De Bethune : The manufacture has developed the lightest tourbillon …

DB25LT Tourbillon

Case : platinum, drum-shaped, sapphire crystal back, fixed and hollowed lugs Diameter : 44mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound movement (DB 2519 caliber with 96h power reserve), 354 parts, patented silicon escape-wheel and silicon/white gold balance wheel and DB 30” silicon/titanium tourbillon, hand-crafted finishing and decoration (Côtes De Bethune), chamfered and hand-polished steel components Functions : hours, minutes, spherical moon-phase indication, tourbillon with 30 seconds indication on the back  Dial : hand-guilloché rose gold, DB star-studded sky in mirror-polished flame-blued steel inlaid with yellow gold stars with spherical moon-phase indicator in palladium and flame-blued steel Strap : extra-supple alligator leather strap with pin buckle

 

DB16 Tourbillon Regulator

Case : rose gold with cone-shaped lugs, sapphire see-through back Diameter : 43mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound movement (DB 2509 calibre with 4-day power reserve), 499 parts, patented silicon/palladium balance wheel (balance-spring with flat end curve), patented silicon escape-wheel and silicon/white gold balance wheel and DB 30 second silicon/titanium tourbillon, hand-crafted finishing and decoration (Côtes De Bethune), chamfered and hand-polished steel components Functions : hours, minutes, central jumping seconds, date at 6, perpetual calendar indicating the day at 9 and the month at 3, spherical moon-phase and leap-year indication at 12, patented tourbillon with 30 seconds indication, power indication, age of the moon indication Dial : silver-toned, sunburst guilloché motif, DB star-studded sky in flame-blued steel encrusted with gold stars, featuring spherical moon-phase indicator in platinum and flame-blued steel Strap : extra-supple alligator leather with pin buckle

 

Skybridge

Case : grade 5 titanium with floating lugs, sapphire see-through back Diameter : 43mm (with a 45mm titanium bezel) Movement : mechanical hand-wound movement (DB 2105 caliber with 6-day power reserve), 236 parts, patented silicon/palladium balance wheel (balance-spring with flat end curve), patented self-regulating twin barrel and silicon escape wheel and triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system, hand-crafted finishing and decoration, entirely mirror-polished blued steel Functions : hours, minutes, spherical moon-phase indication at 6  Dial : De Bethune star-studded sky in blued mirror-polished grade 5 titanium encrusted with white gold and diamond stars, polished steel spherical hour-marker Strap : extra-supple alligator leather with pin buckle

It is through drawing inspiration from centuries of history as well as artistic and horological culture that De Bethune’s founders, David Zanetta and Denis Flageollet, use state-of-the-art technologies to create timepieces in which aesthetic and technical aspects merge into a unique whole, and form meets function. All in pursuit of a subtle balance between simplicity, readability and chronometer-worthy precision.

It is in this spirit that the round DB25LT Tourbillon evokes a pure design with lines inspired by the decorative arts. The drum-shaped case in platinum is built on a set of superposed rings of various sizes, giving it a sense of substance while remaining exquisitely light. Lightness is also the distinctive feature of the slender openworked lugs adorned with a cone-shaped motif and featuring a sloping design that accentuates the roundness of the object and ensures a perfect fit on the wrist. As if literally floating in space, the spherical De Bethune moon sits delicately enthroned at 12 o’clock and opens a symbolic window onto the cosmos. Entirely mirror-polished and composed of half-spheres meticulously set into blued steel and palladium, this three-dimensional indicator is driven by a high-precision mechanism requiring only one adjustment ever 122 years. The subtle nature of the polished steel, flame-blued hands lies as much in the delicacy of their lines as in their slightly curved shape that is required to help them glide smoothly over the moon at 12 o’clock. Alongside the classic features such as a triangular bridge adorned with Côtes de Bethune, the back of the DB25 LT nonetheless displays a strong contrast with its avant-garde mechanism powered by a 30-second silicon and titanium tourbillon with its balance-wheel oscillating at 36,000 vibrations per hour, making it one of the fastest and lightest in the watch industry with its 57 components weighing just 0.18 grams in all. Collectors and devotees of Haute Horlogerie will appreciate the refined elegance of a classic timepiece, as well as the discreet pleasure of wearing a powerful and resolutely technical high-precision movement.

The DB16 Tourbillon Regulator  unites the classic codes of Haute Horlogerie, executed with chronometer-worthy precision stemming from the patents and innovations of the De Bethune R&D laboratory. The contemporary architecture of DB2509 caliber is built around the same tourbillon device of the DB25. This technical feat creates a strong contrast with the jumping seconds mechanism composed of a twin lever with four pallets driving two gold wheels marking off time with an unmistakable air of distinction. Composed of 499 parts, this movement is also equipped with a power indicator, a seconds indication, and a retrograde moon-phase indicator that facilitates setting the moon to the exact date. Hidden on the back of the watch, this masterpiece surprises devotees of subtlety by leaving room for a classically understated dial on which the perpetual calendar and moon-phase displays are enhanced by the Manufacture’s characteristic silver-toned guilloché pattern. Enthralled by the soft, steady beat of the jumping seconds, connoisseurs will sense the very core of horological wonderment (with 6 patents) as they experience a unique form of ultimate and uncompromising beauty.

With its blue that has been a House signature for the past eleven years, Skybridge embodies the entire repertoire of the Manufacture De Bethune. While classically inspired in terms of its round shape, its 12 o’clock crown and its hunter-type back borrowed from pocket watches, the ultra-light mirror-polished titanium case of the DB28 with its distinctive floating lugs nonetheless proclaim the collection’s modern and indeed futuristic nature. An eminent reference to the famous 18th century clocks, this star-studded sky in mirror-polished and blued titanium derives its power and beauty from its concave shape and its multiple decorations crafted in the company workshops in the village of L’Auberson. The spherical moon-phase display is accentuated by an arrow-shaped bridge that appears to be pointing towards infinity. Two flame-blued and mirror-polished steel hands gracefully sweep across a constellation delicately highlighted by a minute circle. The heart of this immensity is sprinkled with white gold and diamond stars. Topped with hour-markers resembling tiny suspended spheres, these spark-
ling splendours lend a sense of timeless depth to the celestial canopy.

 

 

Having won the 2011 “Aiguille d’Or”, the highest distinction awarded by the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix, for its DB28 model, De Bethune now offers a black interpretation of its iconic model, which is known for the surprising lightness of its case and the comfort of its patented floating lugs that adapt to the size of the wrist and its various movements. In its research on materials and new processes, De Bethune saw the choice to machine zirconium as a natural and sustainable alternative for the colour black. The hardness of the metal together with stable oxidation that is unaffected by daily changes in temperature are twin assets that guarantee the resistance and durability of the exterior of a timepiece. Thus the DB28 Black Matte is equipped with DB Calibre 2115 which is endowed with the technological innovations developed and produced within the Manufacture. Its precision is further consolidated by the self-regulating twin barrel and by the presence within the regulating organ of a silicon/palladium balance wheel and a balance-spring with a flat terminal curve, protected by the triple pare-chute system. As one can see from careful observation of the sky, moon phases are read off on an exclusive display by means of a platinum and blued steel sphere spinning on its axis and boasting a degree of precision equivalent to a mere one-day difference every 122 years. As far as the DB28T is concerned, it is powerded by a mechanical hand-wound movement equipped with the De Bethune silicon/titanium tourbillon. De Bethune has undertaken a complete rethinking of the tourbillon in terms of its use in wristwatches. The laws of physical are implacable: to compensate for the random “violence” of wrist movements, the carriage must be as light as possible, with a high frequency and a maximum rotation speed, along with minimum weight and inertia. Based on new technologies, De Bethune has developed an 0.18 g silicon-titanium tourbillon fitted inside a carriage that spins on its axis every 30 seconds, which is the lightest on the market (classic tourbillons are four times heavier) and comprises 57 parts, of which the lightest weighs less than 0.0001 grams and the heaviest 0.0276 grams !

 

DB28 Black Matte

Case : sandblasted anthracite zirconium, short or long floating lugs, sapphire crystal back Diameter : 42.6mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound movement (DB 2115 calibre with 6-day power reserve), 298 parts, patented silicon escape-wheel and silicon/white gold balance wheel, triple pare-chute shock absurbing system, hand-crafted finishing and decoration Functions : hours, minutes, patented DB spherical moon-phase, power reserve indication on the back, performance indicator between 2 and 3 Dial : black with mirror-polished and silver-toned minutes ring, mirror-polished steel spherical hour-marker, mirror-polished steel bridge and Côtes De Bethune Strap : extra-supple alligator leather strap with pin buckle

 

DB28T Black Tourbillon

Case : black or rose gold, anthracite zirconium short or long floating lugs, sapphire crystal back Diameter : 42.6mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound movement (DB 2019 calibre with 5-day power reserve), 298 parts, patented silicon escape-wheel and silicon/ white gold balance wheel, DB 30” silicon/titanium tourbillon, hand-crafted finishing and decoration Functions : hours, minutes, patented DB spherical moon-phase, power reserve Dial : black with mirror-polished and silver-toned minutes ring, mirror-polished steel spherical hour-marker, mirror-polished steel bridge and Côtes De Bethune Strap : extra-supple alligator leather strap with pin buckle


Brice Lechevalier is editor-in-chief of GMT and Skippers, which he co-founded in 2000 and 2001 respectively. He has also been CEO of WorldTempus since it joined the GMT Publishing stable, of which he is director and joint shareholder. In 2012 he created the Geneva Watch Tour, and he has been an advisor to the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève since 2011. Also closely involved in sailing, he has published the magazine of the Société Nautique de Genève since 2003, and was one of the founders of the SUI Sailing Awards in 2009 and the Concours d’Elégance for motor boats at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2015.

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