Superman

Operate the lock — it is a mechanism, not a decoration

Engage the hinged bridge and try to turn the bezel. On a correct Superman the bezel is held firmly and cannot be rotated; released, it turns normally. A bridge that is present but does not clamp, or a bezel that turns with the bridge engaged, indicates a replaced bezel, a worn or damaged lock, or a homage that reproduced the appearance without the function. Test it before assessing anything else on the watch.

Bezels and inserts are consumables on a sixty-year-old diver

Period Superman bezels and their inserts have been replaced routinely — they take the wear, they get damaged, and parts have circulated for decades. A replaced bezel is a service or restoration finding and is very common; it is not evidence against the watch. What it does mean is that the bezel cannot corroborate the rest of the watch, and the lock mechanism becomes the more informative feature.

Issue markings are real and are also portable

Yema supplied French forces and issued watches carry issue markings on the caseback. As with every issue marking in this catalog, it identifies the contract rather than the individual watch, it commands a premium, and it sits on a component that unscrews. Judge the case, dial, hands and movement as a system and see whether they belong to the same period as the marking.

Redials are the characteristic vintage French-watch defect

The same economics as the Priority 1 group: values high enough that a tidy dial pays and low enough that a whole counterfeit does not. Printing that sits on the surface, a minute track short of the edge, and lettering with modern proportions are the indicators. A restoration finding.