The beauty of gold, the brilliance of precious stones, and yet none of it in this watch. Upon closer inspection one could mistaken its case with an aged yellow gold, bronze or brass case. With complete mastery of the art of thermal oxidation of metals, De Bethune explores all the possible color shades resulting from the heat released by the chemical reactions of heat-treated steel and titanium. The De Bethune DB28 Yellow Tones brings a hue of yellow never seen before on a titanium case.
The yellow dial features a mirror polished hours ring with spherical hour markers in black mirror-polished steel and a yellow matte ruthenium finish with Côtes De Bethune and performance-zone read-off between 2 and 3 o’clock. The De Bethune spherical moon-phase indication in palladium and polished anthracite zirconium is the highlight of this dial at 6 o’clock. The skeletonized yellow steel hands evoke the design of the traditional Breguet hands but with a strong modern touch. Right above the moon-phase indication, one can admire the splendor of the intricate work that accompanies the set up for the elegantly finished balance and its spring. Gears, bridges and remarkably finished screws round out the design in a timeless and endless equation.
Flipping the watch over, reveals another dimension that entices the eyes. The display case back with anti-reflective treatment on both sides allows for full and unobstructed view of the fascinating hand decorated De Bethune manual-wound calibre DB 2115 composed of 299 parts, a self regulating twin barrel, 38 jewels, a spherical moon-phase indication accurate to a degree of one lunar day every 122 years, a snailed mainplate, Côtes De Bethune and a perfectly contrasting power reserve indicator in white, black and red with a rose gold needle shaped hand. The movement beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph while providing a long lasting power reserve of 6 days. To make things even better, De Bethune chose to add a few contrasting wheels and rack in pink gold that make this timepiece rise in glory all the way to the stars.
Available in a limited edition of only 25 pieces.
Sticker Price $95,000 USD. For more info on De Bethune click here.
