De Bethune DB28GS Yellow Submarine Reviewed by Tim Mosso
by Tim Mosso
It’s a testament to the auteur vision of De Bethune’s Denis Flageollet that the DB28 GS Yellow Submarine is unrecognizable as a dive watch.
Given the mindshare and market share of the watch industry’s favorite genre, many of the designs tend to run together; branding becomes generic and corporate consensus kills moon-shot experiments in their cradles.
But the DB28GS Yellow Submarine is a dive watch without doubt – and without duplicate.
De Bethune DB28GS Yellow Submarine
Now, I’m partly paid to say stuff like that, since my company (The 1916 Company) owns De Bethune. But if you can find another variable geometry, LED-dynamo lit, yellow-fired-titanium, dive watch, please sound off in the comments section below. This watch’s wildly deviant profile speaks for itself, and it’s anything but another Submariner.
De Bethune DB28GS Grand Bleu
An original prototype of the DB28 GS Grand Bleu diver was on my wrist as far back as early 2019. Ironically, that was before we were part of the same corporate constellation, so De Bethune’s willingness to let a YouTuber field test a six-figure prototype endeared the watchmaker to me from square one.
It was rough-hewn and strapped with cheap canvas – as prototypes tend to be – but the ingredients were magical even then. Aside from a Devon Tread 1F, no watch I’ve ever worn daily drew so many curious and complimentary comments from non-watch folks.
Like a vintage car or a hot rod, the emotionally resonant DB made friends as surely as certain OEM luxury brands evoke scorn. There’s something magical about a timepiece whose charisma arrests onlookers with such visual magnetism regardless of prior watch knowledge.
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LED lighting was a big part of the appeal then and remains so today. Most people own smartphones or even smartwatches that can broadcast light shows far in excess of the Yellow Submarine, but the way this DB glows captivates the imagination.
De Bethune DB28GS Grand Bleu internal illumination in low light
Something akin to the wonder of a cuckoo clock arises every time the barrels of this watch spin backwards, the repeater-style centrifugal governor whirrs, and the four LED lights blaze.
It’s not the luminescence that astounds but the way that the light arises. A back-lit dive bezel, manic machinery, and otherworldly Fire in the Sky shine are theater enough to impress wristwatch initiates and outsiders alike.
De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
From the exterior looking in, the Yellow Submarine has much in common with the Grand Bleu, which, in turn, has much in common with the 2011 GPHG Aiguille d’Or-winning DB28.
Floating lugs of the De Bethune DB28GS Yellow Submarine
Floating lugs – several sizes are available – are spring-loaded and vary the fit depending on wrist size.
De Bethune DB28GS Yellow Submarine on the wrist
Lug-to-lug measurements are adaptable, and the shape of the wrist also receives accommodation. At 44mm, this isn’t a small machine, but the 13mm thickness is within fractions of a Rolex Sub, and I’ve never known the Sub to be a thick watch.
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Exterior case walls are cut with De Bethune’s Microlight, a narrowly spaced reductive engraving similar to guilloché but calculated for a more modern aesthetic.
De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
Despite the appearance of gold or possibly bronze, the Yellow Sub is primarily constructed of grade five titanium. Since its first small steps into oxidizing titanium with 2004’s DB15, De Bethune has grafted fired titanium into its corporate soul.
De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
Generally blue in appearance, the fired titanium can be tailored to achieve any color on a spectrum from yellow – as here – to navy blue. Shorter firings produce greater amounts of yellow, and the cumulative thickness of the oxide layer is what filters out blue and later yellow light.
Because blue is easier to achieve, it’s more common in the industry, but De Bethune has been fielding large-scale yellow titanium offerings since 2019’s DB28 Yellow Tones.
‘Bullhead’ crown between the lugs of the De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
All DB28 models are bullhead winders, and this one is no exception. But whereas conventional DB28s are rated to only 30 meters, the Yellow Sub is dive-viable with its 105-meter declaration.
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As with almost all dive-style watches, factory testing has established a safety buffer in excess of this depth, but 105 meters is the official number.
Back of the De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
A diving bezel with 60-clicks provides the standard timing reference associated with this product class, but it’s admittedly hard to read when front-lit. Only with the LED system active is the bezel totally legible, and then it’s truly comprehensive with every single minute of the hour visible in detail.
The sheer firepower of this system is sufficient to light a path in dark confines. While not commonly acknowledged, all DB28 GS divers also include passive lume. The passive lume array on these watches was developed with input from watch lume royalty, James Thompson of Black Badger.
De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
Most DB28 models blur the line between dial and movement; the Yellow Sub is no exception. Dial side action includes the power reserve indicator at nine o’clock, a deltoid bridge with twin mainspring barrels at center, the balance bridge at six o’clock, and an escapement just below it.
A center-mounted seconds hand would be considered standard equipment on any dive watch – an operating indicator is required by the ISO 6425 – but it’s rare on a DB28. In that regard alone, this is a rare breed among De Bethune models.
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The DB’s unique dynamo-driven LEDs draw power from the mainspring barrels, so a centrifugal governor of the type seen on minute repeaters – located at three o’clock – is provided to pace the discharge of spring energy. Without this moderator in the system, the watch would explode in a single fleeting supernova of light before fading to black.
Close up of the lighting system governor of the De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
With the governor in place, the lights can run for most of a minute before reaching exhaustion. Ever conscious that timing is “Job 1,” Flageollet has designed the lights to cut out before halting the watch; several hours of operation remain after the dynamo deactivates.
In theory, a highly disciplined owner who can resist playing with the LEDs can realize five days of total power reserve. Given the temptation, that may prove as challenging as not biting the proverbial Tootsie Pop.
De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
Aesthetically, the Yellow Submarine’s interior mirrors its exterior. Fired yellow components exhibit different shades of gold based on their surface, degree of polish, and period of firing. Microlight, a subtle feature of the case flanks, takes pride of place inside the watch.
De Bethune microlight fine ribs on the movement of the De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
The uppermost feature is the polished yellow motion work cap sitting immediately below the hands. Below it, a fired titanium engraved cosmetic cap sits above the barrel bridge; a similar cap covers most visible portions of the movement base plate.
At the outer edges of the barrel bridge and its cap, the polished and oxidized bevels have strong undertones of red not seen on other surfaces.
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Distinctive functional highlights start with the Triple Pare-Chute springs that flank the balance bridge. These steel leaf springs have been detailed with decoration but left in their natural color.
De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
The yellowed balance bridge is different from the round cross-section model used on most DB28 models, and its flatter profile combines with twin-spar design to produce greater shock compliance on this explicitly sports-oriented design.
De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
Old-school Incabloc provides the last line of defense atop the balance staff pivot. While this system has survived field tests in pro tennis matches, its equal purpose is to limit the total displacement of the balance pivots from their cup jewels. In other words, both durability against shock and chronometry are improved.
Balance bridge shock protection of the De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
De Bethune’s 2016 patent balance wheel – there were nine prior designs – is fired yellow titanium to match the movement and is equipped with white gold masses in its rim. Each new De Bethune balance variant is intended to maximize total mass in the rim, minimize the frictional effects of aerodynamic drag, and reduce the impact of temperature change on timing.
The hairspring is a patented two-piece assembly that involves cutting a standard hairspring, imparting a De Bethune proprietary curve to each piece, and clamping the two back together. This spring sits flat (i.e., thin) and breathes concentrically like an overcoil for consistent timing in any position.
Few of these ergonomic nightlights saw the light of day. 25 pieces were made, and that’s about as large a yearly run as any DB28 given the parent brand’s sub-400-unit annual production. And this is fine.
De Bethune DB28 GS Yellow Submarine
Big, visually loud, and expensive, the Yellow Submarine is a daily pleasure for the fortunate few. But unlike most elites, it has the common touch. Few watches inspire more smiles on the faces of onlookers.
For more information, please visit www.debethune.ch/en/collections/db28-collections/db28gs-yellow-submarine
Quick Facts: De Bethune DB28GS Yellow Submarine
Reference Code: DB28GSV2YN
Edition: 2020, 25 pieces
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, LED light, power reserve indicator; diving bezel
Case: Grade five titanium fired yellow; 44mm diameter; 13mm thick; 50.4 – 54.4mm variable lug-to-lug; 26mm lug spacing; unidirectional 60-click diving bezel; case engraved with Microlight striations around circumference; trigger for lights at six o’clock; 105-meters WR with screw-down crown; sapphire caseback
Strap: Brown rubber and alternate alligator leather strap
Clasp: Titanium double-fold deployant clasp
Dial: Hours, minutes, seconds; passive luminescence; yellow fired titanium motion works bridge and base plate cap with Microlight engraving; four LED lights; yellow fired barrel bridge cap; escapement; centrifugal governor for LED dynamo pacing; power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock
Movement: Caliber DB2080; manual 120-hour power reserve; 4Hz; patented hairspring curve; proprietary titanium and white gold balance wheel; 35 jewels; LED lighting by mainspring-driven dynamo; 30mm in diameter; balance bridge with Triple Pare-Chute shock protection; twin mainspring barrels with over-wind protection; silicon escape wheel
2024 Preowned Price: $185,000-$195,000
Tim Mosso is the media director and watch specialist at The 1916 Company. You can check out their very comprehensive YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@the1916company.
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Thank you Tim, great read.
De Bethune aesthetics are often likened to something from Star Trek, and I get it, but for me they’ve always been placed in the past. It’s just a minor detail of that past being on some parallel world glimpsed only by the likes ok Jules Verne. If a more suitable watch for Captain Nemo exists u haven’t seen it yet.
All the best,
Ed