If you are a regular to our website, De Bethune needs little to no introduction. Just in case you're not, let's give you some basic background. In 2002, when David Zanetta, a collector with a passion for art, history and timepieces, decided to join forces in founding De Bethune with Denis Flageollet, the son, grandson and great-grandson of watchmakers. Not doing more, but instead doing better has been the guiding principle for their creations. Almost four years ago in November of 2011, De Bethune received the GPHG 'Aiguille d’Or' —Grand Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève. David Zanetta and Denis Flageollet, are now masterfully accompanied at the head of the company by Pierre Jacques. Today, their vision and philosophy has given birth to some of the most fascinating and understated horological creations we've seen in the last ten years. Such is the case of the recently launched De Bethune DB25T Zodiac, a tourbillon tailored for those in love with astronomy and those who allow their destiny to be guided by the zodiac signs and the constellations these represent.
Posts filed under De Bethune
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the De Bethune DBS Tourbillon 10th Anniversary. Live Pictures and Pricing.
De Bethune is one of those 'haute horlogerie' manufactures that knocks it out of the park every time they release a new piece. As if the new De Bethune DB25 Quetzalcoatl —featured here— wasn't impressive enough, David Zanetta and the De Bethune team, decided to create a 10th anniversary DBS Tourbillon to be presented at Baselworld 2015. Ten years ago, David Zanetta and Denis Flageollet decided to support the 'Only Watch Project' —an auction placed under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco on behalf of research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy— by creating the first DBS, an incredibly high-tech model with an innovative design. The white gold case of the DBS testified to a new thought process undertaken by the brand founders in terms of ensuring a wristwatch makes an ideally comfortable fit, and marked the start of in-depth work on forging a specific De Bethune functional aesthetic.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the De Bethune DB25 Quetzalcoatl. Live Pictures and Pricing.
Quetzalcoatl is a composite name in the Nahuatl language derived from 'quetzalli' and used to describe the large, precious green feathers of the sacred quetzal bird; and 'coatl', meaning snake. It is one of the main divinities of the Mesoamerican civilizations and the feathered serpent, its most iconic incarnation, reigned for many long centuries over pre-Columbian America. This powerful symbol of Mesoamerican culture was the core of worship and sacred rituals. The related myths and legends appear in the writings of the colonial period. In conjunction with the evening star, it was considered to govern the cycle of time from dawn to dusk. This deity of the summer winds was naturally closely associated with agriculture and in particular with corn farming, as well as being the sovereign protector of goldsmiths and artisans, and the inventor of the calendar.
Baselworld 2014: De Bethune DB29 Maxichrono Tourbillon. A Mono-Pusher 24-Hour Chronograph with Central Hands. Live Pictures and Pricing.
Last week we presented to you the new DB28 Digitale by De Bethune here. Today, we bring you another one of their exceptional novelties presented at Baselworld 2014. This time we are talking about the amazing De Bethune DB29 Maxichrono Tourbillon featuring a mono-pusher 24-hour chronograph with five hands on the central pinion and a 30-second indication tourbillon via the half hunter display case back. This new watch is fitted with a 5N rose gold case measuring 46 mm in diameter and 11.70 mm in thickness. The highly polished round case features cone-shaped lugs and a hinged half hunter case back that allows for full visibility of the movement and the tourbillon when opened via a very small push piece located below the winding crown. To round out the elegant look of this watch, De Bethune chose to fit it with an extra supple brown alligator strap with pin buckle.
This exceptional timepiece features an amazing horological complication where all chrono functions are operated via a mono-pusher on the winding crown and where all chrono hands are located in the central pinion along with the hour and minute hands. The De Bethune DB29 Maxichrono Tourbillon is fitted with a very elegant and well balanced silver-toned dial that features four different levels to provide exceptional depth and a domed shape towards its perimeter to maximize readability. From the center to the periphery one can find the 24-hour central chrono register, a chapter ring with Arabic numerals to read the time and lastly a chapter ring with minute indicators for the chronograph minutes and seconds. The five central hands —four blued steel and one rose gold for the chrono minutes register— are perfectly curved on their tips and perfectly contrasting. While the hour and minute hands are Breguet style-shaped hands, the rest of the hands are needle type with the 24-hour chrono hand being the smallest of them all.
Once you focus your attention to the half hunter solid case back on the watch and after pressing the small push-piece located right below the crown, a wonderful surprise and a real treat for the eyes awaits. As you open the half hunter case back, you can contemplate the fascinating manual-wound De Bethune calibre DB2039 with 30-seconds indication tourbillon. This in-house movement which is composed of 410 parts, 49 jewels and three column wheels is fully crafted and decorated by hand. The beating heart provides an outstanding power reserve of five full days.
On the wrist, this watch is an absolute treat wearing slightly smaller than its actual size —due to the shape of its lugs— and very comfortably. One of the nicest touches on this watch is the lack of branding on the dial that makes it even more unique and exclusive. Only those watchlifestylers in the know, will be able to call you out on what brand you are wearing. This timepiece will be produced in a very small batch of 20 timepieces per year without being a limited edition watch 'per se'.
Sticker Price 270,000 CHF ex VAT. For more info on De Bethune click here.
Baselworld 2014: De Bethune DB28 Digitale. Live Pictures and Pricing.
Ever since the creation of De Bethune, 18th century fine watchmaking has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for its founders, both of whom deeply admire and respect the mechanical ingenuity, the particularly refined aesthetic and the subtle elegance of French clocks from the Directory period. The DB28 Digitale, equipped with a mechanism powering multiple display modes —digital for the jumping hours and analogue for the minutes and spherical for the moon phases— embodies a highly contemporary vision of the aesthetic of that era. The watch fitted with a case measuring 43 mm in diameter and an outer bezel measuring 45 mm is a real treat for the eyes.
The dial adorned with a hand-guilloché barleycorn motif, together with the spherical moon and the star-studded sky, represent classical references that are arranged and executed in a manner that accentuates the modernity of the design. The silver-toned guilloché motif reveals all the beauty and finesse of its motifs. The visual equilibrium of the dial stems from the central spherical moon of which the two polished hemispheres —one in palladium and the other in flame-blued steel— indicate the moon phases with a degree of precision corresponding to a difference of just one lunar day every 1,112 years.
The peripheral depiction of the sky is spread from 9 and 3 o’clock above the minutes disc driven by a sophisticated micro-ball bearing mechanism that also powers the digital hours display. Like its dial, the polished titanium ultra-light case of the DB28 defines the modern and indeed futuristic nature of the DB28 Digitale. It is fitted with a 12 o’clock crown and equipped with a patented spring-based floating lugs system enabling millimeter-degree adjustment to the wrist and its movements.
The back of the watch reveals the finishing and technology of a Manufacture De Bethune movement, featuring flame-blued steel parts and bridges adorned with a Côtes de Genève style motif, reworked to accentuate the way light is reflected on the material and to draw the eye towards the heart of the movement. Several patents and innovations are displayed through this window onto the DB2144 calibre, notably equipped with the exclusive De Bethune self-regulating twin barrel, circular silicon/white gold balance wheel, balance-spring with flat end curve, as well as the triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system. The aesthetic balance and the readability of the DB28 Digitale, as well as the luminous shimmering effects created by the light playing across the material and its finishes, combine to create an atmosphere of gentle harmony imbued with refined elegance. The movement provides a power reserve of 5 days when fully wound.
Now, enjoy the rest of these live macro images we have prepared for you. This is a watch that will take your breath away and leave you in awe, as you find yourself admiring the dial and the movement. A watch with superb finishing, exceptional design and superior craftsmanship.
Sticker Price 95,000 CHF ex VAT. For more info on De Bethune click here.
