Yema Granvelle Renaissance CMM.29 Refines the Brand’s Dress Watch Direction

Yema is best known for practical, tool-minded watches, but the Granvelle line gives the French brand a more elegant lane to explore.

The new Granvelle Renaissance CMM.29 sharpens that idea with a smaller case, a more elaborate dial and the continued appeal of a manufacture micro-rotor movement at a relatively approachable price.

It’s a dress-leaning watch, but not a delicate one, and that distinction matters for a brand with Yema’s sporting history.

At a glance

A smaller cushion case with stronger proportions

The Granvelle Renaissance is named after the historic Granvelle Palace in Besançon, home to the city’s Museum of Time.

That architectural reference carries through more directly here than it did on the first Granvelle, but the most immediate change is on the wrist.

Yema has reduced the case from 39mm to 37.5mm, a move that suits the watch’s more formal intent without making it feel timid.

The cushion case still gives it visual breadth, helped by a wide dial opening and a 46.3mm lug-to-lug measurement.

At 9mm thick including the crystal, it should sit low enough to work comfortably under a cuff, while retaining enough shape to avoid becoming anonymous.

The case remains in 316L stainless steel and mixes polished, vertically brushed and sunray-brushed surfaces.

Yema has also reworked the lugs and improved the case finishing, while keeping the fluted caseband that gives the Granvelle its most recognisable profile.

The crown has been redesigned for the Renaissance, echoing the cushion outline of the case with alternating finishes and an embossed Yema logo.

Water resistance is rated to 50 metres, which is sensible for a watch in this category rather than a pitch for sport-watch versatility.

The Granvelle Palace influence reaches the dial

The first Granvelle used a stamped guilloché-style texture, but the Renaissance dial is a more layered and deliberate composition.

Its central medallion carries an engraved motif inspired by the geometric roof patterns of the Granvelle Palace.

A recessed hour track, outer chapter ring and small seconds display at 9 o’clock add depth without overcomplicating the layout.

Different finishes across the dial are intended to catch the light in changing ways, which should help the watch feel more dynamic than a flat formal dial.

Applied faceted hour markers and polished hands bring a sharper edge to the design.

Both the hands and indices are filled with Super-LumiNova BGW9, a practical detail that keeps the watch connected to Yema’s functional side.

A micro-rotor calibre remains the main technical draw

Inside is Yema’s calibre CMM.29, an automatic micro-rotor movement developed and produced in the brand’s workshops in Morteau.

It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and delivers a 70-hour power reserve, which is generous for a watch this slim.

The movement is regulated to -3/+7 seconds per day, placing the specification firmly in enthusiast territory.

Its tungsten micro-rotor is mounted on ball bearings, and the calibre is visible through a sapphire caseback.

Finishing includes rhodium-plated bridges with a radiating Côtes de Genève pattern, giving the movement a decorative presence suited to the watch’s more refined brief.

The CMM.29 designation sits close to Yema’s established micro-rotor architecture, and that continuity is part of the appeal.

At this price level, a slim automatic with a micro-rotor and a long power reserve remains an uncommon proposition.

Strap, pricing and positioning

The Renaissance is fitted to a leather strap made specifically for the model.

It tapers from 18mm at the lugs to 14mm at the buckle, a detail that should enhance the watch’s dressier stance on the wrist.

The stainless steel pin buckle has also been redesigned with the same cushion-inspired geometry used for the case and crown.

At €2,100, the Granvelle Renaissance CMM.29 sits in a space where buyers are often choosing between heritage branding, movement interest and finishing quality.

Yema’s advantage is that this watch doesn’t simply dress up an existing sports-watch formula.

It gives the brand a distinctive architectural identity with enough mechanical substance to interest collectors who want something outside the usual Swiss dress-watch lane.

Details & Specifications

The Granvelle Renaissance CMM.29 feels like a meaningful step for Yema because it doesn’t rely on the brand’s dive-watch past to make its point.

With its compact case, architectural dial and micro-rotor movement, it gives the French watchmaker a more mature dress-watch language that still feels recognisably its own.