Inspired by the cues of the De Bethune DB25 Quetzalcoatl released last year, this unique piece made on commission by De Bethune for Berger Joyeros in Mexico City, is truly a gem in all the sense of the word. Featuring an 18K white gold case measuring 44 mm in diameter by 12.50 in thickness, the De Bethune Mexican Civilization Unique Piece brings the best in hand engraving with a strong mesoamerican twist. With a hand carved piece of jade on its dial —honoring the ancient Aztec civilization— and another hand carved piece of jade on its case back —honoring the Mayan civilization—, the time is indicated by Quetzalcoatl, the main deity of Mesoamerican civilizations. This deity represented by a feathered serpent, takes its name from the Nahuatl language derived from 'quetzalli' and used to describe the large, precious green feathers of the sacred quetzal bird; and 'coatl', meaning snake.
The Dial
The dial in 18K solid gold, features hand engraved symbols and patterns used by ancient Mesoamerican civilizations on their temples and structures along with some of the most iconic deities and 'nahuales' —mix between man and animal. The dial is rounded out by a hand engraved piece of Jade honoring one of the Mayan gods. The blued snake’s head marks the hours while its tail marks the minutes.
While some will see it as a model bearing the effigy of a Mesoamerican culture in pre-Columbian America and others will be touched by the symbolism of Quetzalcoatl, all will admire the meticulous care and detail devoted to the engravings.
The symbolic unity around Quetzalcoatl, formed by the sculpted blued hands, takes on an almost mystical aura and enlivens the heart of the dial that constantly evolves in tune with the passing of time.
The Case Back
The case back —a piece of art in its own—, features an 18K solid gold engraved ring with another hand carved natural jade surprise. This time, the jade stone features a Mayan priest like those found on the Madrid Codex —the longest of the surviving Maya codices— and a small opening with a gold surround, revealing the iconic De Bethune balance spring with flat terminal curve. The beating heart inside this exceptional creation is the manual wound De Bethune calibre DB2005 with 173 parts, 27 jewels and which provides a power reserve of 6 days when fully wound.
The Strap
To round out the exceptional look of this timepiece and to match the green theme of its natural jade stone dial an case back, the watch is fitted with a beautiful dark green alligator strap with highly polished buckle. The strap is hand stitched and extremely supple.
On the Wrist & Pricing
On the wrist, the watch wears true to its size and with somewhat of a mystical wrist presence. The De Bethune DB25 Mexican Civilization is a unique piece and one that won't last long. If you feel connected to your heritage and to two of the greatest Mesoamerican civilizations that have ever ruled, this watch has your name on it. Furthermore, this watch is so intricate that it could be displayed as part of an Aztec Mayan exhibit at the 'Museo Nacional de Antropología' in Mexico City.
Sticker Price $307,400 USD. For more info on De Bethune click here.
