Travel

Why Belle Brise could be the most interesting yacht at the Monaco Yacht Show this year

Belle Brise yacht interior revealed

Belle Brise returns to the Monaco Yacht Show this week after a comprehensive rebuild that has transformed the 48‑metre Perini Navi. Originally launched in 1993, the yacht has spent more than three decades at sea, emerging earlier this year from an extensive restoration at Lusben in Livorno.

The scale of the restoration project makes Belle Brise an intriguing proposition. This wasn’t simply a matter of refreshing the interiors or replacing a few tired systems. The work combined extensive restoration with major technical and systems upgrades, all without sacrificing the character and heritage of the original yacht.

Now commercially registered as a 2026 rebuild, the yacht consequently holds an unusual position in today’s superyacht market. Her design and provenance belong to a previous era, while her renewed systems and equipment are thoroughly modern.  

For anyone who has spent time around classic yachts, the attraction is easy to understand. New yachts can be extraordinary pieces of engineering, but an established yacht carries a sense of history you won’t find on a build sheet.

For anyone who has spent time around classic yachts, her attraction is easy to understand…

A classic Perini Navi reborn

The work at Lusben in Livorno focused on preserving that character while renewing the yacht beneath it. The supplied specification doesn’t detail the individual technical systems or interior changes, but it makes clear that the project included major technical and systems upgrades alongside extensive restoration.

The Belle Brise project also raises an interesting question about how the superyacht market views age. 

A 48-metre yacht launched in 1993 might ordinarily be considered an older vessel. A comprehensively rebuilt yacht with a 2026 commercial registration presents a rather different proposition.

For vessels with strong design heritage, engineering and provenance, age doesn’t necessarily mean the end of their commercial or ownership life. A significant rebuild can preserve the character of an established yacht while renewing the systems and capabilities required for the years ahead.

Belle Brise can be seen at the Monaco Yacht Show from September 23 to 26, where potential owners and the international superyacht community can see the results of the rebuild first-hand.

Belle Brise is now available for acquisition through St Julian’s Finance at €19.95 million.

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About Steve May

Creator of Home Cinema Choice magazine, and Editor of The Luxe Review, Steve muses and reviews for Trusted Reviews, T3, Home Cinema Choice, Games Radar, Good Housekeeping, Louder Sounds, StereoNet and Boat International. He’s also the editor of professional home cinema website Inside CI. He's on Twitter/X, Tiktok and Instagram as @SteveMay_UK