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De Bethune 28 ST Tourbillon

Published by in De Bethune on May 27th, 2012 | No Comments »

Another beautiful De Bethune model, featuring their signature ‘Star Trek’ stylings.

A super-light piece, from silicon and titanium, the 28 ST features both a tourbillon and a jumping seconds mechanism.

The layered dial structure is built around suspension bridges featuring fine lines and multiple decorations serving to elevate the central mechanism.

The bezel is platinum.

Technical Specifications

Functions : hours – minutes – central jumping seconds -Tourbillon with 30-second indication
Movement : Calibre DB2119 – mechanical hand-wound, hand-decorated mainplate, hand-chamfered and polished steel parts.

DB2119 incorporates the major De Bethune technological breakthroughs:
Self-regulating twin barrel* – The barrels are specifically designed to eliminate friction and efficiently transmit a maximum of energy. (* Patents registered by the Manufacture De Bethune)

Silicon/white gold balance wheel* with flat terminal curve – Its exceptional lightness enables this balance wheel to reduce mechanical friction and deliver an ideal inertia/mass ratio. The principle of the flat end curve, placed on the same level as the balance-spring, compensates for off-centering and facilitates its fastening. (* Patents registered by the Manufacture De Bethune)

De Bethune 30″ silicon/titanium Tourbillon 36,000 vph, the fastest and the lightest on the market, comprising 64 parts weighing 0.18 grams

Silicon escape wheel – Central jumping seconds – Jewelling : 47 jewels – Frequency : 36,000 vibrations per hour – Power reserve: 4 days

Case round shape, 43 mm in diameter, made of mirror-polished grade 5 titanium
Thickness : 12.3 mm – Lugs: floating type* in grade 5 titanium with pivoting system. Their springs follow the shape of the wrist and its movements – Platinum bezel
Glass: sapphire crystal with double glareproofing, 1800 Vickers
Crown: screw-locked at 12 o’clock – adjustable in two positions
Back: solid, hunter-type, in mirror-polished grade 5 titanium, inspired by pocket-watches
Dial: silver-toned with hand-decorated mainplate and bridges, hand-chamfered steel parts, Côtes de Bethune motif – Chapter ring in grained and engraved sterling silver – Linear power-reserve indicator with jewelled bars at 6 o’clock.

Hands: cut-out, mirror-polished, flame-blued steel – Strap: extra-supple alligator leather with pin buckle.

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De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk

Published by in De Bethune on March 16th, 2012 | No Comments »

[Press Release] On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, the Manufacture De Bethune presents all devotees of Haute Horlogerie with the Titan Hawk, the first creation in its new DB27 collection.

This latest model, featuring finely crafted lines and elegance that may be admired from both sides, testifies to an ongoing aesthetic quest that David Zanetta, who designed this creation, defines as “dedicated to serving beauty through the readability and functionality of the object”.
In the village of L’Auberson, expert hands meticulously craft the grade 5 titanium, displaying perfect mastery of the delicate mirror-polishing technique gracing the case, the floating lugs and the domed back of the Titan Hawk.

The floating lugs are fitted with a patented system of springs that enables the watch to adjust to the wrist and to its wearer’s movements, in harmony with De Bethune’s consistent concern for comfort and for cutting-edge aesthetic appeal.

The silver-toned colour of the grained dial sparkles in the centre thanks to the microlight accompanying the central calendar read-off, surrounded by a chapter ring and minute circle featuring a rounded shape and raised numerals.

The cut-out hands including the atypically shape date pointer are in steel, hand-polished and flame-blued in the De Bethune workshops, where time-honoured know-how is combined with technical mastery and artistic genius.

The DB27 Titan Hawk is equipped with a mechanism boasting the kind of proven technical features dear to Denis Flageollet, who continues to broaden and perfect the technical knowledge of the Manufacture. The silicon and white gold annular balance wheel revealed through the case-back powers the latest self-winding in-house calibre – driving the central hour, minute and date functions – named S233 after the specific gravity of silicon. This ideally modular movement incorporates the main De Bethune technological breakthroughs, making it the most complete calibre of its generation.

The power of this majestic bird of prey will firmly grasp the wrists of watchmaking enthusiasts, aesthetes and fervent devotees of fine mechanisms – all of whom will be able to appreciate on a daily basis the lightness, sturdiness, aesthetic finesse, comfort and reliability of this model epitomising the inimitable De Bethune expertise and technology.

Technical Specifications

Functions: hours – minutes – date

Movement: Calibre S233 – mechanical self-winding
Mainplate hand-decorated and snailed, hand-chamfered and polished steel parts
The S233 movement incorporates the major De Bethune technological breakthroughs:
Self-regulating twin barrel* – The barrels are specifically designed to eliminate friction and efficiently transmit a maximum of energy.

Silicon/white gold balance wheel* with flat terminal curve – Its exceptional lightness enables this balance wheel to reduce mechanical friction and deliver an ideal inertia/mass ratio. The principle of the flat end curve, placed on the same level as the balance-spring, compensates for off-centering and facilitates its fastening.

Triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system* which reduces potential disturbances due to impacts to an absolute minimum and protects the balance-spring pivots. Silicon escape wheel – Titanium/heavy metal oscillating weight

34 jewels – 28,800 vibrations per hour – power reserve of 6 days

Case distinctive shape, 43 mm in diameter, made from mirror-polished grade 5 titanium
Thickness: 12 mm
Lugs: short, floating type* in grade 5 titanium with pivoting system. Their springs follow the shape of the wrist and its movements
Glass: sapphire crystal with double glareproofing, 1800 Vickers
Crown: screw-locked at 12 o’clock – adjustable in two positions
Back: solid, in mirror-polished grade 5 titanium with window revealing the balance wheel

Dial: silver-toned microlight – chapter ring with Roman numerals – minute circle with Arabic numerals placed around the rim of the dial. Central date.
Hands: blued stainless steel

Strap: extra-supple alligator leather with pin buckle

* Patents registered by the Manufacture De Bethune

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DeBethune DB28 Aiguille d’Or

Published by in De Bethune on February 6th, 2012 | No Comments »

Starfleet space cadets rejoice: De Bethune have issued a limited edition update to their wacky (and very cool) DB28.

Why don’t we let De Bethune themselves tell you what they’ve done?

“The characteristic aesthetic of the DB28 is enriched with a rose gold baguette-shaped insert adorning the minute hand. The distinctive shape of the mirror-polished titanium case, inspired by pocket watches, accentuated by the spherical moon phase and by the silicon/palladium balance, features an exhibition back revealing a finely decorated movement enhanced by gold wheels and a gold hand for the linear power reserve.”

Sound good?

In terms of ‘basic’ details it’s a 45.2mm titanium piece, featuring double sapphire crystals.

Movement is an in-house manual-wind Caliber DB2115 with 29 jewels, 28,800 vph and a power reserve of 6 days.

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De Bethune Ninth Mayan Underworld [SIHH 2012]

Published by in De Bethune on January 16th, 2012 | No Comments »

Check out the sapphire hands on this bad boy!

[Press Release] The ninth step of the Bolon Yokte Ku, the cosmic pyramid of the Mayan civilisation, symbolises the advent of a new world, the ninth underworld, according to which the evolution of consciousness is believed to reach its highest level.

On the occasion of humankind’s symbolic passage into this new underworld predicted by the Mayan calendar, De Bethune presents an exceptional 12-piece edition in tribute to the scholarly traditions of this people.

Renowned for its technical and artistic innovations, the Manufacture De Bethune is building 21st century horology while remaining true to the history of science and art.

The desire to portray the epic adventure of humankind through all its many cultures represented a fascinating challenge for the De Bethune team, which has sought to recreate the deep atmosphere of the ceramics and stones sculpted by the Mayan scribes. The solid gold dial of these timepieces has been hand-engraved by Michèle Rothen, and enhanced by 31 flame-blued steel inserts. The hour circle displays the numerals of Mayan numbering system, while the inner ring presents the 20 glyphs of divinities, animals and sacred objects representing the various days of the calendar.

The dial centre features the baktun, a period glyph used in particular for calculating the “Long Count” and comprising 144,000 days.

In order to highlight the subtle visual equilibrium of the dial, the hands are made in sapphire rimmed with blued steel according to an exclusive De Bethune procedure.

The Mayan scholarly tradition, partially re-transcribed in the manifestos or codices dealing mostly with astral sciences, testify to a strong interest and a genuine fascination for long periods, dates, and remote events both past and future. The Mayan scholars devised a sophisticated arithmetical system mainly composed of period glyphs and numerical glyphs, associated with signs and hierarchized for the “Long Count” of lengthy periods of time.

With its feet firmly planted in history and its head turned to the future in building tomorrow’s watchmaking, De Bethune offers its own distinctive celebration of the mystical and scientific Mayan genius, and the symbolic advent of a new world.

Technical Specifications

Functions: hours – minutes
Movement: Calibre DB 2005 – mechanical hand-wound
Mainplate hand-decorated and snailed, hand-chamfered and polished steel parts, De Bethune stripes
Self-regulating twin barrel*
Silicon/platinum balance wheel*
Triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system*
Jewelling: 29 jewels
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Power reserve: 6-day power reserve
Case Drum measuring 44 mm in diameter in white gold with hollowed lugs
Thickness: 12.50 mm
Glass: sapphire crystal, 1800 Vickers with double anti-reflective treatment
Crown at 3 o’clock – adjustment in 2 positions
Exhibition back: sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment
Dial in solid gold hand-engraved by Michèle Rothen and composed of three parts: outer ring with numerical glyphs in flame-blued steel inner ring composed of 20 different glyphs symbolising divinities, animals or sacred objects central part representing a period glyph, the baktun comprising 144,000 days
Hands in sapphire rimmed with flame-blued steel
Strap : extra-supple alligator leather with pin buckle

* Patents registered by the Manufacture De Bethune

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De Bethune DB28 Awarded “Aiguille d’Or” At 11th Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix (GPHG) Event

Published by in De Bethune, Events, News on November 20th, 2011 | No Comments »

To happenings overnight (Australian time) now, and in the world of watchmaking congratulations go to De Bethune for taking out the main prize at the 11th Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix.

The full list of winners at this prestigious event is as follows:

- “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: De Bethune, DB28

- Best Ladies’ Watch Prize: Boucheron, Crazy Jungle Hathi

- Best Men’s Watch Prize:  Hermès, Arceau Le Temps Suspendu

- Best Design Watch Prize: Urwerk, UR-110

- Best Jewellery and Artistic Crafts Watch Prize:  Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Polar Landscape

- Best Complicated Watch Prize: Zenith, Academy Christophe Colomb Equation of Time

- Best Sports Watch Prize: TAG Heuer, Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Chronograph

- “Petite Aiguille” Prize (for models under CHF 5’000): Montblanc, Star Worldtime GMT Automatic

- Best Watchmaker Prize: Vianney Halter

- Special Jury Prize: Patek Philippe Museum

- Public Prize: Audemars Piguet, Millenary 4101.

Congratulations to all the winners.

Here’s an image of the ‘Best Ladies’ winner, the Boucheron Crazy Jungle, which is both slightly mad and quite excellent at the same time :-)

 

 

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De Bethune DB25 For Only Watch 2011

Published by in De Bethune on June 16th, 2011 | No Comments »

I love the fact that the ‘Only Watch‘ pieces are not only amazing (and, of course, unique), but that the back-story to a number of these pieces has been so well thought out.

Romain Jerome certainly did it with their ‘Rock The Rock‘ DNA model, and De Bethune have a great historical and geographical reference for their own entry – the DB25.

Read on through the slightly out-of-this-world press release for that full story.

[Press Release] WHAT IS A WATCH, IF NOT A “MACHINE” TO MEASURE THE FLOW OF TIME? A KIND OF SPEED COUNTER FOR THE FLUX OF AN ENERGY OF WHICH WE KNOW ALMOST NOTHING, EXCEPT THAT IT EXISTS AND THAT IT IS CARRYING US SOMEWHERE…

What is absolute speed, if not that of light, that beyond which there is no more time, nor space, nor perhaps even energy? The logical conclusion is that any approach to watchmaking is in fact a reflection on infinity as we are able to admire it without actually comprehending it: it is an emotion born the dizzying sensation stemming from a reality that transcends our grasp. And this is where a deliberately chosen aesthetic option must express a philosophical choice.

With this DB25 specially created for Only Watch, De Bethune has chosen light as the medium from which to sculpt its conception of the world, of space, and of time. The light of a nocturnal sky studded with gold and diamonds: the infinite realm of a starlit night. Not just any night: that of January 8th 1297, when the stars guided François Grimaldi through the narrow streets of the Monaco fortress. Disguised as a Franciscan monk, he slipped through the darkness to open the gates of this Genoese stronghold for his own troops. 700 years later, on this same rock, his descendant is still the prince of Monaco.

François Grimaldi could still count the 115 stars that Providence had placed in the sky above Monaco: they are all of different sizes, appearing in white gold or invisible set diamonds. Orion and Gemini illuminate this flame-blued dial, of which each proportion and every detail has been arranged to express a perfectly mastered play on light with its shimmering reflections and gentle curves. The convex volume on the outer edge catches and holds the gaze, creating an illusion of infinite depth thanks to the concave centre.

The backbone of this concave central mass guides the eye to where the time is read off in a window at the bottom of the dial where the sandblasted silver discs glide by, displaying Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes. The dark glow of flame-blued and hand-polished titanium.

The incandescence of white gold and diamonds. The silvery gleam of moonlight. The space-time continuum of cosmic immensity is frozen here on the wrist, for a magical moment spanning the chronological distance between the present and a seven century-old founding event and the present. Other expressions of light include the mirror or specular polish on the movement that erases the work of machines to reveal only the meticulous labour of artisans, their sense of beauty and their taste for perfection. It is a mechanism worthy of the finest masterpieces of the horological tradition, enriched with a good measure of innovation (the De Bethune silicon/platinum annular balance and other subtle technical features) that so rightly accompany any exceptional watch.

Technical Specifications

  • Movement DB2105S
    • mechanical hand-wound
    • 270 components
    • Mainplate and bridges in bevelled and hand-polished steel with a specular polish reminiscent of the 19th century models made for royalty, nobility and the Chinese emperors.
    • Twin self-regulating barrel*
    • Silicon/platinum annular balance*
    • Balance-spring with flat terminal curve*
    • Jewelling: 29 jewels
    • Frequency: 28,800 vibrations
    • Power reserve: 6 days
  • Case Classic round drum shape, 44 mm in diameter, white gold
  • Thickness: 12.50 mm
  • Hollowed lugs
  • Glass: sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment, 1800 Vickers hardness
  • Crown: screw-down at 3 o’clock, setting in two positions
  • Case back: open with sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment, 1800 Vickers hardness
  • Dial Depiction of the starlit sky above Monaco on January 8th 1297 when the rock was taken by François Grimaldi. The Orion and Gemini constellations stand out on the flame-blued titanium dial studded with 115 stars – 91 in white gold and 14 in invisible set diamonds. Hour and minute disc at 6 o’clock in pure sandblasted sterling silver engraved with Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes.
  • Strap: extra-supple alligator leather with pin buckle

 

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De Bethune DBM Smartphone Fob-watch

Published by in De Bethune on March 26th, 2011 | No Comments »

According to their press release (see below) this clock-toting smartphone cover from De Bethune is perfect for ‘modern day dandies’.

So if that sounds like you, read on.

As for me, I think I might stick to my $10 Chinatown special iPhone cover.  I don’t think I could pull this look off, even if the clock itself is a beautiful piece in its own right!

[Press Release] Baselworld 2011 – De Bethune restores fob-watches to their rightful pedigree by presenting DBM, the 21st century pocket-watch.

Fob-watches, travel clocks and pocket-watches represent a range of prestigious objects featuring qualities such as highly readable dials, pure lines and sensual shapes that have been unjustly consigned to oblivion. David Zanetta and Denis Flageollet have drawn creative inspiration from horological history in expressing the elegance of an era through a hand-wound mechanical fob-watch fitted on the back of a smartphone.

This original association challenges our approach to time, symbolically breaking free of contemporary conventions and offering a familiar and aesthetically pleasing object that adds a touch of soul to electronics.

Modern-day dandies will appreciate the beauty of the finishing, the classicism of the watch and the patinated feel of the alligator leather. The rose gold bezel of the DBM frames a silver-toned hand-guilloché dial featuring flame-blued steel hands testifying to the excellence and expertise cultivated by De Bethune.

With this original horological tradition, De Bethune is establishing itself as a trendsetting pioneer and reconciling classic traditions with the contemporary lifestyle. DBM is far more than a watch; it’s an offbeat accessory conveying an exclusive vision of luxury.

Issued in a special edition, DBM, the first creation in a sophisticated collection, may be gem-set, variously adorned and personalised on request in the De Bethune workshops.

Technical Specifications

Functions: Hours and minutes
Movement : Calibre DB 1024 hand-wound mechanical. 212 components. Hand-decorated and snailed mainplate. Annular balance with micrometrical adjustment by an index snail, manually flat-polished steel.
Jewelling: 31
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Power reserve : 6 days
Case: 48 mm in diameter and fitted with an antimagnetic protective cage
Crystal: sapphire crystal, 1800 Vickers hardness with double anti-reflective treatment
Crown: in gold at 12 o’clock – settting in two positions
Dial: Silver-toned hand-guilloché
Hands: Flame-blued steel
Protective pouch: finely crafted extra-supple chestnut brown full-grain alligator leather pouch. Gold smartphone control buttons

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De Bethune Tourbillon Regulator DB25

Published by in De Bethune on January 19th, 2011 | No Comments »

The new De Bethune Tourbillon Regulator DB25.

[Press Release] The finest way of paying tribute to authentic traditions is by transcending them. De Bethune reinvents the spirit of the tourbillon in a manner such as Abraham-Louis Breguet may have dreamed of, but by taking it to a level of aesthetic and technical incandescence that goes well beyond the known limits of horological kinetics.

A word of technical explication: Abraham-Louis Breguet devised the tourbillon mechanism in order to create a dynamic kind of escapement that was lacking because of the static manner in which pocket-watches and marine chronometers were worn in a waistcoat or placed on the deck of a ship. Wristwatches enjoy a far more active life, which subjects watch movements to chaotic displacements and energy transfers that bear no comparison with those experienced by historical pocket-watches.

De Bethune thus undertook to rethink the tourbillon around this new wristwatch dynamic. The laws of physics are implacable: in order to compensate for the disorganised violence of wrist movements, the carriage must be as light as possible with as high a frequency as possible and a maximum rotation speed for a minimum mass and inertia. Thanks to new technologies, De Bethune has therefore created a silicon-titanium tourbillon in a 0.18 g carriage spinning once every thirty seconds at its axis, and a balance oscillating at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour. This carriage is the lightest on the market (classic counterparts weigh four times as much) and comprises 50 parts, of which the lightest weighs less than 0.0001 grams and the “heaviest” 0.0276 grams!

(more…)

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De Bethune DB28

Published by in De Bethune on January 14th, 2011 | No Comments »

[Press Release] Spherical moon, blued steel, silicon/palladium balance wheel, triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system and “floating lugs”… De Bethune is revisiting its classics and reasserting its identity codes through the DB28, a strongly identifiable timepiece endowed with the signature House style features and conveying its resolutely avant-garde vision of the watchmaking art!

Mid-way between the DBS and the model developed exclusively by De Bethune for Only Watch 2009, the DB28 strikes the perfect balance between the know-how cultivated by the Manufacture and its horological innovations.

The design of the watch is entirely in line with existing creations by De Bethune: the dedicated shape of the case adorned with its famous crown at 12 o’clock, inspired by pocket-watches and emphasised by the spherical moon, are a set of distinctive traits characterising the contemporary aesthetic of the Manufacture. The dial serves as a window onto the movement, revealing the refined craftsmanship of the hand-executed finishes developed in the De Bethune workshops. The delta-shaped polished steel mainplate and De Bethune “stripes” are combined with a blue chapter ring to ensure optimal readability. The shimmering effects of the light playing across the polished and matt surfaces create a unique show visible exclusively on the wrists of a privileged few.

The wearer comfort of the DB28 stems from the surprising lightness of the case entirely made in titanium, and to the presence of “floating lugs”, a patented system that easily adjusts to the size of the wrist and its various movements.

The DB28 is powered by Calibre DB2115 which is equipped with the latest technological innovations developed and produced within the Manufacture De Bethune. This precision is reinforced by the self-regulating twin barrel and the presence within the regulating organ of the new silicon/palladium balance wheel with a flat terminal curve protected by the triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system.

Much like what can be observed from the sky, moon phases are read off by an exclusive display system by means of a platinum and blued steel sphere revolving on its axis and which is accurate to within one day every 122 years. In keeping with the Belle Epoque style, the solid back of the DB28 is inspired by the hunter-type shape of pocket-watches, and also incorporates a power-reserve indicator.

The quest for perfection and beauty is the constant driving force behind the work of David Zanetta and Denis Flageollet, the artisans behind this exceptional timepiece with its pure style, of which the taut lines and slender case are the unmistakable signature of De Bethune’s contemporary expression of the watchmaking art.

Technical Specifications

(more…)

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