Collective wisdom about YEMA

paratime

Dear watch collectors and enthusiasts,

Your input based on your experienced and wisdom is kindly requested.

I've been asking around about Yema watches. Their price point is very tempting. I'd like to add a French watch in my collection and my budget is limited. I really like their design but there are so many reports in YouTube and other media about defects, poor quality control, and major issues. Also, some bad experiences with customer service. Plus, I don't live in Europe, so if I need to ship it back and forth it will be costly.

Have any of you had any experience, good or bad, with Yema? Any comments or suggestions? Any recommendations for alternatives in this price range/style?

Thank you!

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https://en.yema.com/collections/all-watches

#yema #quality #customerservice #experience
Reply
foghorn
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No direct experience but I have read that their customer service can be problematic.

The watches themselves seem fine.

thatguy306
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Those same reports have kept me away from Yema. I haven’t seen a YouTube rant on their customer service for a while so would be interested if anyone reports a positive experience. Part if my hopes they heard the rumbles and made changes

LumegaudAnar
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foghorn

No direct experience but I have read that their customer service can be problematic.

The watches themselves seem fine.

This is what I have heard as well. If you get a watch with no issues, it is a great watch, but for those few customers who get a watch with a problem, it is a nightmare to deal with their customer service. I have been wanting to add one of their LED reissues to my collection but have been hesitant owing to the scuttlebutt, similar to @thatguy306. 

thatguy306
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LumegaudAnar

This is what I have heard as well. If you get a watch with no issues, it is a great watch, but for those few customers who get a watch with a problem, it is a nightmare to deal with their customer service. I have been wanting to add one of their LED reissues to my collection but have been hesitant owing to the scuttlebutt, similar to @thatguy306. 

I did take a chance and pulled the trigger on their LED Kickstarter, The Kavinsky. I actually have some buyers remorse on that purchase so I'm really hoping when it arrives it's awesome enough to make me feel good about parting with my money on it.

LumegaudAnar
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thatguy306

I did take a chance and pulled the trigger on their LED Kickstarter, The Kavinsky. I actually have some buyers remorse on that purchase so I'm really hoping when it arrives it's awesome enough to make me feel good about parting with my money on it.

I hope it is everything you want it to be when it shows up. 👍

valleykilmers
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I bought a Flygraf directly from the website about 6 months ago for daily work wear. I too was a little hesitant given the complaints on various online outlets. 

Mine has been flawless since purchase without issue. Runs at a constant +6-7 sec/day even while banged around at work. It's an absolute strap monster and gets lots of "what watch is that?" and "that dial is usual" comments.

Most of their watches now have in-house 2000/3000 movements to they'll need to be serviced by Yema in France but that's really the only downside. 

Things to consider: For every poor experience someone has with a product/company/experience they usually tell 10 people and will post about it. For every good or exceptional experience most people have they usually tell 1-2 others.

JesseJ
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I have no opinion on Yema, but if you want a French watch look at Baltic. I have one and it’s the most beautiful watch in my collection.

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paratime
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JesseJ

I have no opinion on Yema, but if you want a French watch look at Baltic. I have one and it’s the most beautiful watch in my collection.

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Thanks for the recommendation. I will have a look.

Dukeofessex
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I appreciate that this is an older post but I've had nothing but good experiences with Yema. Excellent watches, delivered promptly and with good customer service. I own three.

christianbrian1
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I've held off on writing this review, but after a recent experience the other reviews of Yema are correct - just bad, and people should know. See below for what I have had to deal with due to their poor watch quality and customer service. I do not recommend buying a Yema watch and definitely not one with the bezel lock.

 

  • I originally received my Yema watch and it arrived broken. The watch wouldn't even start. After waiting longer than advertised to get my watch from France, this was very disappointing.
  • After sending my watch to get fixed, it was returned in working condition but there was a hair inside the case, between the dial and crystal. Unbelievable. Had to wait a very long time to get my brand new but broken watch back and when it arrived there is a visible hair between the watch face and the crystal. Seeing a hair every time I look at my watch is unacceptable, and when I brought it up I did not receive a reply. Making it worse, they didn't even pay for the shipping like they said it would.
  • The bezel does not exactly line up with 12:00, which impacts the aesthetic of the watch. This is a clear sign of poor craftmanship.
  • Over the past 6 months the bezel lock has become looser and looser, won't stay tight, and now rattles when I wear the watch.

After recently circling back with Yema to get my watch fixed, they replied saying that the watch was past the warranty period. This is only true if you start the warranty at the time I received the BROKEN watch. One would think the warranty would start once I received a watch that worked.

The other reviewers about Yema were right - just poor everything.

s_naimpally
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I ordered a Yema Spacegraf as I liked the look and the price was decent. After I placed the order, I saw this thread. Luckily, my watch, which I received yesterday, seems to be fine. However, if the watch was broken, I would have taken pictures showing the issue(s), sent it back with tracking, and opened a dispute with my CC company.