Since 1948, Yema has embodied a distinctly French approach to watchmaking that stands apart from Swiss precision and German engineering.
The brand’s archive reads like a love letter to Gallic eccentricity – from Superman divers to space-bound chronographs, each timepiece carries an unmistakable panache that feels confidently, unapologetically French. Now, this heritage collides with contemporary street culture in the most unexpected collaboration of 2025: the Yema x seconde/seconde/ Yachtingraff.
Street Art Meets Sailing
This isn’t your typical luxury watch partnership. When Romaric André, the irreverent creative force behind seconde/seconde/, got his hands on Yema’s 1968 Yachtingraf Croisière, he didn’t just customize it – he dragged it through a back alley of Parisian mischief and emerged with something entirely new. The result is a regatta-ready tool watch that looks like it was born in a skate park and raised in an art gallery.
The transformation begins with the oversized regatta countdown subdial, relocated from the original’s three o’clock position to nine o’clock on this modern interpretation. But where the vintage model featured clean, precise printing, André has applied hand-painted graffiti-style numerals that appear perpetually wet.
The colorful paint is deliberately thick and uneven, complete with white drips cascading toward the bottom of the dial – a technique that makes each watch unique while maintaining the functional 15-minute countdown capability essential for regatta timing.
The chronograph hands receive the same graffiti treatment, painted to match the subdial’s rebellious aesthetic. Meanwhile, the central hour and minute hands maintain legibility through SuperLuminova application that coordinates with the hour indices. Most provocatively, the printed “Yema Yachtingraf” text at 12 o’clock has been “tagged” with an extra “F,” creating “Yachtingraff” – because, as the brand cheekily notes, “rules are made to be sprayed over.”
Functional Art in Urban Disguise
The customization extends beyond the dial through cleverly reimagined pushers that masquerade as miniature red and blue spray paint cans. This detail alone demonstrates André’s ability to transform functional elements into artistic statements without compromising usability.
The solid caseback carries the collaboration’s manifesto engraved in French: “La Croisière, ma muse” (The cruise, my muse) – a playful twist on “La croisière s’amuse,” the French title for the American TV series The Love Boat that aired during the original Yachtingraf era.
Beneath the street art aesthetics lies the same reliable foundation as the standard Yachtingraf Croisière launched in July 2024. The 316L stainless steel case measures 38.5mm in diameter by 10.53mm thick, with a circular brushed crown featuring a polished Yema logo. The Seiko VK63 meca-quartz movement provides smooth chronograph operation with the accuracy of quartz and the visual satisfaction of mechanical sweep seconds.
Water resistance reaches 100 meters, making this artistic statement surprisingly practical for actual sailing adventures. The black Tropic-style rubber strap with pin buckle completes the package while maintaining the nautical theme that inspired the original design.
At €449, the Yachtingraff represents exceptional value for a genuine artist collaboration that transforms a functional tool watch into wearable street art. Pre-orders open June 25, 2025, at 4PM CET, with deliveries beginning in September 2025. This limited collaboration proves that French watchmaking’s rebellious spirit remains alive and well – it just needed the right artist to bring it to the surface.
