The independent Geneva watch maker De Bethune presents DB28GS “Yellow Submarine”, a new diving watch in a specially developed titanium that reflects the colors of fire.
In 2019, De Bethune developed a warm colored titanium with natural shades of amber and flame blonde. De Bethune has chosen this unique material to create bezel, caseback, lugs, dial, hands and buckle of the new DB28GS “Yellow Submarine” watch. The case middle is made from Black zirconium.
Available in a limited edition of 25 pieces, 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 weather and every possible situation, a very special and ingenious 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. 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 abyssal depths of the ocean.
In modern diving watches, the rotating bezel serves to enable accurate calculation of immersion time, as well as the transition through various decompression stops. Generally, all the numerals relating to the minutes counter are indicated on the bezel, which tends to create a more crowded visual effect. For the DB28GS “Yellow Submarine”, these indications appear on the sapphire crystal driven by the bezel. This developed in the workshops of the Manufacture in L’Auberson enables the model to remain elegantly slender and instils a pleasing casual chic aesthetic.
The watch houses the in-house DB2080 mechanical movement. Hand-wound, with central seconds and a five-day power reserve indicated on the dial, the movement is equipped with a high-tech in-house-made balance wheel. The presence of the titanium / white gold balance wheel and balance-spring with flat terminal curve ensures an ideal mass / inertia ratio for an optimal frequency of 28,800 vph suitable for wristwatches.
It is endowed with numerous properties – such as optimised efficiency, reliability, regulating quality, thermo-compensation, anti-magnetism – leading to concrete results, since De Bethune has already improved the efficiency of its sprung-balance-escapement ensemble by achieving a 20% increase in power reserve.
The calibre is also equipped with the triple pare chute system. De Bethune was not only the first to design a bridge symmetrical held on both sides and thus serving to maintain the balance wheel perfectly in position, but also added two shock absorbers on either end as well as that of the balance wheel itself.
Water-resistant to 105 metres (10 ATM), the DB28GS “Yellow Submarine” is no exception to the strict rule of wearer comfort that De Bethune applies to its models in general and particularly to the DB28 collection. This exceptional comfort stems from a combination of the light feel of the 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 model is delivered with two straps: a canvas version and a striated natural rubber iteration with titanium folding clasp.
Technical details
Model: DB28GS “Yellow Submarine”
Reference: DB28GSV2Y
Functions
Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Power reserve indication between 9 and 10 o’clock, unidirectional rotating bezel, manual dial lighting
Movement
DB2080 Mechanical hand-wound movement
Adjustment: Winding and setting the time by means of the crown (2 positions), push button at 6 o’clock to activate the lightening
Technical features of calibre DB2080
Number of parts: 400
Jewelling: 51 jewels
Diameter: 30 mm
Power reserve: 5 days, ensured by a self-regulating twin barrel – De Bethune Innovation (2004)
Specificities: Titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts, optimised for temperature differences and air penetration – De Bethune Patent (2016)
“De Bethune” balance-spring with flat terminal curve – De Bethune Patent (2006)
Silicon escape wheel
Triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system – De Bethune Innovation (2005)
Dial lighting produced by an entirely mechanical means working on the dynamo principle powered by a twin barrel and manually controlled via a pusher- De Bethune Innovation (2019)
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Adornment: Mirror- polished yellow grade 5 titanium motion-work bridge
Plate and barrel bridge covers in hand-smoothed yellow grade 5 titanium and adorned with “Microlight engraving” – De Bethune Innovation (2007)
Hand-snailed barrels
Hand-polished and chamfered steel parts
Display
Yellow titanium hours and minutes hand with inserts, luminescent tip
Yellow titanium sandblasted by hand minute hand, luminescent tip
Polished steel seconds hand with luminescent tip
Power-reserve indicator between 9 and 10 o’clock
Dial
Satin-brushed and yellow grade 5 titanium minutes dial with cut-out Arabic numerals
Rotating bezel crystal with metallised minutes ring
Case
Black zirconium case middle with “Microlight” decoration, yellow brushed grade 5 titanium caseback and bezel
Diameter: 44 mm
Thickness: 12.8 mm
Floating lugs in yellow brushed grade 5 titanium with yellow polished grade 5 titanium inserts – De Bethune Patent (2006)
Crystal: In sapphire crystal (1800 Vickers hardness) with double anti-reflective coating
Case back: open in yellow brushed grade 5 titanium
Water resistance: 10 ATM
Strap
Natural rubber strap + 1 canvas / leather strap
Buckle: Folding clasp + pin buckle in yellow brushed grade 5 titanium
