De Bethune’s Stars and Hawks
Since its founding in 2002, independent watchmaker De Bethune has developed no less than 26 calibres, presented 30 or so world-firsts, filed a number of patents, and launched around 150 one-of-a-kind models. Its timepieces have won awards in major international competitions. Through its creations, De Bethune aims to perpetuate the work of the great 18th century master watchmakers in their quest for perfect time measurement backed by a sense of supreme aesthetic beauty. Leveraging cutting-edge scientific and technological discoveries, its efforts are devoted to inventing unique, innovative, and high-performance solutions.
DB27 Titan Hawk V2
Manufacture De Bethune’s latest in-house self-winding Auto V2 calibre is housed in the DB27 Titan Hawk V2, and presented in two versions – featuring a silver-toned or blue dial. The DB27 Titan Hawk V2, which is endowed with a number of appealing assets, features slender lines, a microlight dial, as well as floating lugs, and a brushed case back framing a transparent sapphire crystal pane. This is a watch that stands out not only for its pared-down design but also for its movement that has been entirely crafted in-house.
The timepiece, which is equipped with the unprecedented AUTO V2 calibre driving hours, minutes, and seconds hands, is an attractive contemporary chronometer for daily wear. Housing a single barrel ensuring a 60-hour power reserve – as well as the latest titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts visible through the transparent case back – this movement based on in-house technology is equipped with a titanium and tungsten alloy oscillating weight providing a reliable supply of energy. While the inspiration derived from the original DB27 Titan Hawk is readily perceptible, each detail has been rethought and redesigned so as to recapture the elegance and legibility of an object that is first and foremost functional.
Juxtaposing Roman and Arabic numerals, the time read-off appears on hours and minutes rings located around the dial circumference. In one interpretation, the silver-toned dial is swept over by mat steel hands with hand-polished, flame-blued ends, while the other is graced with a blue dial swept over by blued mat steel hands with polished ends. The case in grade 5 titanium – brushed for the silver-toned dial version and polished for the blue dial interpretation – displays all the De Bethune signature features: patented floating lugs, a 12 o’clock crown and microlight decoration of the case middle.
DB25 Starry Varius
The DB25 Starry Varius is a poetic interpretation of the traditional DB25, with a personalised constellation, revisited lugs, and an original 42mm case. Over the past few years, star-studded dials have become an integral part of the history of the maison. Personalised according to a specific geographical location and a given date, the gold pins are fitted one by one on this star-studded sky, thus making each model truly unique. The Milky Way pattern is then gilded using the traditional gold leaf technique and enhanced by laser beam micro milling. Today, for the first time, De Bethune offers a whole new take on the sky, framed by a slender case in polished grade 5 titanium case measuring 8.8mm thick, 42mm in diameter, and featuring perfectly integrated and open-worked lugs.
Like most De Bethune creations, the DB25 Starry Varius is designed to be not only pleasant to wear, but to reflect the brand’s characteristic elegance and refinement. The display features discreetly hand-polished rose gold hands sweeping over exactly matching hour-markers set on a silver-toned ring. The sapphire crystal case-back with its double anti-reflective coating reveals the impeccable craftsmanship of the movement incorporating the latest De Bethune technologies. Powered by the in-house mechanical manual winding DB2105 calibre oscillating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, the DB25 Starry Varius is equipped with the latest titanium balance wheel as well as the triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system.
Once again, the Manufacture from L’Auberson has succeeded in creating an iconic, exceptional timepiece with optimised proportions equally suited to men’s or women’s wrists. A timepiece characterised by outstanding aesthetic finesse now set to shine in the De Bethune constellation.
