There are some very old watch brands out there: Blancpain was founded in 1735 meaning it’s rapidly approaching its 300th anniversary. However, there are some institutions still in operation today that are significantly older than that. France’s official state navy, the Marine Nationale, turns 400 years old this year, having been founded in 1626 by Cardinal Richelieu. In celebration of this milestone the Marine Nationale’s modern wristwatch partner, Yema, has released a special collection of watches.
Yema Navygraf Barracuda CMM.20 Limited Edition
The Navygraf Barracuda CMM.20 Limited Edition is named after the French navy’s submarine program and is all about sub-aquatic performance. It has a 39mm diameter steel case sporting a 300m water resistance rating, making it well suited to life under the waves. It also features a carbon composite bezel insert that matches with its carbon dial, featuring irregular patterns formed from carbon fibres compressed under high pressure.
For mission timing, the bezel is equipped with a countdown timer rather than an immersion timer. For example, if your crucial mission begins in 20 minutes, you can set the 20 marker to the current position of the minute hand and then you know that you need to start once it hits 0. Or for diving practicality, if you know you have 45 minutes of oxygen in you tank you can mark that too – you should probably be out of the water once it hits 0 in that case though!
Housed inside the Navygraf Barracuda CMM.20 Limited Edition is the calibre CMM.20 from Yema’s in-house Morteau workshop. It offers a 70-hour power reserve supplied by a tungsten micro-rotor. It’s also accurate to -3/+7 seconds per day, providing strong accuracy for military precision. It’s visible through a translucent red exhibition caseback.
It’s priced at £2,040 on a fabric strap or £2,260 on steel bracelet. It’s a limited edition of 400 pieces in honour of the 400th anniversary. Additionally, it comes with a commemorative Marine Nationale patch, as do the following watches.
Price and Specs:
Yema Navygraf Marine Nationale 400th Anniversary Edition
As a more affordable option, Yema is also releasing the Navygraf Marine Nationale 400th Anniversary Edition. It’s available in two sizes, either 39mm or 34mm both with lower water resistance ratings than the Barracuda. The 39mm version is rated to 200m water resistance while the 34mm is only 100m. Both are made from steel with a bronze ion-plated coating, giving them a brassy, maritime appearance.
For the dials, the 39mm features a deep blue dial with a gentle fumé gradient, giving it a strong aquatic vibe. The 34mm is white mother-of-pearl, giving it a shimmering appearance even below a matte finish. They’re each completed with applied hour markers coated with lume for low-light legibility.
Both versions of the watch make use of the same movement, the Seiko VK31 quartz. It’s significantly less impressive than the in-house movement of the Barracuda but it trades that for the trusted reliability of a quartz regulator and lower price. The Navygraf Marine Nationale 400th Anniversary Edition 39mm is £460 and the 34mm is £370. Notably they’re not limited editions but the accompanying Marine Nationale patch will only be available while stocks last.
All three of these watches – the two Navygraf Marine Nationale 400th Anniversary Editions and the Barracuda – will be available to buy starting from July 14th at 6am BST. July 14th being the French National Day in tribute to the Storming of the Bastille.
Price and Specs:
More details at YEMA.
