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Lot Essay
The brilliantly named and great looking ‘Yellow Submarine’ DB28GS yellow titanium diver’s watch demonstrates perfectly the freethinking and revolutionary achievements of master watchmaker Denis Flageollet that have placed De Bethune watches among the most avant-garde and technically extraordinary timepieces made in the 21st century.
Showcasing a very special feature invented for the illumination of the dial display, the DB28GS ‘Yellow Submarine’ diver’s wristwatch (the ‘GS’ standing for ‘Grand Sport’) is far from a conventional diver’s watch. Made in a limited edition of only 25 pieces, it is made of lightweight titanium that has been especially oxidized to a warm and fiery golden hue with a body of black zirconium. The case is water-resistant to 100 metres and, whilst it is fitted with a unidirectional rotating bezel in common with all diver’s watches, the ‘Yellow Submarine’ is very deliberately only immediately recognizable as a DB28, not immediately as a diver’s watch. In this and several other ways, the DB28GS ‘Yellow Submarine’ is unlike any other diver’s watch today. The technology used in the ‘Yellow Submarine’ is both remarkable and fascinating, it was developed and first used in the Yellow Submarine’s immediate predecessor and sibling, the DB28GS ‘Grand Bleu’, De Bethune’s first true sports watch. The ‘Grand Bleu’ and ‘Yellow Submarine’ are the only two watches to be fitted with a remarkable and incredibly complicated mechanical LED internal lighting system. Designed and invented by Denis Flageollet in 2019, the mechanical lighting ensures that the watch has superior readability in all situations and all weather, on either land or underwater, however unfavorable the conditions.
A formidable piece of miniature engineering, as difficult to construct as a striking mechanism for the watchmaker, this entirely mechanical lighting source system is powered by a dynamo in a similar way to a bicycle light, it needs no battery nor any electronic components. The lights are activated by a pusher at 6 o’clock, depressing the pusher activates the dynamo to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and thus emitting light for a few seconds from four LED bulbs placed at the quarter-hour positions. The bezel which rotates with the crystal has an inner metalized scale calibrated for the dive times. Further luminescence is provided by the application of a new material that appears blue in daylight and emits enough luminous glow for general use. This photoluminescent material, named ‘Blue Moon’ was created for De Bethune by Black Badger in collaboration with Swiss Super-LumiNova.
Already a cult watch, once seen, the DB28GS ‘Yellow Submarine’ cannot be forgotten. The brilliant light emitted from the dial when the lighting system is activated in total darkness is quite extraordinary, particularly when it is considered that the lights are powered mechanically. The present watch, number 14 of the limited edition of 25 offers collectors the chance to obtain an example of one of the most interesting and practical inventions in recent mechanical watchmaking at the very highest level.
Showcasing a very special feature invented for the illumination of the dial display, the DB28GS ‘Yellow Submarine’ diver’s wristwatch (the ‘GS’ standing for ‘Grand Sport’) is far from a conventional diver’s watch. Made in a limited edition of only 25 pieces, it is made of lightweight titanium that has been especially oxidized to a warm and fiery golden hue with a body of black zirconium. The case is water-resistant to 100 metres and, whilst it is fitted with a unidirectional rotating bezel in common with all diver’s watches, the ‘Yellow Submarine’ is very deliberately only immediately recognizable as a DB28, not immediately as a diver’s watch. In this and several other ways, the DB28GS ‘Yellow Submarine’ is unlike any other diver’s watch today. The technology used in the ‘Yellow Submarine’ is both remarkable and fascinating, it was developed and first used in the Yellow Submarine’s immediate predecessor and sibling, the DB28GS ‘Grand Bleu’, De Bethune’s first true sports watch. The ‘Grand Bleu’ and ‘Yellow Submarine’ are the only two watches to be fitted with a remarkable and incredibly complicated mechanical LED internal lighting system. Designed and invented by Denis Flageollet in 2019, the mechanical lighting ensures that the watch has superior readability in all situations and all weather, on either land or underwater, however unfavorable the conditions.
A formidable piece of miniature engineering, as difficult to construct as a striking mechanism for the watchmaker, this entirely mechanical lighting source system is powered by a dynamo in a similar way to a bicycle light, it needs no battery nor any electronic components. The lights are activated by a pusher at 6 o’clock, depressing the pusher activates the dynamo to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and thus emitting light for a few seconds from four LED bulbs placed at the quarter-hour positions. The bezel which rotates with the crystal has an inner metalized scale calibrated for the dive times. Further luminescence is provided by the application of a new material that appears blue in daylight and emits enough luminous glow for general use. This photoluminescent material, named ‘Blue Moon’ was created for De Bethune by Black Badger in collaboration with Swiss Super-LumiNova.
Already a cult watch, once seen, the DB28GS ‘Yellow Submarine’ cannot be forgotten. The brilliant light emitted from the dial when the lighting system is activated in total darkness is quite extraordinary, particularly when it is considered that the lights are powered mechanically. The present watch, number 14 of the limited edition of 25 offers collectors the chance to obtain an example of one of the most interesting and practical inventions in recent mechanical watchmaking at the very highest level.