De Bethune: DB28GS “Yellow Submarine”

YELLOW SUBMARINE is not only the name of the famous Beatles single which in 1966 marked an epochal turning point for the record market but also that of the new De Bethune DB28GS.

Revisited last year with the Grand Bleu model in titanium, this year the independent brand unveils a new version of its sporty model with decidedly warmer colors.

THE NEW DB28GS “YELLOW SUBMARINE”

True as ever to the natural colours of the four elements – air, water, earth and fire – De Bethune has developed in 2019 a warm colored titanium with natural shades of amber, reflecting the colours of fire, sun and warmth. To create its own fiery, De Bethune applies its famous technique of gently oxidising grade 5 titanium to tint its surface naturally. This ritual conjures an extraordinary, rare and uniform fire brown. This know-how is applied to the case components and to most of the movement’s components. Each element is thus individually examined to ensure the process is properly calibrated to suit shape and mass. This preliminary step is essential to obtain in the end a range of uniform tones. 

The DB28GS “Yellow Submarine” was designed and developed to be a resolutely sporty watch. Based on the observation that a sports watch must be perfectly readable in any kind of situation, a very special lighting system has been developed. Therefore, to illuminate the watch and the movement from the inside, a light source is produced by a fully mechanical means that works on the dynamo principle. Visually as simple as the lighting of a bicycle, fully mechanical with no electronics and no battery. A pusher located at 6 o’clock activates a small gear train driven by the twin barrel. This gear train, by means of a miniature dynamo, provides the necessary energy for lighting the watch. A few seconds of light is more than enough to read the time, even in the middle of the night or in the depths of the ocean.  

The rotating bezel it serves to enable accurate calculation of immersion time, as well as the transition through various decompression stops of the different levels. Generally, all the numerals relating to the minutes counter are indicated on the bezel. For the DB28GS “Yellow Submarine”, these indications appear on the sapphire crystal driven by the bezel in order to preserve the streamlined and elegant lines of the watch.

Water-resistant to 105 metres and equipped with the in-house hand-wound Calibre DB2080 with central seconds and a five-day power reserve indicated on the dial, the DB28GS “Yellow Submarine” is no exception to the strict rule of wearer comfort that De Bethune applies to its “sports” models. This exceptional comfort comes from a combination of the light feel of the 44mm titanium case, the softness of its hand-polished finish, the 12 o’clock crown position and above all the presence of the patented system of floating lugs that adapt to wrist size and movements. 

The new De Bethune DB28GS “Yellow Submarine” is delivered with two straps: a canvas version and a striated natural rubber iteration with titanium folding clasp. (Price CHF 90.000)