Yema Gives The Superman CMM.10 A Gilt Treatment With 4 Dials; Doxa's Sub 300 Fully Lumed Great White Is Cool; Baume & Mercier's New Rivieras; The Nodus Duality Is Back; An MB&F For Silicon Valley

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. That Doxa is driving me crazy. It was so good. I just might introduce a new segment of the newsletter — “limited editions we have missed because they sold out so fast”.

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In this issue:

• Yema Gives The Superman CMM.10 A Gilt Treatment With Four Dials That Just Suit It Right

• Doxa Teams Up With Topper Jewelers For A Sensational Lume Dial Sub 300 “Great White”

• Baume & Mercier Takes Inspiration From Nature For New Colorful Riviera Collection

• After A Five Year Break, Nodus Brings Back The Duality, Their Compressor-Style Diver

• MB&F Introduces The LM Perpetual EVO Silicon Valley Edition in Rose Gold

👂What’s new

1/

Yema Gives The Superman CMM.10 A Gilt Treatment With Four Dials That Just Suit It Right

There’s a somewhat justifiable reason why it’s not just microbrands, but also brands like TAG Heuer, IWC, and Oris (although this is changing) rely on ETA and Sellita movements instead of building their own in-house movements. Not only is creating a brand-new in-house calibre expensive (and often difficult), it requires significant strategic planning in order to keep supply and demand in perfect balance. So, it’s understandable why in-house is a route that only the biggest and boldest go for. Unless, of course, you’re Yema. Interestingly, Yema is not a microbrand, but it’s also not a huge watchmaker.

They’ve been around since the late 1940s, reaching their peak in the 60s when they were the top exporter in France, selling more than 500,000 watches per year. The brand went under and was revived to much enthusiasm - steadily approaching 100,000 watches sold. In their revival infancy, they used accessible movements from ETA and Sellita, but then decided to bring back movement manufacture back to France. They started with the YEMA2000, their French-made ETA and Sellita alternative, and then took on more challenges - a micro-rotor and a proprietary tourbillon. But they can’t all be micro-rotors and tourbillons. Their bread and butter is the in-house CMM.10, a very interesting movement. And the new housing for this movement is the iconic Superman model, but now with four gilt dials.

The regular Yema Superman is the perfect balance between the rugged Superman 500, the Superman Slim, and variants of the Superman. And to add more versatility, this new Gilt version comes in two sizes — 39 or 41mm. Both are made out of stainless steel, and both have the same 10.7mm thickness. The 39mm version has a 47mm lug-to-lug (with an unfortunate 19mm lug width), while the 41mm comes with a 49mm lug-to-lug and 20mm wide lugs. On top of all four is a domed sapphire crystal, with unidirectional bezels that have black sapphire inserts on the black and silver/gold dials, and matching inserts on the blue and green dials, all of which have gold-toned 60-minute graduations. The bezel also has a locking mechanism which only unlocks when you unscrew the crown. Very cool, but not really practical for on-the-fly adjustments. Water resistance is 300 meters.

Like I mentioned, there are four dial versions, all of them with a gilt treatment. The base dials can be had in black, blue, green, or silver/gold, all of them with a sunray brushed finish that plays with the light. Gilt details can be found on the marker surrounds with lume inside, as well as gold-colored hour and minute hands also filled with lume. All of the writing on the dials is gold, except for the silver/gold dial which has black writing.

Inside, like I said, is the CMM.10 movement, designed by Yema and made almost exclusively in Switzerland and France. Designed by watchmaker Olivier Mory, this time-only movement has an anti-magnetic Glucydur balance wheel, is regulated to chronometric precision (but without actual certification), beats at 28,800bph, and has a modern 70-hour power reserve. The watches come on a spectacularly handsome fish scale-looking bracelet that closes with a double-security folding clasp with a wet-suit extension.

The new Yema Superman CMM.10 Gilt Dial is available now, with shipping starting tomorrow, December 10th, just in time for the holidays. Although, if you’re giving this as a gift, it must be for someone special, because the price is set at €1,790. See more on the Yema website.

2/

Doxa Teams Up With Topper Jewelers For A Sensational Lume Dial Sub 300 “Great White”

One of the major downsides of this format I have for the newsletter is that I can only write one per day. Anything more than that, and it would just be spam. It also means that I have to make choices, picking and choosing what gets in and what doesn’t, while also taking into account when I publish the newsletter. For example, I knew that this collaboration between Doxa and California-based retailer Topper Fine Jewelers was being released on Friday, but way after my publish time. If I were to wait for it, the subscribers in Asia and Australia would have gotten the newsletter on Saturday. So… I figured that I could wait until Monday for this release, despite it being spectacularly cool. Well, sometimes you gamble, and you lose. Sorry to tell everyone, the Doxa Sub 300 “Great White” Topper Edition is sold out. But it won’t stop me from writing about it, because it’s that cool.

On the outside, nothing has changed. It’s the same stainless steel Sub 300 that measures 42.5mm wide, 13.4mm thick and with that great 45mm lug-to-lug. On top is the heavily domed sapphire crystal, surrounded by the iconic “no deco” bezel with blue numerals. It’s special for having two scales that can be used as a regular dive bezel to measure elapsed time, but it also gives the diver an instant reading on how long they can spend at different depths. As the name suggests, water resistance is 300 meters.

But the real special part is the dial. Topper Fine Jewelers is based in Burlingame, a town near San Francisco and, more importantly, the Farallon Islands. The Islands are home to a native population of great white sharks and this dial takes inspiration from their whiteish skin. The dial has a white-blue color and it’s fully lumed, glowing blue at night. Continuing the blue look are blue hands and blue markers. Incredibly cool. Also, quite importantly, it’s also missing a date aperture, a first for the Sub 300. And the watch just looks so much better without one.

Inside, no changes. It’s still the Sellita SW200, beating at 4Hz, with a 38 hour power reserve. A slight meh, but the rest of the watch is so good, it’s easy to forget. The watch comes on a beads-of-rice bracelet with a wetsuit extension and you get an additional white rubber strap with a folding clasp.

So, only 100 pieces of the Doxa Sub 300 “Great White” Topper Edition were made and they were released on Friday at 6 P.M. Central European Time. Of course, they sold out instantly. So I’m just showing you how cool a watch you can’t buy is. I’m sorry about that. Also, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these watches went to the Greater Farallons Association, a charity that aids the local marine sanctuary. Price was set at $2,995. See more on the Toppers Fine Jewelers website.

3/

Baume & Mercier Takes Inspiration From Nature For New Colorful Riviera Collection

The Baume & Mercier Riviera collection is one of those collections that’s easy to let slip from your mind, but when they come back into your focus, you see what you’ve been missing. They’re well proportioned, great looking and have decent-ish value for money. The latest releases in the Riviera collection are, as the brand says, inspired by nature and come in both 36 and 42mm variants. So let’s break them all down.

First up is the Riviera M0A10768 Sea Blue, perhaps their most plain version and most similar to what’s already available in the collection. The stainless steel case measures 42mm wide and 10.2mm thick and you get an integrated black rubber strap. On top is a black sandblasted steel-ADLC bezel with four screws. Water resistance is 100 meters. The dial is lacquered dark blue with a subtle wave pattern. All the hardware is silver, with baton indices, Roman numerals at 12 and 6, and a date aperture at 3 o’clock. Inside is the ubiquitous Sellita SW200 movement that beats at 4Hz, with a 38 hour power reserve. Price is set at $3,200. See more on the brand website.

Moving to something a bit smaller, there’s the mid sized Riviera M0A10770 Green Sapphire. It comes in a 39mm wide and 10.2mm thick case, with an untreated steel bezel on top with the same exposed screws. What’s very special about this watch is the transparent dial made out of green sapphire, inspired by the forests of the French Riviera. You get the same hardware as the larger version, but now in a gold hue. Inside is the Baumatic BM13-1975 A automatic movement which beats at 4Hz, with a 120 hour power reserve. Price is set at $3,900. See more on the Baume & Mercier website.

Even smaller is the M0A10764 Terracotta. You get the same overall steel on steel construction, but now measuring in at 36mm wide and 9.5mm thick. Water resistance drops to 50 meters, which is a bit of a shame. The dial takes inspiration from the terracotta roofs of the Riviera, but only in the pattern — the color is a bit lighter, almost like a salmon color. Inside is the SW200 and you get the same integrated steel bracelet. Price is $2,900. See more here.

And last, there’s the M0A10763 Forest Green, which bumps up the size once again. The outside is the same, 42mm wide and 10.2mm thick steel case topped with a sandblasted steel-ADLC 12-sided bezel. What’s different from the Sea Blue is the dial which is here lacquered into a forrest green color, with the same wave pattern as the Sea Blue. Inside is the same SW200, with an integrated black rubber strap and price is set at the same $3,200. See more on the Baume & Mercier website.

4/

After A Five Year Break, Nodus Brings Back The Duality, Their Compressor-Style Diver

After a five year hiatus, the California-based Nodus is bringing back the Duality, one of the models that put them on the map. The Duality was a compressor-style case with the characteristic dual crowns and internal rotating bezel. Now, the Duality II takes off from where the Duality left off with updated materials and sleeker construction.

The Duality II comes in a slimmer case. It still measures 40mm wide, but it measures a very comfortable 11.5mm thick, compared to the 13.1mm of the old version. The lug-to-lug sits at 48mm and it has a 20mm lug-width. On top is an expansive box-shaped sapphire crystal with a blue anti-reflective coating on underside. The crystal has a very pronounced dome, extending all the way to the edge of the case. The case has an incredible combination of brushed surfaces and high-polished facets, with a polished thin bezel. Water resistance is 300 meters.

The new Duality also ditches the sandwich-dial of the old version. Instead of the sandwich, Nodus now uses nicely finished applied indices with dramatic facets. The same effect be found on the chamfered and highly-dimensional hands, with lume on both. There are two color options for the dial — Chasm Black and Unity White, which speak for themselves and both feature black internal rotating bezels with either 12-hour or 60-min markings. At 6 o’clock is a date aperture.

Inside is the Miyota 9015 automatic movement. We know this movement very well, with its 4Hz beat rate and a power reserve of 42 hours. The watches come on a new three-link bracelet with soft chamfered edges, half-links for precise sizing, and the proprietary NodeX™ adjustable clasp for on-the-fly adjustments.

The Nodus Duality II is available for order now, with deliveries starting January 8th, 2025. Price is set at $800. See more on the Nodus website.

5/

MB&F Introduces The LM Perpetual EVO Silicon Valley Edition in Rose Gold

There was a time when being part of the Silicon Valley meant dressing like a nerd and wearing Casio watches. You’ve seen the articles detailing how Bill Gates, then the richest man in the world, wore a $20 watch, dozens of times. But that time is over and Silicon Valley CEOs aren’t afraid to wear an expensive watch. Just look at the insane lineup of high-end watches Mark Zuckerberg has been seen with in public. It might hint that more people in Silicon Valley might be interested in high-end watches. And MB&F is right there to meet the demand with their latest limited edition, the Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO Silicon Valley Edition in rose gold.

Despite the EVO being the most sporty of the MB&F models, this Silicon Valley is way more luxurious. It’s made out of 18k rose gold and measures a quite hefty 44mm wide and 17.15mm thick. And it has to be that thick to fit all the stuff that MB&F put inside. Interestingly, the watch has decent water resistance at 80 meters.

But other than the 18k rose godl case, the insides remain largely the same. That’s why there’s no dial to speak of. Instead, in the centre you’ll find the flying balance wheel, help up with two bridges. The hour and minute hands are offset to a dial at 12 o’clock, while at 6 you’ll find the months subdial, while the date and days of the week are at 9 and 3 respectively. You also get a leap year indicator and power reserve indicator.

All of this is powered by the LM Perpetual movement. You can see the escapement and the double barrels that give you a significant 72 hour power reserve. The back of the movement is decorated with internal bevel angles, polished bevels, large gold chatons, Geneva waves on the darkened bridges and handmade inscriptions.The watch comes on a blue rubber strap.

The MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Silicon Valley Edition is limited to 18 pieces, all of which will be available exclusively through MB&F’s retail partner Stephen Silver at the soon-to-open MB&F Lab at Menlo Park, in Silicon Valley. Price is set at $210,000. See more on the MB&F website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

A review of the Casio G-Shock MRGB2100

2/

Hands on with the Tudor Black Bay Chrono Blue Boutique Edition

3/

A review of the Seiko Prospex Land GMT SPB411

⚙️Watch Worthy

A look at an off beat, less known watch you might actually like

The Nivada F77 Black Ceramic shows ceramic timepieces should not cost an arm and a leg

For the most part, this new model is the same as the first F77. Size-wise, we have a 37mm case with a 45mm length. Remember, the original F77 from the ’70s used to be larger. When creating the re-edition, the brand reduced the diameter by almost 2mm. The thickness is less than 13mm, which is fine for an automatic timepiece. It’s not too thick, and it feels great on the wrist. Like some versions of last year’s first model, the new ceramic F77 has a no-date layout. Three Super-LumiNova-treated hands rotate above its black “braided” dial with applied polished indexes and small luminous dots. There are other options as well (more on that below). Lastly, the bracelet in both cases is integrated with minor changes. Let us go backward and have a look at that first.

Read the whole review on Monochrome Watches

⏲️Wait a minute

A bunch of links that might or might not have something to do with watches. One thing’s for sure - they’re interesting

• You know I love a good celebrity profile, so here is Sam Parker’s GQ profile on Jude Law. There is nothing too scurrilous to find here—Parker offers a gentle look into how Law’s career has developed from “charming, handsome man” to darker roles—but it’s a pleasant meander through Law’s filmography.

• Jacob Cockle was passionate about life, a passion echoed in the photographs he took. But it was also a life lived dangerously close to the edge. In this heartfelt piece, Duncan Leatherdale explores Cockle’s life on the beautiful Cornish coastline, his photography, and ultimately his death. Combined with some of Cockle’s stunning photographs, the result is haunting.

• Humans: we’re ingenious, and dedicated to creature comforts. If we won’t stop the activity causing climate change maybe we could just block the sun a little, or science up some other way to keep the planet from burning. We’re already trying, that science is geoengineering, people are pursuing experiments that sound like sci-fi but are not, and there are lots of open questions: Should we play with the environment like this? Will we give up on trying to reduce carbon dioxide levels? What if a rogue billionaire comes to control planet-altering technology? Skibba carefully explores all of the above in this worthy read.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

I’m wearing an Omega Speedmaster Professional as I write this and I still clicked on this video just for the macro footage of the watch. We’re all sick over here…

-Vuk