DeWitt : Revolutionary by Tradition

FURTIVE Chronograph FTV.CHR.003

Case : polished and satin-brushed steel with black PVD coating on the flanks, round with DeWitt imperial columns on the sides and bezel Size : 46 mm Movement :  mechanical automatic (Caliber DW2079), 42h power reserve Functions : hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, 24h indicator Dial : blue with applied silver-toned numerals. Vertical satin-brushed blue inner bezel ring with applied silver-toned hour-markers. Small seconds counter at 3 o’clock, 24-hour counter at 9 o’clock. Black rotating central chronograph counter with flame motif Water resistance : 30m Bracelet/Strap : steel bracelet or black rubber strap, polished buckle with “W” engraving

 

FURTIVE Automatic Small Seconds  FTV.PTS.001

Case : polished and satin-brushed steel with black PVD coating on the flanks, round with DeWitt imperial columns on the sides and bezel Size : 42 mm Movement :  mechanical automatic (Caliber DW.HMS), 42h power reserve Functions : hours, minutes, seconds at 6 o’clock Dial : black sunburst décor with applied silver-toned Roman numerals and hour-markers, applied central silver-toned and wood-toned brown striped motif, black seconds counter Water resistance : 30m Bracelet/Strap : steel bracelet or black rubber strap, polished buckle with “W” engraving

 

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, DeWitt presents two new collections – an opportunity for the youthful Geneva-based Manufacture to firmly establish its identity within the exclusive world of Fine Watchmaking. By bringing its illustrious origins to the fore and launching a new advertising campaign with the daring signature “Revolutionary by Tradition”, DeWitt is definitely marking its tenth birthday in style – bold moves backed by four models that further highlight the idea of a watchmaking approach combining expertise and a unique technical sophistication.

 

Witness the FURTIVE with its resolutely casual styling. Interpreted in chronograph and automatic versions and available in a choice of midnight blue, white or black, it draws inspiration from the sports world and is mainly intended for a youthful, dynamic and sporting chic clientele. The FURTIVE Chronograph FTV.CHR.003 pushes technical and aesthetic limits with its central minutes counter taking the form of a rotating disk with an aperture that reveals the minutes as it turns. The design of the in-house made dial evokes a sports car dashboard with two counters at 3 and 9 o’clock linked by an elegant “radiator grille” ensuring a balanced aesthetic effect. The sophisticated FURTIVE Automatic Small Seconds FTV.PTS.001 stands out from the other models in the range by its small seconds at 6 o’clock and its extremely refined dial adorned with a discreet black sunburst motif and with applied silver-toned hour-markers reminiscent of a speedometer. With this eminently contemporary new collection, DeWitt is beginning a new chapter in its history.

 

 

Classic Automatic CLA.HMS.002

Case : 18K pink gold, round with DeWitt imperial columns on the sides Size : 40 mm Movement mechanical automatic (Caliber DW.HMS), 42h power reserve Functions : central hours, minutes and seconds Dial : white with sunburst décor and pink gold-toned appliques, white minute track Water resistance : 30m Strap : black alligator leather, polished 18K pink gold pin buckle with “W” engraving

 

Classic Automatic Jewellery CLA.HMS.102.001

Case : 18K pink gold set with 60 round diamonds, round with DeWitt imperial columns on the sides Size : 40 mm Movement :  mechanical automatic (Caliber DW.HMS), 42h power reserve Functions : central hours, minutes and seconds Dial : black with sunburst décor and pink gold-toned appliques, black minute track Water resistance : 30m Strap : black alligator leather, polished 18K pink gold pin buckle with “W” engraving

 

Classic Automatic CLA.HMS.002

Case : 18K pink gold, round with DeWitt imperial columns on the sides Size : 40 mm Movement mechanical automatic (Caliber DW.HMS), 42h power reserve Functions : central hours, minutes and seconds Dial : white with sunburst décor and pink gold-toned appliques, white minute track Water resistance : 30m Strap : black alligator leather, polished 18K pink gold pin buckle with “W” engraving

 

Classic Automatic Jewellery  CLA.HMS.102.001

Case : 18K pink gold set with 60 round diamonds, round with DeWitt imperial columns on the sides Size : 40 mm Movement :  mechanical automatic (Caliber DW.HMS), 42h power reserve Functions : central hours, minutes and seconds Dial : black with sunburst décor and pink gold-toned appliques, black minute track  Water resistance : 30m Strap : black alligator leather, polished 18K pink gold pin buckle with “W” engraving

 

The understated and balanced Classic Automatic CLA.HMS.002 adopts a resolutely classic style and extremely pure lines – a new design that nonetheless remains true to the DeWitt DNA. The 40 mm-diameter pink gold case, as well as the softly curved lugs, radiate an impression of extreme lightness. In the same “urban” spirit, this model houses a mechanical automatic movement driving displays of the hours, minutes, seconds and the date or a jumping hour indication. The Classic Automatic Jewellery CLA.HMS.102.001 is its precious counterpart featuring a bezel set with 60 round diamonds. Ranging from white to black through a delicate midnight blue shade, the dials with their sunburst motif enable an appealing play on light and shade subtly interacting with the volumes and colors. The railtrack motif, the applied hour-markers, the 18K pink gold openworked dagger-shaped hands and the full-grain alligator leather strap : this subtle array of features combine to create a line demonstrating full mastery of the art of traditional Swiss watchmaking and embodying a constant quest for aesthetic harmony and purity.

 

It is the brand’s unequivocally imperial reference. First imagined and sketched one August 28th, the TWENTY-8-EIGHT is intended as a friendly nod to the illustrious ancestor of Mr Jérôme de Witt, Napoleon Bonaparte, proclaimed “Emperor of the French” by the Senate on the 28th of Floréal according to the Republican calendar. The new TWENTY-8-EIGHT Tourbillon T8.TH.016 is equipped with Caliber DW8028 incorporating the first tourbillon movement entirely developed and produced within the Manufacture. Its distinctive aesthetic plays on contrasts through a daring combination of noble materials featuring an innovative style : 18-carat pink or white gold and titanium with a bronze or glacier-toned PVD coating. On the upper part of the dial, the two vertical appliques are inspired by an extremely masculine and imposing Art Deco construction featuring a futuristic touch. Another star model in this collection, the limited-edition TWENTY-8-EIGHT Tourbillon Skeleton T8.TH.008, is housed in a round 18-carat pink gold case measuring 10.78 mm thick and providing a fascinating transparency-effect view of the beating heart of the movement.  The gaze is inevitably drawn to the finesse of its mechanism, an impressive maze of overlapping curves, circles and straight lines. These architectural lines set the seal on a successful alliance with the design of the case adorned with 48 imperial columns and epitomizing a blend of distinction and refinement.

 

GOLDEN AFTERNOON GA.AU.001 – 003 – 005

Case : 18K white or pink gold set with 146 brilliant-cut diamonds, round with DeWitt imperial columns on the sides  Size : 39 mm Movement :  mechanical automatic Caliber DWT8AU, 42h power reserve Functions : hours, minutes, seconds Dial : chocolate brown, black or white mother-of-pearl base adorned with mother-of-pearl flowers in different sizes and colors radiating out from the center and sprinkled over the dial Water resistance : 30 m Strap : alligator leather or satin in various colors with polished 18K pink or white gold pin buckle with “W” engraving

 

With the GOLDEN AFTERNOON collection, DeWitt wished to offer a resolutely poetic evocation of the various stages in a woman’s life and the evolution in her perceptions of the world around her. Inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite artistic movement that arose in Victorian England celebrating women, romance and symbolic nature, the watch is available in a choice of three colors: chocolate brown, white or black. The dial depicts a dainty mother-of-pearl garden in which a soft breeze blows across colorful blooms of varying sizes and colors that begin in the center and are poetically dotted around in an apparently random manner. Like an exquisite painting, the mother-of-pearl dial base forms a shimmering sky with discreet fluffy clouds mirrored in a pond scattered with diamond-set water lilies. The hour and minutes hands are tiny refined sculptures depicting angel wings, while the slender and elegant seconds hand is tipped with a small flame. On the lower left-hand side of the dial, a small DeWitt logo floats dreamily in the sky. This supremely feminine 39 mm watch housing an automatic caliber endowed with a 42-hour power reserve is a magnificent illustration of feminine finesse. The softly shaped crown is adorned with a cabochon-cut blue sapphire or a ruby. A polished gold pin buckle finely engraved with the DeWitt logo lends an additional finishing touch. The ethereal, fanciful timepiece plays an entrancing role much like a set of mirrors reflecting women’s minds and hearts.

 

This array of creations infused with a powerful identity once again demonstrates the expertise shown by DeWitt through the art of perpetuating Swiss watchmaking know-how. In doing so, it opens whole new vistas for aficionados of exceptional horological accomplishments and innovative designs.


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.

Review overview
})(jQuery)