Yema Will Raise Prices on Its Rallygraf Meca-Quartz Chronographs on October 15

The price of the Yema Rallygraf Meca-Quartz will rise by up to 13% due to the increased cost of Seiko movements, according to the French brand, which is maintaining the current price until October 14.

Yema, the French brand founded in 1948 and based in Morteau, has sold a meca-quartz version of the Rallygraf since 2023. The chronograph draws on the motorsport models the company made in the 1960s, among them the Yema Rallye that, according to the brand, Mario Andretti wore when he won the 1969 Indianapolis 500. On September 30, Yema announced on its news site that prices for these watches will rise from October 15, 2026, and attributed the increase to the higher cost of the quartz and meca-quartz movements it sources from Seiko.

Technical Specs

Models carrying the price notice	Rallygraf Meca-Quartz (39 mm), Rallygraf Meca-Quartz II (40 mm) and Rallygraf Alpine Cup Series (39 mm)
Case	316L stainless steel; 11 mm thick (10.2 mm on the Alpine Cup Series); 20 mm lug width
Crystal	Double-domed K1 mineral, 2 mm thick
Water resistance	10 bar (100 m)
Caliber	Seiko VK64 meca-quartz: 32,768 Hz quartz base with a mechanical chronograph module
Functions	Hours and minutes, 24-hour indicator, date and chronograph with minute counter
Assembly and warranty	Assembled in France; 2-year international warranty
Price through October 14	Rallygraf Meca-Quartz: 420 USD on leather strap and 450 USD on steel mesh. Meca-Quartz II: 450 USD and 490 USD. Alpine Cup Series: 449 USD on leather strap and 549 USD on steel bracelet
Price in Spain	Rallygraf Meca-Quartz: 369 EUR and 399 EUR. Meca-Quartz II: 399 EUR and 429 EUR. Alpine Cup Series: 390 EUR and 490 EUR
From October 15	Increase of up to 13%, according to the product pages; Yema has not published the new prices

How much prices will rise

Yema's statement puts the increase at around 10%, and the notice on the product pages gives a maximum of 13%. Yema has not yet published the new prices. As a rough guide, a 13% increase would take the Rallygraf Meca-Quartz on a leather strap from 420 to about 475 dollars, and the Alpine Cup Series on a steel bracelet from 549 to about 620.

That notice appears on three models: the 39 mm Rallygraf Meca-Quartz, the 40 mm Meca-Quartz II and the Alpine Cup Series, an edition dedicated to the Alpine Elf Cup Series championship, for which Yema is the official timekeeper. According to the brand, the rest of the catalogue keeps its current prices, including the mechanical watches with its own calibres, such as the Superman Steel Blue CMM.10. Orders paid for before October 15 also keep the current price, whatever their delivery date.

The Seiko VK64 calibre

All three models use the Seiko VK64, a Japanese meca-quartz movement. In a movement of this kind, a battery-powered quartz oscillator keeps the time, as in any quartz watch, while the chronograph runs on a mechanical module. That module is why the chronograph seconds hand moves more smoothly than in a conventional quartz chronograph and returns to zero instantly.

According to Yema, global shortages of certain materials, rare-earth metals among them, raised Seiko's production costs, and Seiko adjusted its movement prices. The French brand's statement does not cite any public notice from the Japanese manufacturer. If the increase does come from the supplier, it could also affect other brands that use calibres from the same family, such as the VK67 in the meca-quartz Nivada Grenchen Autochron already featured in Orelo.

Regional availability

Yema's online store lists Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Peru among its destinations, with prices in US dollars, and offers free international shipping by DHL on orders from 100 euros. For buyers in the United States, Yema states that the price already includes duties and import taxes; buyers in Latin America can check with the brand which taxes are due on delivery. In Spain, prices are shown in euros, and the Rallygraf Meca-Quartz costs 369 euros on a leather strap and 399 on steel mesh.

The advantages of meca-quartz

Frente a un cronógrafo mecánico, la ventaja más visible de uno de meca-cuarzo es el precio. En el catálogo de Yema, el Rallygraf Alpine Cup Series MKII Limited Edition, que lleva el calibre mecánico de cuerda manual Sellita SW510, cuesta 2,425 dólares, más de cinco veces el precio del Rallygraf Meca-Quartz. Aunque la comparación no es del todo equivalente, porque el modelo mecánico es una edición limitada a 150 piezas y tiene cristal de zafiro, da una idea de la diferencia de precio que hay entre ambos tipos de cronógrafo. Un calibre mecánico de cronógrafo es más complejo de fabricar y de ajustar que uno de meca-cuarzo.

A mechanical chronograph is also more demanding to maintain: every few years it needs a full service, in which a watchmaker takes the movement apart, cleans it, lubricates it and regulates it, and that work takes longer and costs more than on a three-hand watch, because the mechanism has more parts. On a meca-quartz such as the VK64, routine care comes down to changing the battery, which lasts about three years according to the manufacturer's specification sheet. The same sheet gives an accuracy of ±20 seconds per month, where a mechanical movement's is usually measured in seconds per day, and the watch keeps time even after weeks unworn, because it does not depend on winding. The Rallygraf Meca-Quartz combines those advantages with the design of the motorsport chronographs Yema made in the 1960s, and it is an option for those who want a retro-style chronograph at an accessible price, without the maintenance a mechanical one requires.