WORLDTEMPUS - 12 February 2013
Yiah Chan
In approaching De Bethune's Geneva salon at the Four Seasons it was difficult to assess which was garnering more excitement amongst those waiting to see the brand: the watches inside or the car outside, which seemed to be the most photographed automobile in Geneva that week. The Mercedes capturing all this attention was a 300 SLR (W196S) rebuilt from the ground up by De Bethune co-founder David Zanetta and his son Alessandro. It won the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season; legendary racecar driver Stirling Moss also won the 1955 Mille Miglia in a 300 SLR.
Nonetheless, for those who managed to drag their eyes away from the car and go inside, De Bethune had – as well as what seemed to be their entire model range – two new watches to showcase: the DB28 Skybridge and the DB16 Tourbillon.
In contrast to the threatening grey clouds outside, the signature De Bethune mirror-polished and blued titanium of the Skybridge provided a welcoming dash of color. The “bridge” of the new model's name refers, of course, to the dominating feature of the dial: an arrow-shaped bridge that rises boldly and forms a “bridge to eternity” or a bridge across the sky, as it were – whichever it is, should be left to the wearer's imagination perhaps. The use of mirror-polished titanium continues with the Skybridge's incredibly light case, which features the DeBethune floating lugs, and the blue theme continues in the flame-blued and mirror-polished steel hands.
Celestial bridges
The thematic continuity also extends to the spherical titanium hour markers (representing planets perhaps?), which mirror De Bethune's spherical moon-phase indicator in the Skybridge. As is also the case with the brand's DB25 Jewellery, the constellation on the Skybridge's dial can be personalized to become something meaningful to the owner. The stars themselves are discreetly twinkling specks of white gold and diamond in the blue firmament.
So how is this new piece powered? By the DB2105 hand-wound caliber with a power reserve of six days, which is visible through the transparent case back. It, too, has handcrafted finishing and decoration with mirror-polished blued steel.
Although the case is 43 mm – including the bezel, it sits at a decently sized 45mm – but as is the case with all of the brand's watches boasting the use of floating lugs, the design of the latter means that it can sit comfortably on wrists unaccustomed to such a size. The pocket-watch-like crown placement also makes this size easier to wear. This is a classic De Bethune and the immediate thought is that it will appeal to fans of the DB25 Jewellery, though it does seem a little less formal than the Jewellery due to the contrasting minute track surrounding the dial. It seems to give the watch a more flexible dressy or casual aspect. The DB28 Skybridge is priced at 98,000 Swiss francs.
A perpetual calendar with deadbeat seconds
From the simplicity of the Skybridge, De Bethune leaps to the other extreme with the other new offering, the DB16 Tourbillon Regulator. The moon phase indicator on this watch comes with a retrograde moon age indicator linked to it, a leap year indicator in the sky at 12 o'clock, perpetual calendar with deadbeat seconds (said to be the first time there has been a perpetual calendar deadbeat in a watch) and, of course, the 30” silicon and titanium tourbillon of the name. The latter comprises 64 parts; weighs 0.18 grams; and forms part of the hand-wound, 36,000-vph DB2509 caliber that is visible through the case back.
The tourbillon and four-day power reserve are left discreetly to the underside, making the silver-toned guilloché dial simple, clear and deceptive, as it merely shows hours, minutes, and seconds from the center, while the date is depicted in a sub dial at 9 o'clock, the day at 6 o'clock, and the month at 3 o'clock. The balance wheel is made from the combination of silicon and palladium and with a balance spring with a flat and a curve, as well as a silicon escape wheel and a triple pare-chute system used to enhance the resistance, both which are patented by De Bethune . The triple pare-chute protects the movement via a titanium bridge secured by a spring-based system.
Discretely showing off technical prowess
Of course, even though the sky is in a far more miniature form in this watch than in the previous release, De Bethune has, characteristically, not held back in terms of detail and finishing, with the flame-blued steel sky studded with gold stars and the spherical moon phase in platinum and flame-blued steel at 12 o'clock. The case itself is pink gold, 43mm in diameter and 13.13 mm high. It utilizes De Bethune's cone-shaped lugs.
As I mentioned above, this is a deceptive watch, if you just look at the dial side, and this desire for discretion will appeal to those who don't want all a watch's complications shown front and center. It is a technical show of achievement for a brand that fiercely prides itself on its technical achievements and patents claimed. It can be yours for 350,000 Swiss francs.
CAPTIONS
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The new DB28 Skybridge in all its flame-blued glory © Yiah Chan
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Inside the new DB28Skybridge © Yiah Chan
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The DB16 Tourbillon Regulator is deceptively simple-looking © Yiah Chan
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The case back of the DB16 Tourbillon Regulator features a tourbillon escapement beating at 36,000 vph © Yiah Chan
