Jump hours have been part of De Bethune’s story almost from the beginning. The complication first appeared in 2006 with the debut of the DBD, followed by the DB28 Digitale in 2014, which added another De Bethune signature: the spherical moon phase.

The DB28 Digitale, however, never quite lived up to the promise of its ingenious mechanics. Now, some 12 years later, De Bethune has returned to the concept with the new DB25 Digitale and taken the idea further. 

At 42mm, it is more wearable than ever. But then there is the dial: a deep blue “random” guilloché that extends across the dial and continues onto the movement. 

One of the best iterations of De Bethune’s jump hour

Jumping hour and spherical moon phase

After all these years, even with the same basic case design, De Bethune still manages to surprise us with small changes to the dial. And, quite frankly, they matter.

Think back to the DB28 Digitale. It was a rather austere timepiece, with much of the dial covered in white guilloché. That was not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it was a throwback to the original DBD, which had an austere, if even more restrained, dial.

But the more classical look of the DB28 Digitale was never going to appeal to every collector. For many, the signature of De Bethune is heat-blued titanium, and that is exactly what the DB25 Digitale brings back. More than that, it does it very well.

Gorgeous textures of blue

At the centre of the dial is a flat, polished titanium disc, set with tiny golden pins to evoke a starry sky. It makes a wonderfully romantic frame for the spherical moon phase, with the large jumping-hour aperture sitting directly above it.

The same starry-sky pattern appears again around the outer edge of the dial. Between these two elements sits the random guilloché, its irregular, wavy pattern taking up most of the dial and becoming the visual centre of the watch.

A thin ring of white guilloché, this time in a hobnail pattern, frames the rolling minutes. It also breaks up the different expanses of blue titanium, giving the dial just enough contrast without taking anything away from its rich, layered appearance.

A sneak peek at the watch’s construction

Five-day running time with one full wind

Inside is De Bethune’s own DB2144, now in its third generation. The familiar twin-barrel construction still delivers five days of power reserve from a full wind, while the movement retains its signature polished titanium deltoid bridge. For the first time, however, the bridge carries the same random guilloché pattern as the dial, bringing the two sides of the watch together.

The in-house DB2144

Beyond that, the movement packs in many of the technologies that have come to define De Bethune. There is the proprietary titanium-and-gold balance wheel, along with the brand’s triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system, among other innovations.

Random guilloché makes the polished deltoid bridge look better than ever

Tech Specs: De Bethune DB25 Digitale
Reference: DB25VD
Movement: DB2144V3; hand-wound; 5 days power reserve; 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz);
Functions: Jumping hours, minutes, and spherical moon phase
Case: 42 mm x 11.9 mm; Grade 5 titanium; water resistant to 30 m
Dial: Blued titanium with random guilloché
Strap: Alligator leather
Availability: At De Bethune boutiques and retailers
Limited edition: No