Salines
Royales
d'Arc-et-Senans
Doubs, France
1775
Calibre CMM.22
Automatic micro-rotor
Moonphase
< 4.7 mm thick
000/200 LIMITED EDITION
THE MOON TAKES CENTRE STAGE
Introducing the Senans Grande Lune, YEMA's first moonphase timepiece and the inaugural model of the new Senans collection.
A sculpted, luminous Moon takes a prominent place on an intricately textured dial, transforming a traditional complication into the defining feature of the watch. Distinctive in its design yet classical in its proportions, the Grande Lune brings a fresh perspective to the traditional dress watch.
Limited to 200 pieces per dial colour.
An automatic micro-rotor movement allows this expressive lunar display to take its place within a thin case, preserving the proportions and understated presence that make a dress watch so appealing on the wrist.
Traditionally confined to a small aperture, the moonphase complication finds a more expressive setting in the Senans Grande Lune.
Positioned asymmetrically at 7 o’clock, the prominent lunar display immediately draws the eye and defines the character of the dial. The surrounding guilloché textures, hour markers and open space counterbalance its unconventional placement, giving the dial a distinctive yet carefully balanced design.
The generous curve of the lunar aperture echoes the semicircular architecture of the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the landmark that inspired the Senans collection.
Unlike conventional flat moonphase discs, the Senans Grande Lune features a three-dimensional Moon, giving the lunar display a sculptural presence.
A rotating mechanical bilobe gradually reveals and conceals the Moon, recreating the succession of lunar phases. A familiar astronomical cycle unfolds on your wrist, inviting a closer look each day.
The central dial features an intricate barleycorn guilloché pattern inspired by the Fibonacci sequence and the natural geometry of sunflowers and pine cones. Its repeating grain-shaped motifs form intersecting spirals that give the dial a sense of rotation and depth.
As light moves across the surface, changing reflections reveal the fine relief and geometry of the pattern, creating an impression of movement even when the watch is still.
Surrounding the central guilloché, a circular-brushed surface provides a smoother contrast, while a concentric Super-LumiNova ring defines the transition between the two textures.
Crafted from a solid block of Grade X Super-LumiNova using Globolight technology, the Moon forms a sculptural, three-dimensional luminous element.
Its subtly domed surface features finely detailed lunar markings, reproducing the characteristic craters and irregular textures of the Moon’s surface. By day, these details give the display realism and depth. As darkness falls, the Moon reveals a different character, emitting a soft, warm glow reminiscent of natural moonlight.
Concentric Super-LumiNova rings frame the central guilloché like luminous halos, extending the Moon’s glow across the dial. Luminous hands and applied hour markers complete the display, ensuring legibility after dark while preserving the Moon as the focal point.
Treated with Super-LumiNova Grade X, the hands and hour markers ensure clear timekeeping in low-light conditions, completing the dial's transition from daylight to moonlight.
Treated with Super-LumiNova Grade X, the hands and hour markers ensure clear timekeeping in low-light conditions, completing the dial's transition from daylight to moonlight.
Polished applied hour markers alternate between long and short forms, creating a radiating pattern around the dial. Their arrangement gives structure to the composition while leaving space for the prominent Moon and the *Manufacture Française* inscription.
The Senans Grande Lune features a classical stepped case, distinguished by its layered construction, where the bezel rises in successive levels above the case middle. This traditional watchmaking design adds depth and definition to the case, with each step catching the light and drawing the eye towards the dial.
Measuring 38.5 mm in diameter, just 8.70 mm thick and 46.4 mm from lug to lug, the 316L stainless steel case combines classical proportions with a comfortable wrist presence. The mirror-polished bezel and upper surfaces contrast with vertically brushed sides, emphasising the stepped architecture, while gently curved lugs follow the contours of the wrist. Its slim profile allows the watch to slip easily beneath a shirt cuff.
A double-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating completes the case, its gentle curvature recalling traditional watch crystals while providing a clear view of the intricate dial and sculpted lunar display.
Visible through the sapphire exhibition caseback, the CMM.22 Manufacture caliber is derived from YEMA’s CMM.20 micro-rotor architecture, adapted for the moonphase complication and finished in deep anthracite.
A rich charcoal grey with subtle metallic undertones, anthracite offers a distinctive alternative to traditional silver-toned movement finishes. Its darker surfaces bring definition to the movement’s architecture, creating a striking contrast with the polished screw heads, jewel bearings and brushed micro-rotor.
This finish is achieved through an Anthradec electroplated surface treatment. Applied in an exceptionally thin layer, the coating combines high surface hardness with good chemical stability, preserving the fine detail of the underlying surfaces.
Against this dark background, metallic components catch the light and the micro-rotor turns with the movement of the watch. The view through the caseback reveals another side of the timepiece, pairing its classical exterior with a distinctly contemporary movement.
The leather strap’s pronounced pebbled grain echoes the irregular, mineral texture of the lunar surface, complementing the watch’s classical proportions. A smooth leather lining provides a soft feel against the wrist for comfortable daily wear.
Double-pronged quick-release spring bars allow tool-free strap changes, while a 316L stainless steel pin buckle features vertically brushed surfaces, polished chamfers, and an engraved YEMA signature.
Engineered specifically for the Senans Grande Lune case, the 316L stainless steel Milanese mesh bracelet follows the contours of the wrist, bringing a supple feel and finely woven texture to the watch.
Curved, solid end-pieces integrate seamlessly against the round case contours, while quick-release spring bars allow tool-free swapping.
A satin-brushed sliding clasp, finished with a polished YEMA logo in relief, allows fine adjustment for a comfortable, precise fit.
Saline royale d'Arc-et-Senans
The Grande Lune inaugurates a new family of YEMA timepieces inspired by the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, an 18th-century architectural landmark in eastern France, not far from YEMA's workshops in Morteau. Designed by architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux during the Age of Enlightenment and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Royal Saltworks is celebrated for its distinctive semicircular layout.
Built between 1775 and 1779, the Royal Saltworks represents an ambitious vision of architecture in which classical proportions, geometric precision and industrial purpose come together. Its buildings are arranged around a central space, creating a monumental composition defined by symmetry and sweeping curves.
Taking its name from Arc-et-Senans, the new Senans collection draws inspiration from this architectural heritage. The sweeping semicircular geometry of the Royal Saltworks finds an echo in the Grande Lune's lunar aperture, creating a visual connection between the historic monument and the watch's defining complication.
Limited to 200 pieces per dial colour.
