Vintage Yema Watch Turquoise — Mini Format Lacquered (1990s)

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The all-over turquoise of a house française

This Yema watch features a 25mm round case entirely lacquered in turquoise. The color does not stop at the case: the integrated link bracelet and the dial itself are treated in the same shade, without interruption or contrast. Only the crown, golden and fluted, escapes this uniformity — a single warm point on an otherwise monochrome object.

The turquoise dial bears applied baton hour markers in white and gold, a printed minute track around the edge, and only two inscriptions: YEMA below twelve, accompanied by the house logo in gold, and QUARTZ below the center. The golden hands and a fine seconds hand complete the display. The contrast between the light markers and the colored background is sufficient for legibility, without resorting to black.

The calibre powering it tells part of the brand's history. It is the Y481A, a quartz movement produced by Morioka Tokei, a subsidiary of Seiko Instruments. Yema, sold to the MATRA group in 1982, partnered in the 1980s with the Japanese Hattori Seiko group for the supply of its quartz movements. The quartz crisis had made française production of calibres economically unsustainable, and this partnership was the condition for the house's survival. Some pieces from this period also bear the inscription Yema Paris by Seiko, proof that the agreement was fully embraced.

The 25mm format is now sought after well beyond the female wrist. The renewed interest in small watches has brought some male collectors back to these dimensions, seeing them as an alternative to the formats over forty millimetres that have dominated the past two decades. The bracelet of this piece fits wrists up to 17.5cm, which covers the majority of male wrists.

Color is not an accident at Yema. As early as 1959, the house launched a range of nine colorful women's models — turquoise, red, royal blue, white, green, black — under a tagline that has remained famous: « Even in color, a YEMA is a real watch ». Yema is a française house, founded in Besançon in 1948 and now based in Morteau, in the cradle of French watchmaking.

Three points to note

• All-over turquoise lacquer — case, bracelet and dial treated in the same shade, without visual interruption.
• Morioka Seiko calibre — resulting from the partnership formed in the 1980s between Yema and the Hattori Seiko group, which enabled the house to weather the quartz crisis.
• Mini format up to 17.5cm wrist — a 25mm case on a bracelet that fits the majority of wrists, female and male alike.

Why choose a colorful vintage watch?

Buying a vintage watch rather than a new model gives access to aesthetic choices that current production no longer offers. Colorful vintage watches from the 1980s and 1990s are a perfect illustration of this: contemporary brands now limit themselves to steel, black and white, whereas that period embraced bold shades.

This piece occupies a distinctive place among men's and women's vintage watches: its 25mm format and integrated bracelet place it in the realm of jewelry rather than instrumentation. Small vintage watches are now enjoying a marked resurgence, including among male collectors who have grown weary of large formats.

Like all our pre-owned watches, this one has been opened and checked by our watchmakers: movement verification, examination of the dial, hands, case, and lacquer. Every vintage watch we offer comes with an invoice Atelier Victor serving as a certificate, a one-year guarantee, and lifetime authenticity guarantee.

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Technical characteristics

• Brand: Yema
• Model: Round lacquered dress watch
• Estimated year: 1990s
• Origin: France
• Gender: Men's watch (small wrist) and women's (Unisex)
• Movement: Quartz, caliber Y481A, Morioka Tokei (subsidiary of Seiko Instruments)
• Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
• Case: Turquoise lacquered steel, round shape (steel back)
• Dimensions: 25mm (28mm with crown)
• Lug to lug: 29mm
• Thickness: 8.1mm (Crystal included)
• Lug width: 14mm
• Crown: Golden, fluted, original
• Dial: Turquoise, applied baton hour markers, printed minute track, original
• Hands: Golden, baton shape, original
• Crystal: Mineral (condition 9/10)
• Bracelet: Turquoise lacquered steel, 17.5cm adjustable, original
• Buckle: Original

Condition and guarantee

• Overall condition: Very well preserved condition. The turquoise dial is even, the hour markers and hands are intact, the Crystal is in very good condition (9/10). The bracelet lacquer shows a few chips on the links, where the coating has flaked. The rest of the lacquer is in good condition, with light signs of use.
• Water resistance: Not guaranteed (vintage watch)
• Authenticity: Lifetime guarantee
• Mechanical: Checked quartz movement, new battery, guaranteed for 1 year
• Included: Invoice Atelier Victor
• Not included: Original box and papers

Frequently asked questions

Why a française watch with a Japanese movement?
Yema was sold to the MATRA group in 1982, at the height of the quartz crisis. MATRA Horlogerie then partnered with the Japanese Hattori Seiko group to supply the quartz movements for its watches: française production of calibers was no longer sustainable in the face of Japanese costs. This Y481A caliber comes from Morioka Tokei, a subsidiary of Seiko Instruments. Far from being a capitulation, this partnership was the condition for the house's survival, which regained its independence in 2009 and once again produces in France.

Can a man wear this watch?
Yes. The bracelet accommodates wrists up to 17.5 cm, which covers the majority of მამაკინე wrists. The 25 mm format belongs to the mini category, which has seen a marked resurgence in recent years among collectors tired of cases over forty millimetres. Worn on a man's wrist, it reads as a deliberate choice rather than as a watch that is too small.

Did Yema really produce colourful watches?
Yes, and for a long time. As early as 1959, the house launched a range of nine colourful women's models — turquoise, red, royal blue, white, green, black — under the slogan “Even in colour, a YEMA is a real watch.” The magazine Elle then echoed the slogan “Yema fashion is colour.” This later piece is part of that tradition.

What should be known about the chips in the lacquer?
The bracelet shows a few chips on its links, where the coating has flaked. These are the watch’s only flaws, and we photographed them without retouching. Lacquer touch-up is technically possible but delicate: the shade is difficult to match, and the result is often more noticeable than the original flaw. We therefore left the piece as is.

How should a lacquered watch be cared for?
A soft, dry cloth is sufficient. Avoid cleaning products and solvents, which attack the lacquer and can dull it or cause it to blister. Also avoid impacts against hard surfaces: a lacquered coating chips where steel would simply be scratched. Stored away from direct light, the colour remains stable.

A piece selected by Atelier Victor

Authenticated, checked, and photographed by us. As all sales are final, our team remains available 7 days a week on WhatsApp to answer your questions, share additional photos or a video of the piece in hand — so that your choice can be made with complete peace of mind.

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