In this review we’ll take a look at a relatively rare watch (only 1500 made) and one sought after by collectors despite its quirks; the Yema Bipôle Duopoly.
The Yema watch company, or “YEMA Maison Horlogère Française” was founded in Besancon, France, in 1948. An early major achievement was the 1953 offering of wristwatches made water resistant to depths greater than 200 meters. For you watch trivia buffs, it was neither Rolex or Omega, but rather Yema that produced James Bond’s first movie watch; Dr. No, 1962. This French founded company was at one point owned by Seiko, is was re-acquired by Louis-Eric Beckensteiner in 2004.
The Bipôle Duopoly wristwatch, also known as the Yema Transantarctic Bi-Pole (Transantarctica Polar Navigational) or the BiPole, is one of only a handful of see-through watches I’ve come across, and realistically the only see-through sport model. It is quite visually captivating, especially given the red velcro strap and bright day-glo colors used on hands and dial.
At the time it was built (1990) this wristwatch pushed the edge of high-tech rugged construction with the goal of surviving extreme sports, and went with what at the time was rarely heard of materials for building a watch; titanium, carbon fiber and kevlar, with the addition of adding sapphire crystals to a sport watch.
The genesis of the timepiece was a commission by explorers Dr. Jean-Louis Etienne and Will Steger for their 1989 International Transantarctic Expedition. Dr. Etienne was the first man to reach the North Pole alone, pulling his sleigh and walking for 63 days over the 800 kilometers, from the northern edge of Canada, while Mr Steger was the fourth person ever to reach both poles. The key was creating a timepiece that would stand up to the rigors of rough handling in a freezing environment, while at the same time aiding the explorers with navigating via the sun, since traditional compasses don’t work near the poles due to the proximity of either magnetic north or south. the watch displays mean as well as sidereal time, which is a method of telling the time via positions of celestial bodies versus earth rotation (and no, I don’t know how to do that). Am told it is similar to the use of a sextant, in fact it is this function that required the watch to be built in the see through style. The user would sight through the watch in one direction at the north pole but would use the reverse at the south as unlike the northern hemisphere, in the southern the sun makes its 360° transit from right to left. Note the opposing dials labeled accordingly.
The watch is a large 47mm, which while not sounding particularly outlandish in current era consider this being produced in 1990, a time when 40mm was considered huge. The case is solid titanium and matte finished into a rich dark gray, with compass points engraved in lieu of traditional indexes, finished in black. The dials are done in a flat charcoal finish, which really pops the bright orange, green and yellows used on the hands and markings. Both crystals are of sapphire, treated to be fog resistant. They were also supposed to be glare resistant, but they seem quite bright and polished to me.
The housing sandwiched between the dials contains a French FE7020 quartz movement, which sadly has been discontinued. Am told the FE7021 can replace it, but does not have the gmt function. It is worth noting that the engine drains battery life quite quickly, and you may well be looking at changing the battery once a year. The original Yema warranty stated that they would give free battery changes for life, but they have abandoned this policy, and to my knowledge no longer support this watch at all. Finding parts will prove very difficult indeed.
The original packaging is a very cool see through pyramid, housing in addition to the watch both a red kevlar/velcro band and a brown stitched leather strap, as well as a small box of spare screws and changing tool (screwdriver). The hinged lugs use a bolt system, so straps using quick change pins are basically out.
case width 47mm (48mm including recessed crown)
case thickness 11.5mm
case length with lugs 57mm
weight 62 gms (with velcro strap)
lugs 22mm
water resistance 100m (330 ft) with screw-down crown
As to cost, the original retail price was $1500 in 1990, obviously considered a pricey watch at the time. They were available in the mid hundred dollar range in the late nineties but have very rarely found one for sale since, though the NON see through related models (there were several produced) seem to be commanding the 800 dollar range at the time of this writing. If you do find one, I highly recommend taking special care of it and not testing its mettle.
Pros: Considered rare (only 1500 ever made). Unique purpose and design. Very eye-catching. Durable. Highly collectible.
Cons: Completely abandoned by manufacturer, including original lifetime battery program. Parts and accessories expensive and difficult to come by. Short battery life, and battery difficult to access and change. Movement no longer built. Sapphire crystals bring into question durability in the field.
Bottom Line: A collector willing to work through the significant “cons” associated with this watch will possess a truly special sport watch with both real bragging rights and special needs.
