Mid-way between the DBS and the model developed exclusively by De Bethune for Only Watch 2009, the DB28 collection strikes the perfect balance between the know-how cultivated by the Manufacture and its horological innovations : spherical moon, ultra-light 0.18 gram silicon/titanium tourbillon, blued steel, silicon/platinum balance wheel, triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system and “floating lugs”…The design of the watch is entirely in line with existing creations by De Bethune : the dedicated shape of the case adorned with its famous crown at 12 o’clock, inspired by pocket-watches and emphasised by the spherical moon or the De Bethune tourbillon, are a set of distinctive traits characterising the contemporary aesthetic of the Manufacture. The dial serves as a window onto the movement, revealing the refined craftsmanship of the hand-executed finishes developed in the De Bethune workshops. The delta-shaped polished steel mainplate and De Bethune “stripes” are combined with a chapter ring to ensure optimal readability. The shimmering effects of the light playing across the polished and matt surfaces create a unique show visible exclusively on the wrists of a privileged few. The wearer comfort of the DB28 stems from the surprising lightness of the case entirely made in titanium, and from the presence of “floating lugs”, a patented system that easily adjusts to the size of the wrist and its various movements. In keeping with the Belle Epoque style, the solid back of the DB28 is inspired by the hunter-type shape of pocket-watches, and also incorporates a power-reserve indicator. The DB28 is powered by Calibre DB2115 which is equipped with the latest technological innovations developed and produced within the Manufacture De Bethune. This precision is reinforced by the self-regulating twin barrel and the presence within the regulating organ of the new silicon/platinum balance wheel with a flat terminal curve protected by the triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system. Much like what can be observed from the sky, moon phases are read off by an exclusive display system by means of a platinum and blued steel sphere revolving on its axis and which is accurate to within one day every 122 years. As far as the DB28T is concerned, it is powered by Calibre DB 2009 equipped with an ultra-light 0.18 gram silicon/titanium tourbillon, the lightest one on the market (see description below in the DB25T section).

De Bethune reinvents the spirit of the tourbillon in a manner such as Abraham-Louis Breguet may have dreamed of, but by taking it to a level of aesthetic and technical incandescence that goes well beyond the known limits of horological kinetics. Indeed Abraham-Louis Breguet devised the tourbillon mechanism in order to create a dynamic kind of escapement that was lacking because of the static manner in which pocket-watches and marine chronometers were worn in a waistcoat or placed on the deck of a ship. Wristwatches enjoy a far more active life, which subjects watch movements to chaotic displacements and energy transfers that bear no comparison with those experienced by historical pocket-watches. De Bethune thus undertook to rethink the tourbillon around this new wristwatch dynamic. The laws of physics are implacable: in order to compensate for the disorganised violence of wrist movements, the carriage must be as light as possible with as high a frequency as possible and a maximum rotation speed for a minimum mass and inertia. Thanks to new technologies, De Bethune has therefore created for the DB25T a 0.18 g silicon-titanium tourbillon in a carriage spinning once every thirty seconds at its axis, and a balance oscillating at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour. This tourbillon is the lightest on the market (classic counterparts weigh four times as much) and comprises 50 parts, of which the lightest weighs less than 0.0001 grams and the “heaviest” 0.0276 grams ! The choice of “jumping seconds” was a natural means of marking off time in noble style. Denis Flageollet, the brand’s watch designer, therefore created a seconds display at the centre of the watch, along with a double lever with four pallets to orchestrate the gold double wheel of this “jumping seconds” display.The result is an impressive mechanical ballet that is rendered technically feasible by the use of new technologies, and which is bound to move the hearts and minds of all devotees of classic mechanical watchmaking. The light, airy style is undergirded by deeply thought-out ideas. The fascinating gyration of the tourbillon carriage is matched by the steady, ample beat of the seconds. This masterpiece is revealed only on the back of the watch, to genuine connoisseurs capable of comprehending its passionately subtle features, and also of appreciating the inner power and beauty of the fired-blue hand-crafted titanium dial studded with golden stars like the night sky, along with the evocation of the most famous 18th century clocks through the hour and minute ring in a sterling silver that is destined to acquire a sublime patina over the years.

 

 

The De Bethune interpretation of the perpetual calendar is imbued with poetry and combines horological finesse with the cutting-edge mechanisms of the Manufacture by uniting moon phases, a star-studded sky and a perpetual calendar within an exceptional timepiece. For the DB25QP, De Bethune has developed the automatic mechanical Calibre DB2024 QP, benefiting from the latest research and technology of the Manufacture and notably including a perpetual calendar, a spherical moon-phase display featuring a “1 day in 122 years” level of accuracy, a double self-regulating barrel, a triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system and a titanium/platinum balance. Representing an avant-garde mechanism within a poetic timepiece, the DB25QP is crafted in the De Bethune workshops in harmony with the grand watchmaking tradition. The finesse of the decorations and the purity of the hand-guilloché silver-toned dial with its 12 radiating sectors accentuate the readability, notably based on the set of annular appliques delineating the subdials and the chapter ring. At 12 o’clock, a titanium and blued steel sphere sits enthroned amid a star-studded sky also incorporating a leap-year indicator. The date is read off on a subdial at 6 o’clock, while the day of the week and month apertures are respectively positioned at 9 and 3 o’clock.

 

DB25QP
Case : white or rose gold, integrated hollowed lugs, horizontally. Size : 44mm. Movement: self-winding mechanical movement (DB 2024 QP with 420 components and 100h power reserve), self-regulating twin barrel, titanium/platinum balance wheel with flat terminal curve, triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system, exclusive three-dimensional moon-phase indication, 420 hand-decorated components with circular-grained, snailed, chamfered and polished steel parts, Côtes De Bethune. Functions : hours, minutes, date at 6 o’clock, perpetual calendar indicating days at 9 o’clock, months at 3 o’clock , De Bethune spherical moon-phase and leap-year indicator subdial at 12 o’clock. Dial: silvered hand-guilloché dial with apertures indicating days of the week and months, subdial indicating days of the month at 6 o’clock, De Bethune star-studded sky in flame-blued steel with gold stars, hand-polished flame-blued steel hands. Strap : extra-supple alligator leather with pin buckle.