De Bethune

An extremely rare, unusual and charismatic white gold moonphase wristwatch of the Swiss watch brand De Bethune, founded in 2002 by the Italian vintage watch dealer David Zanetta and French watchmaker Denis Flageollet. Reference introduced in 2010. Estimated production period: 2016–2022. Case in 18k white gold, diameter 44mm, 11.2mm thick, lugs of a hollowed design, sapphire caseback. Polished and blued titanium dial with hand-fitted white gold pins depicting the stars, raised chapter ring in blued titanium with polished demi-spherical indexes, avant-garde ‘pomme de Breguet’ polished steel hands, spherical moonphase indicator in palladium and flame-blued steel. Manual-winding caliber DB2105v2, double barrel and 6-day power reserve. Functions – indication of time in hours and minutes, moonphase indicator at 12 o’clock, power reserve indicator on reverse of movement. Black leather strap, De Bethune pin buckle in 18k white gold. Numbered edition. 

The spherical moonphase indicator, developed by De Bethune for its collection in 2004 and immediately realised in the DB15 series of perpetual calendar watches, is perceived as one of the symbols of the brand’s collection, appearing in a variety of versions. In the present reference, this complication is presented in the most spectacular manner, with a polished and blued titanium dial with hand-fitted white gold pins depicting the stars, contrasting avant-garde ‘pomme de Breguet’ polished steel hands for the time display and a spherical moonphase indicator at 12 o’clock. The latter is three dimensional, consisting of two hemispheres made of palladium and flame-blued steel. The hour and minute hands of the present reference are crafted from steel, polished and curved to pass over the three-dimensional moonphase indicator unimpeded. Their shape is one of the typical De Bethune designs, a kind of avant-garde reinterpretation of the so-called ‘Breguet hands’ – ‘pomme de Breguet’, introduced by the brand in the DBS collection in 2005.