links are connected using a pin-and-sleeve friction locking system. As there are no-half links or micro-adjustment points on the bracelet, resizing the bracelet may not be perfect for some owners.

The Wearing Experience

This watch is comfortable and very wearable for most wrist sizes. It can be used in all occasions which makes it a great beater watch. Below is a video of the watch on my wrist. For reference, I have a 6.75 inch wrist circumference.

An issue I find with the watch is how easy the watch gets dirty. Due to the many surfaces on the casing, when dirt sticks to the watch it is not that easy to clean it off. Brushing the surface pushes dirt deeper into the many crevices. Hence, cleaning the watch is not a simple process for the Wristmaster.

Overall, this is a very flexible watch with a shape that is very memorable. I will definitely recommend that watch for purchase.

The Purchasing Experience

I purchased the watch through Gnomon of Singapore. I was able to utilise a discount code from Gnomon which reduced the price from RM3,420.00 to RM2,889.00. Apart from the discount, I also received a free Gnomon sizing tool as well as a free Gnomon lint free microfiber cleaning cloth.

To top the icing on the cake, this time around the Malaysian Customs did not charge any taxes and I was able to get the watch without any additional costs apart from what I paid to Gnomon.

Specifications

Case Material: Brushed and polished 316L stainless steel

Crystal: Sapphire 2.20 mm thick

Band: Integrated 316L stainless steel bracelet

Dial: Glossy black

Illumination: Super-LumiNova Old Radium

Case Diameter: 39.0 mm

Overall Length: 43.5 mm

Height: 12.0 mm
Lug Width: 13.5 mm

Weight: Approximately 165 grams

Water Resistant: 100 meters
Movement: YEMA2000 In-house Caliber, self-winding mechanical movement

Jewels: 29