Yema Superman 24.11.17: details that define the French dive watch
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The Superman's appeal is more than visual: its bezel-locking device addresses a practical safety concern. Reference 24.11.17, associated with France Ébauches movements, nevertheless requires careful study of its variants before drawing conclusions about a dial or set of hands.
Yema: French sports watches since 1948
Yema was established in 1948 by Henry-Louis Belmont, a watchmaker trained in Besançon. The business grew within the Doubs region's industrial network and soon focused on sports and water-resistant watches.
As early as 1953, Yema offered watches advertised as water-resistant to 100 metres. The brand became an important French watch exporter during the 1960s, developing a catalogue suited to watersports and competition.
The Superman, introduced in 1963, epitomised that specialisation. Its bezel lock turned a traditional diving watch into an instrument whose elapsed-time marker could be mechanically secured.
From the 1960s to the first Superman models
Yema built its sporting reputation on highly legible dive watches offering substantial water resistance for their time. The Superman appeared in the 1960s, and period documents, dials and advertisements trace several generations. It would be unwise to attribute every 24.11.17 to a single year or configuration.
The history of the reference has been researched by the Club Yemacommunity, which catalogues successive dials, movements and signatures. This collectors' work is especially useful for forming hypotheses that should then be compared with photographs and physical markings.
A mechanical system to lock the bezel
Close to the crown, the Superman has a metal locking piece designed to hold the graduated bezel in place when the screw-down crown is tightened. Unscrewing the crown allows the bezel scale to be positioned; tightening it again prevents rotation. The aim is to avoid accidental movement of the elapsed-time marker.
This mechanism is a historically distinctive feature. Its condition matters: wear of the locking piece, crown thread, tightening action, bezel and graduations all merit inspection. A vintage watch with the device should not be assumed water-resistant without contemporary testing.
Reference 24.11.17 and France Ébauches calibres
The Club Yema chronology describes the earliest 24.11.17 models with different dial layouts, including straight hour markers, followed by other designs. It cites the FE 3611 and FE 4611. The latter is sometimes associated with rapid date setting, but the absence of this function on an unopened watch does not by itself establish its movement.
The FE 3611 is an automatic movement with a date display, listed at 21,600 vibrations per hour in specialist sources. Its French construction is part of the technical identity of these Superman watches; case and movement must be considered in their historical context.
Dials, bezels and Superman 24.11.17 variations
Various hour-marker shapes, dial inscriptions, background colours and bezel designs exist. Some bezels are described as Bakelite in collectors' literature; for an individual watch, the material and condition should be checked instead of being inferred from a glossy black appearance.
The words Patent Pending appear on certain early versions, but should not be expected on every Superman 24.11.17. Restoration may have involved replacement hands, bezel or locking part. Establishing originality requires comparison with known combinations of caseback reference, calibre and, where possible, period advertisements.
The Superman 24.11.17 around the turn of the 1970s
The Yema Superman 24.11.17 associated with the automatic France Ébauches FE 3611 reflects the dynamism of French movement suppliers and Yema's sporting ambitions. The steel case, highly legible dials and bezel lock are the defining features of this generation.
Sources and documentation
- Le Club Yema — detailed Superman chronology.
- Fratello — first-generation Yema Superman and FE 3611 calibre.
- Hairspring — study of an early “Patent Pending” Superman.
- Yema — official history and founding in 1948.
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