De Bethune
Grail Watch 6: De Bethune DB25 Perpetual Calendar 40mm “Rhapsody In Blue”
De Bethune
Grail Watch 6: De Bethune DB25 Perpetual Calendar 40mm “Rhapsody In Blue”
When a brandʼs head of sales is so smitten by a watch he’s just released that he now wants to join the dauntingly long wait-list to one day own this piece, that says a hell of a lot about its irrefutable beauty. But that was exactly the reaction of my friend Jörg Hysek Jr. as we examined the palette of ravishing nuances and signature De Bethune codes that made up the new De Bethune DB25 Perpetual Calendar 40mm. And I had to agree with him too. Witnessing this extraordinary achievement by one of horology’s greatest living geniuses, Denis Flageollet, I was similarly consumed with desire to own it. But not just any DB25 Perpetual Calendar 40mm — of which independent watchmaking’s hottest brand will make just 15 pieces a year, causing the close to 100 times more people who want one to wait patiently for their allocation — but a very special version of this watch made in just three commercial examples, with one additional piece for me. How had I somehow garnered the immense privilege of collaborating with Flageollet, Hysek and De Bethune’s CEO Pierre Jacques on this special series? Well, the genesis of this 40mm perpetual calendar was a conversation I had with Jacques and one very famous watch collector Ahmed “Shary” Rahman two years ago.
“When I was in Geneva during Watches and Wonders, I went to visit Pierre Jacques and asked to commission a DB25 Starry Sky. At the time, the watch was made primarily in the 44mm diameter. As it happened, he showed me a few examples and one was a considerably smaller 40mm version with a platinum gem-set case that they had created for a female client. I tried it on and the size was perfect. I asked if my watch could be made in this size and after he briefly consulted with Denis, he agreed. When I received this watch, I was just amazed at its beauty and fell totally in love with its size and proportions. Then during the COVID pandemic, we found ourselves in a Clubhouse chat on De Bethune with Pierre Jacques and Jörg Hysek Jr.”
Genesis of a Star Piece
While it seems like a distant memory now, during the initial lockdowns perpetuated by the global COVID pandemic, we were all desperate to connect with other human beings. Those of us in the watch community, in particular, yearned to speak with our friends from around the world. As such, at Revolution, we decided to start a series of group chats on the Clubhouse platform. I knew that, without a doubt, I wanted one of my first topics to be on “De Bethune — The Next Big Thing.” I strongly felt that this extraordinary brand capable of such dizzying feats of horological prowess had been flying under the radar for so many years. But finally, as the world grew re-enchanted with independent watchmaking and new collectors had time to read in-depth articles about real watchmaking, I felt that the world was poised to embrace De Bethune in a big way. During these Clubhouse chats, myself, Rahman, Coppoletta and Austen Chu, founder of Wristcheck.com, all professed our love for the brand. While many of us were focused on the DB28, at some point, the subject turned to the DB25.
De Bethune’s Unique Competencies
Let’s pause here to underscore precisely what this entailed. First of all, it meant an all-new movement as the baseplate of the current caliber DB2324 would simply be too large. Secondly, it meant that all components from the case to the dial, to the hands and indicators, would all have to be newly crafted to create a perpetual calendar in this dimension. Said Pierre Jacques, “We are willing to create this series for you as you have always been a strong champion of the brand. However, it means we will have to develop an all-new movement, so I’m going to suggest we will make a ‘regular production’ version of this watch as well, which we also feel represents the tastes of the buyer today.” Overcome with excitement and gratitude, I could only gush out my agreement to this. And even after several hours, I still couldn’t believe that the extraordinary Denis Flageollet had agreed to undertake this project.
DB25 Perpetual Calendar 40mm
The dial of the production DB25 Perpetual Calendar is bicolored with a central section separated into 12 fan-shaped areas applied with guilloché à main and a large silver rehaut that has been colored blue. The polished steel hands arc imperiously over this rehaut and follow the curve delineated by its form. At 12 o’clock, we have the moonphase indicator crafted from a sphere of palladium and steel, where the steel has turned blue thanks to a hand heat treatment. The sphere sits inside a disk of flame blued titanium fitted with hand applied gold stars. Integrated into the display is the watch’s subtle leap year indicator. The moonphase is accurate to 122 lunar days. At six o’clock is the large legible date indicator read off a high polished steel hand. And at nine and three o’clock, you will find day and month respectively.
Fitted to the movement is Flageollet’s signature balance bridge with anti-shock devices on either side. Together with the absorber for the balance wheel, this comprises his triple pare-chute system. The balance wheel is itself a work of artistic expression coupled with technical innovation. It is a single wheel of flame blued titanium fitted with six white gold opposable weights, while the hairspring features a proprietary terminal curve to aid in concentric breathing.
DB25 Perpetual Calendar 40mm “Rhapsody In Blue”
Tech Specs
Grail Watch 6: De Bethune DB25 Perpetual Calendar 40mm “Rhapsody In Blue”
Movement: Self-winding caliber DB2324V2; 120-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes and perpetual calendar with spherical moonphase
Case: 40mm; grade 5 titanium; water resistant to 30m
Dial: Blue hand-guilloché, with 12 radiating sectors and De Bethune star-studded sky in blued titanium, inlaid with rose gold stars; curved hour, date and moonphase rings with silver relief Roman numerals
Strap: Glossy navy blue alligator; titanium pin buckle
Price: CHF 130,000
Availability: Numbered and limited edition of five pieces