DE BETHUNE DB28XP COLLECTION

De Bethune celebrate a decade of their award-winning DB28 watch with a trio of ultra-thin models, the DB28XP Collection.

Back in 2010 when the first DB28 watch appeared on the watch industry landscape, no-one had seen anything quite like it before. Essentially a novel “floating lug” system upon which the rounded case is suspended it was and remains, architecturally and ergonomically perfect.

Quite rightly deserving of a birthday hoopla, De Bethune have honoured the tenth anniversary of their DB28 with three new “extra-plat” models. While each reference retains the signature styling elements of the DB28 collection, their new svelte profiles demanded a redesign of the instantly recognisable lugs and of the case band, which has been given an even more pronounced curvature.

The first piece, the De Bethune DB28XP is quietly beautiful and utterly compelling. Dominating the centre of the dial, the angular mainplate is immaculately polished, and elevated upon a backdrop of delicate guilloché. At six o’clock, the visible balance animates the lower sector and is secured by a bridge which curves softly upwards. Petite polished roundels at each hour add to this compendium of shapes and forms. Beating at 28,800vph, the hand-wound De Bethune DB2115v6 calibre has De Bethune’s innovative balance-spring with flat terminal curve and a silicon escape.

While the DB28XP exhibits purity of design, the dial of the De Bethune DB28XP Starry Sky model will stir your senses. Demonstrating De Bethune’s affinity with the colour blue, it features a blued titanium dial in a deliciously rich shade. On this glossy liquid-like dial surface, the night sky is depicted using miniature white gold pins which have been individually driven and hand-set. Forming a stunning constellation in miniature, they play with the light and twinkle with every subtle wrist movement. At six o’clock, an opening reveals the balance, surrounded by a chamfered, polished steel rim. Offering personalisation, De Bethune will happily recreate a bespoke sky map at the client’s discretion. The piece is powered by the De Bethune DB2115v7 hand-wound calibre which features a titanium balance wheel, De Bethune’s patented balance-spring with flat terminal curve and a silicon escape wheel.

The case of the De Bethune DB28XP Tourbillon is marginally thicker - 8.1mm as opposed to its siblings which measure up at just 7.2mm but then, it has the added complexity and aesthetic pleasure of a tourbillon. Weighing in at just 0.18 grams, the mechanism is enclosed within a titanium cage and is fully visible through a generous aperture. Surrounding the dial opening, each revolution is marked on a titanium seconds scale just inside its blued-polished titanium ring.

For this model, a silver-toned dial with hand-guilloché decoration in a barley-corn motif offers stunning contrast to the blued-polished titanium hour ring, where diminutive polished dots serve as hour markers.

Inside, the De Bethune DB2009V4 hand-wind movement beats at 36,000vph and is equipped with a titanium balance wheel, De Bethune’s patented balance-spring with flat terminal curve and a silicon escape wheel.

Reflecting on a memorable evening, the solid caseback of the DB28XP Tourbillon has been engraved with the position of the planets on November 19th 2011 the night when De Bethune scooped the accolade of Aiguille d’Or at GPHG.

The De Bethune DB28XP, Starry Sky and De Bethune DB28XP Tourbillon come presented on alligator leather straps with pin buckles.

DB28XP Fact file

REFERENCE: DB28XP
MANUFACTURER: De Bethune
LIMITED EDITION:
CASE: Titanium, polished
SIZE: ø 43.0 mm
THICKNESS: 7.2 mm
DIAL: Open-worked displaying delta-shaped calibre mainplate, visible titanium balance, and guilloché decoration. Polished white gold hands.
MOVEMENT: De Bethune DB2115v6 hand-wound calibre, 28,800vph, De Bethune balance-spring with flat terminal curve, silicon escape wheel.
FUNCTIONS: Hours, minutes
POWER RESERVE: 6-days
BRACELET/STRAP: Alligator leather
BUCKLE: Pin buckle
WATERPROOF RATING: 30m
PRICE: 72,000 CHF

DB28XP STARRY SKY Fact File

REFERENCE: DB28XPTIS3V2
MANUFACTURER: De Bethune
CASE: Grade 5 Titanium polished finish, solid caseback, in polished grade 5titanium. Engraved ring in blued circular satin-finish titanium. Titanium plate with “microlight” decoration and De Bethune logo
SIZE: ø 43.0 mm
THICKNESS: 7.2 mm
DIAL: Blued titanium dial with De Bethune innovation,”microlight” decoration, individually hand-set white gold pins representing a particular view of the night sky at the client’s discretion. Dial opening revealing balance. Polished pink gold hands.
MOVEMENT: De Bethune DB2115v7 hand-wound calibre, 28,800vph. Titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts, De Bethune patented balance-spring with flat terminal curve, silicon escape wheel.
FUNCTIONS: Hours, minutes
POWER RESERVE: 6-days
BRACELET/STRAP: Alligator leather
BUCKLE: Pin buckle
WATERPROOF RATING: 30m
PRICE: 72,000 CHF

DB28XP TOURBILLON Fact File

REFERENCE: DB28XPTIS3V2
MANUFACTURER: De Bethune
CASE: Grade 5 Titanium polished finish, solid caseback, in polished grade 5 titanium. Engraved ring in blued circular satin-finish titanium. Titanium plate with “microlight” decoration and De Bethune logo
SIZE: ø 43.0 mm
THICKNESS: 8.1 mm
DIAL: Silver-toned hand-guilloché barley-corn motif, opening revealing tourbillon. Blued polished titanium hours ring. Circular satin-brushed titanium minutes ring. Blued polished titanium hands.
MOVEMENT: De Bethune DB2009V4 hand-wind movement, titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts, De Bethune patented balance-spring with flat terminal curve, silicon escape wheel, De Bethune innovation 30 seconds tourbillon in titanium. 36,000vph.
FUNCTIONS: Hours, minutes, 30 seconds indicator via the tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock
POWER RESERVE: 5-days
BRACELET/STRAP: Alligator leather
BUCKLE: Pin buckle
WATERPROOF RATING: 30m
PRICE: 180,000 CHF