Description

The future lies in doing better, not in doing more”, said David Zanetta during the prize-giving ceremony of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2011.
And that has been the ideology of De Bethune since its inception in 2002, when an avid collector David Zanetta partnered with a 4th generation watchmaker and inventor Denis Flageollet to create a brand that today is one of the pioneers of the 21st century watchmaking landscape.

Denis Flageollet’s quest to obtain the most stable, lightest balance wheel while maintaining the highest possible level of inertia lead to a few incredible creations, such as the titanium and platinum annular balance wheel (20% lighter than the normal one), and then the even-lighter silicon and white gold balance wheel – which formed the basis for De Bethune’s hi-beat tourbillon regulator, making it the lightest-ever tourbillon carriage weighing only 0.18 grams!
They also invented the titanium / platinum balance, Triple-Parachute system for shock absorption, balance spring with flat terminal curve and winding speed regulation system, among several other innovations.

An independent watchmaker based out of L’Auberson, in Valee de Joux, De Bethune has approximately 30 employees, and probably half of them work in the R&D section alone. Given the small number of watches that the brand produces annually (approx. 150 pieces), that is a huge R&D team.
It is one of the handful brands that can be labeled as truly independent producing their in-house regulators (which are otherwise mostly outsourced) to fit in their in-house calibres.

The present example, the DB28, was launched in 2010 and went on to win the top prize of Aiguille d’Or at the 2011 GPHG, which can be described as the equivalent of the “Watch Oscars” and is intended to promote horology and its prime values, such as innovation.
The overall aesthetic of the watch is a beautiful combination of form and function, resembling the futuristic vision of the art of watchmaking.
In a way, it also pays homage to the 18th century watchmakers, reprising the style of a historical pocket watch with its crown at 12 o’clock and its solid hunter-type back displaying the linear six-day power reserve indicator. The ultra-light 43mm case is carved out of grade 5 titanium, with a 3-D moonphase at 6 o’clock depicted by a blued steel / platinum moon and a steel sphere spinning on its axis, accurate to within one day every 122 years. The dial partly reveals the movement with its mainplate bearing the skeletonized hands. The unusual patented floating lugs adjust beautifully around the wrist significantly improving wearer comfort.
Encased within is De Bethune’s in-house Calibre DB2115, with a self-regulating twin barrel, a silicon/palladium balance with flat terminal curve, protected by a triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system. This technical marvel is offered on a black alligator strap with a titanium De Bethune pin buckle.

Today, De Bethune continues to bear the torch of the past, present and future of watchmaking, through its various iterations of the DB28. And we at K2 Luxury are proud to offer the reference that started it all. A real winner!

De Bethune – bio

Created in 2002 by David Zanetta, a collector of vintage timepieces and art, and Denis Flageollet, a genius watchmaker who started his career restoring vintage timepieces and developing extremely complicated movements for others, De Bethune has gained a reputation amongst collectors as one of the originators of creative contemporary independent watchmaking. Since its creation, De Bethune has given birth to 30 in-house calibers, a dozen patent registrations and over 18 world premiere innovations. An amazing track-record for such a young brand.