There and back again. My dance with the Yema Superman Heritage Bronze
I once wrote a blog entry about not letting internet and social media hype run your watch collection - that the mediums may present considerable sway in your decision on your next watch.
The topic of this article, my Yema Superman Heritage Bronze Diver, is a product of my watch media consumption. What a bitter taste irony has.
I recall the hype around Yema: the risen phoenix of the watch world. What I used to know as entry-level three handers and the occassional chronograph would come back in all its glory as a bronze diver with a gradiated blue dial. Bronze was the flavour of the moment when it comes to case material, and blue was the new black.
The watch release of the year was going to be exclusively on Kickstarter (also the hot app of the moment), and it was going to be at an uber affordable price.
Signed myself up, got a buddy involved (because it's cheaper if you buy two), and received the watch in all its glory.
What soon dawned on me was how annoying the emblematic bezel lock can be. I use my diver watch bezel to time pasta, among other things, and having the take off the watch, unlock the crown, adjust the bezel then, lock the crown again was too much for me.
I cracked open the caseback and removed the mechanism (it was thin piece of plated steel). It made the watch look different, but it allowed me to upgrade it to level 2: pata timer.
Time went on and I progressed in admiration for the Superman watches. I got myself a Sous Marine bona fide vintage treasure, the GMT (black bronze), another GMT (Pepsi 41), the Worn & Wound Maxi, the Cruella, and then their latest and last kickstater (monochrome bronze).
After I took the family photo and uploaded it to IG, it dawned upon me that I needed to put the bezel lock back into my OG Superman Heritage. It was an unexplainable urge at the time, but the reason eventually came to me and it led me to move my fat arse and get this blog post out.
Having a legit collection of Yema Supermans have brought me closer to the Brand as well as the watches, so much so that I threw out the perceived uselessness of the bezel lock (don't get me wrong, it's still as annoying). Not having the bezel lock made me think less of the watch - that it was no longer a Superman Heritage.
And this led me to think about my thoughts about my larger collection - would they be the same if I were to remove the inconvenient portions of the watch that I didn't fancy? Sure it would be more functional, but they would definitely lose their charm and character.
I no longer wish for this watch to have a a larger dial, or for the removal of the date window, or lament that the lugs are too long - the Superman Heritage has taught me that it wouldn't be the same without its bezel lock, and then my appreciation for the watch and brand would be so much more fulfilling if I were to embrace it all.
The Chinese have a saying - you accept the crows atop the house you love. With the bezel lock back, I find myself wearing the OG Superman Heritage more often (not for pasta, for obvious reasons), and feeling smug about my decision to revert on the bezel lock.
I hope all collectors will learn this and find new levels of appreciation for our hobby.