THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: YEMA
MODEL: 9312
YEAR: 1968
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 37mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND

Many of the 1960s racing chronographs were made iconic—and often named after—famous racing drivers who wore them, such as the Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” or the Heuer Autavia “Jochen Rindt.” What we have here, however, is arguably even cooler: the Yema Rallye “Mario Andretti.”

Yema debuted the Rallygraf in the 1960s—a decade that saw the release of many of the most iconic chronographs ever made. The brand was still young at the time, founded in 1948 by Henry Louis Belmont, a graduate of the Besançon National Watchmaking School. Yema quickly became a pioneer in French watchmaking. Interestingly, the name “Yema” was selected through a student competition and has no particular meaning—just a clean, modern-sounding name for a new era.

Yema was bold with its designs, and we love them for it. The two-register Rallye chronograph and the three-register Rallygraf Super feature some of the most striking dial designs ever seen on a chronograph. This particular variation was famously worn by the legendary Mario Andretti when he won the Indy 500 in 1969.

The case design is classic: a 38.5mm straight-lug case, black tachymeter bezel, and two chronograph pushers. The dial, on the other hand, is anything but—we’ll let the pictures do the talking. Inside, it beats the reliable Valjoux 7734 movement with a date function.

The watch has clearly been enjoyed during its lifetime—just how we like them. There are minor marks on the dial and throughout the previously polished case. The previous owner had the dial and hands relumed in old stock tritium, the lume material on the watch prior was incorrect. 

We recently serviced the watch, and it’s running nicely at +5 s/d, 265 amplitude, with a 0.2 ms beat error. There's really nothing out there that's quite like this.