Yema
Yema Wristmaster 42 mm Blue 18k
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Yema · Wristmaster
Yema Wristmaster 42 mm Blue 18k
Reference 85500OR.48
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Yema
- Collection
- Wristmaster
- Model
- Yema Wristmaster 42 mm Blue 18k
- Reference number
- 85500OR.48
- Year / era
- 1965 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time and date
- Movement
- Automatic COSC chronometer
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 29B — Automatic COSC chronometer
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Time and date
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1965 – 1975
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Yema Wristmaster 42 mm Blue 18k sits within Yema's Wristmaster line, introduced in 1965. It carries the house codes established since 1948 — 18k rose gold case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and automatic cosc chronometer — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Yema
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1948
- Founder
- Henry Louis Belmont
- Headquarters
- France
- Tier
- Affordable & Tool Watches
- Major collections
- Superman, Navygraf, Wristmaster, Rallygraf
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · In-house hairspring production · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- Automatic, 38-hour reserve · Automatic Powermatic 80 · Quartz · Automatic COSC chronometer
- Notable watches
- Yema Superman 41 mm Ice 18k (1952) · Yema Superman 40 mm Ice Sapphire (1976) · Yema Superman 39 mm Green Stainless (1983) · Yema Superman 37 mm Meteorite Stainless (1961)
Brand history
Yema has spent more than 78 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Superman, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Henry Louis Belmont established Yema in 1948, working from France at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Yema calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1948
Henry Louis Belmont founds Yema in France.
1969
The quartz era forces Yema to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Yema enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Yema continues to produce Superman, Navygraf, Wristmaster and other icons in limited numbers.