Practical introduction: Yema Granvelle CMM.20 – Inspired by 16th century architecture

Yema’s current catalogue consists primarily of sports watches, so it’s great to see new dressy options, especially as they have original designs. The inspiration for the all-new Granbell cushion-shaped version of Yemma came from the arch in the courtyard of Palace of Granbell in Bethanson. The building features a museum of time and the city is the capital of the French watchmaking region, with Yemah’s workshops. Inside the new Granbell is the company’s slim micro-rotor CMM.20 caliber.

Earlier this year, Yema announced it had moved to using Swiss-made Sellita movements instead of their own calibers for entry-level mechanical watches. This allows company watchmakers to focus all their attention on the high-end manufacturing movements. The new Granvelle CMM.20 shows that more attention has already been received in the watch design. Let’s take a closer look.

Yema Granvelle Collection

As mentioned earlier, the distinctive case shape of the Grand Vert is inspired by the 16th century architecture of the Grand Vert Palace in Bethanson. In the courtyard of the building is a gallery with many so-called basket handle arches. Their flat tops and vertical sides are typical of the bridges and arches of that era. Looking at the Granvelle 39mm case, you can easily recognize these defining features with flat edges between rounded corners.

The bezel has a vertical brushed finish on top and a polished finish on the sides. Secondly, in the mid-case, there is a classic coin edge texture, and the rather compact rug has a brush finish with polished chamfers.

The Granvelle dial mimics the shape of an arched case. There is a wide white chapter ring with engraved time markers, with concentric circles at the center of the dial. This pattern occurs from the cushioned subsecond register at 9 o’clock. The alpha-shaped hour and minute hands each have a bevel and sophisticated finish. You can choose from metallic black, blue or green dials.

Movement of Yema’s CMM.20 micro rotor

The caseback features windows with the same arch-shaped shape. Through it, you can see the Morteau 20, a manufacturing Yema caliber developed in-house. The movement regulates running between -3 to +7 seconds per day, and the bridge features Sunburst Jeneva Waves. Setting up the movement is a simple matter thanks to the cushion-shaped push-pull crown signed at 3 o’clock.

Another outstanding feature of Yema’s CMM.20 move is its slimness. At just 3.7mm it helps keep the Granvelle overall profile at just 8.6mm. This is perfect for such a dressy piece.

Wrist and hand

The new Yema Grand Bell is a great starting point from Yema’s usual offering. At first, I thought the 39mm size of the square case would be a little larger. However, when combined with a 47mm lug-to-lug, it is quite suitable for 17cm wrists. That’s probably because the corners are very round. The shape of the case I have to say is particularly good. It’s original and not strange, and suits the dressy look of the watch.

The office had a green and blue dial version. If I had to choose, I’ll go to the blue one. It’s so dark that it sometimes looks black or purple. I think the green tone is a bit brighter, and the black dial option actually has a bit of a greyish color. I like how the dial plays in the form of an arched case. But for me, the rings of the engraved chapters and the concentric pattern in the center is a bit more.

Available now

New Yema Granvelle is currently available for 1,990 euros. This is a great price for a watch with its own micro-rotor movement and such an original design. Each watch is on a premium brown leather strap with a neatly run folding clasp.

Please let us know in the comments below what you think of Yema’s new Granvelle collection.

View specifications