De Bethune captures the racing spirit and our hearts with the DB28GS'JPS' —John Player Special. Three letters evoke the legendary association of the colors black and gold. Growing up in the era where the John Player Special car was one of the most iconic cars in Formula 1, makes the DB28GS'JPS' hit home. Back in that era, it was common to see tobacco companies sponsor some of the most renowned Formula 1 teams including Lotus-Renault and McLaren. From Marlboro to Gitanes, and from Camel to John Player Special, Formula One was embellished by the signature colors of these tobacco brands.

The Lotus team John Player Special was awarded seven Constructors' World Championship titles, six Drivers' World Championship titles shared by legendary drivers such as Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti. Even in 1986 our favorite driver of all time Ayrton Senna joined the Lotus team and drove the iconic John Player Special.

Things to Know About the Watch

Very much like the JPS cars —quite advanced for their time—, the 44 mm case on the De Bethune DB28GS'JPS' is composed of revolutionary components including a black zirconium case middle with ‘Microlight’ decoration, black brushed and polished hardened stainless steel case back and floating lugs in black brushed hardened stainless steel with yellow polished grade 5 titanium insert.

The open-worked dial shows the visible movement finishes in satin-brushed grade 5 titanium with cut-out Arabic numerals with metalized minutes ring. The DB28GS ‘JPS’ features a power-reserve indicator between 9 and 10 o’clock. Right at 6 o'clock, one can admire the splendor of the elegantly finished De Bethune signature balance spring with a flat terminal curve and its highly polished bridge. Thanks to an entirely mechanical system working on a dynamo principle and powered by a twin barrel, the dial lights up via a pusher located on the case at 6 o’clock

Available in a limited edition of 50 pieces, the new De Bethune DB28GS ‘JPS’ is a sporty black and gold watch; a nod to the bold 'JPS' spirit of the era. The watch is delivered with two straps, one in rubber and the other in canvas, and is without a doubt one of the most beautiful De Bethune watches out there. With its signature floating lugs, the watch embraces the wrist like a glove. The winding crown, capriciously placed at 12 o'clock adds even more intricacy to the revolutionary design.

The Movement

Visible via the display case back, a manual-wound 35-jewel calibre DB2080 powers the DB28GS ‘JPS’. This calibre is composed of 400 parts with a self-regulating twin barrel, a power-reserve indicator on the dial side, a titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts, a De Bethune balance-spring with a flat terminal curve, triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system, silicon escape wheel and dial lighting produced by an entirely mechanical means system working on the dynamo principle powered by a twin-barrel and manually controlled via a pusher located on the case at 6 o’clock. The movement beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph while providing a long-lasting power reserve of 5 days.

On the Wrist & Price

On the wrist, the watch wears slightly larger than its actual size due to its floating lugs but very comfortably and lightweight. The De Bethune DB28GS ‘JPS’ is a true example of 'haute horlogerie' and gorgeous thanks to its black and gold color scheme. Available in a very exclusive limited edition of only 50 pieces.

Sticker Price CHF 105,000 Swiss Francs —approximately $110,000 USD. For more info on De Bethune click here.