Rallygraf Alpine Cup Series MKII - Ltd Ed 150pcs

Yema, a name coined by Henry Louis Belmont during a school contest in his teenage years, has grown into a celebrated watchmaker over its 72-year history. Graduating at the top of his class from the National Watchmaking School of Besançon, Belmont went on to create exceptional timepieces, including the historic Yema Spationaute, worn by astronaut Jean-Loup Chrétien in space. At this Geneva Watch Week, the brand's second act among its five novelties is the Rallygraf Alpine Cup Series MKII Limited Edition—a watch that looks to consolidate the brand's long-standing connection to both motorsport and its own historical design language. Since its debut in 1955, Alpine has occupied a unique space in motorsport, balancing high-performance engineering with a distinctively French design language. The A110 remains the anchor of this identity, a car as revered for its aesthetics as its prowess on the track. This racing heritage finds its modern expression in the Alpine Elf Cup Series, a competitive environment that serves as both a proving ground for new talent and a spectacle of technical precision. As the Official Timekeeper for the series, YEMA has long integrated this automotive DNA into its Rallygraf line, and the latest iteration, unveiled during the Geneva Watch Week Five Act release, marks a refined continuation of that partnership. It is a watch that trades on the shared history of two French institutions, aiming to capture the essence of a racing spirit that is as much about mechanical integrity as it is about the adrenaline of the circuit. The Rallygraf MKII shifts its proportions to a 41 mm case with a 47 mm lug to lug distance, though the real story is in how it manages its 12.5 mm thickness. By ditching the traditional tachymeter bezel (adapted on previous iteration), the design achieves a cleaner and more unified silhouette where the mid case flows directly into the crystal. It is a move that will undoubtedly trigger some debates among the purist crowd, but it is a clever bit of geometry because without that external bezel to break up the lines, the watch feels less like a bolted together instrument and more like a singular fluid object. The 316L steel is finished with a familiar mix of brushing and polished chamfers which catches the light in ways that make the watch feel less like a budget racer and more like a thoughtful design. To round out the update, the crown and pushers have been overhauled, giving the whole package a tactile maturity that suggests the brand is finally moving away from its more utilitarian roots and toward something that takes its own ergonomics and the end user experience a bit more seriously. By relocating the traditional tachymeter from the external bezel to an internal chapter ring, the dial opening appears noticeably larger, creating a more expansive and immersive view. This design improves legibility while giving the Rallygraf a refined and elegant presence, naturally drawing attention to the dial's details and layout. The black and white tachymeter is accented with a subtle touch of Alpine blue, adding a modern and dynamic flair. The iconic Rallygraf continues to lean on its double domed sapphire crystal, a choice that softens the case lines while creating those delightful, slightly warped distortions at the edges that we watch nerds secretly love. From certain angles, the internal tachymeter chapter ring appears subtly magnified, which adds a layer of depth and visual mischief that elevates the watch beyond a mere dashboard clone and into the realm of proper instrument grade gear. As for the main event, this Alpine Cup edition leans heavily into the dashboard aesthetic of 1960s and 70s race cars, pulling clear inspiration from the original A110. The white trapezoidal sub registers sit against a circular brushed dark gray dial, a sophisticated evolution that manages to avoid looking like a gimmicky homage. It is the kind of dial layout that makes you want to hunt for a winding road just