A sapphire tourbillon from De Bethune
On the occasion of Geneva Watch Days, De Bethune presented the iconic DB28 Steel Wheels, now for the first time equipped with a tourbillon – the DB28 Steel Wheels Sapphire Tourbillon, a limited edition of only 10 pieces
The first DB28 was launched in 2010, was named Best Watch of the Year and awarded the Aiguille d’Or prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2011. This was followed by a series of contemporary iterations, from “Skybridge” to the “Kind-of-Blue”, by way of the more recent “DB28XP”, “DB28XP Starry Sky” and “DB28XP Tourbillon”.
The DB28 Steel Wheels came to be in 2018, under the sign of transparency and light, with the idea of opening the dial to reveal the contemporary architecture of its movement. Recognisable by its delta-shaped bridge – a De Bethune hallmark – and its moon at 6 o’clock, the DB28 Steel Wheels fascinates with a multitude of different forms – hemispherical, concave, spherical – for an architecturally dynamic result. It is all about levels of perception, layers and reliefs, light playing with shadows and reflections. Cut from titanium, light on the wrist, this watch reveals a contemporary, architectural fusion of space, time and light.
Most often used in the production of watch cases, sapphire crystal takes on a new role for De Bethune. Here, it finds a new vocation in the form of the signature delta-shaped bridge and the cover for each of the two barrels. Blue for the bridge, clear for the barrel covers, these elements are integrated into the movement, letting light in to play and offer new reflections – and allow the eyes to literally plunge into the mechanism.
In the vast array of complications and functions, of horological disciplines in which De Bethune has become a virtuoso, the tourbillon often played a leading role. The DB28 Steel Wheels took a step further towards sophistication and supreme refinement with its moon, and today this gives way to a tourbillon featuring an extraordinarily lightweight cage (0.18 grams, the lightest ever created). Rotating on itself every thirty seconds, it comprises a total of 63 components (the lightest of which weighs less than 0.0001 grams!).
The timepiece features a polished grade 5 titanium case, mounted on the new floating lugs unveiled this year. Entirely redesigned, harmonised and adapted to the spirit of the watch, they are tipped by the famous ‘bullets.’ The watch is completed by an alligator strap with a titanium buckle.
