De Bethune captures the moon and puts time into orbit

When the time becomes a spectacle

At De Bethune, telling the time has never been an entirely ordinary affair. With the DB25 Digitale, the L’Auberson-based manufacture revisits the concept of the DBD an iconic model for the brandand takes it in a direction that is as technical as it is aesthetic: the hands vanish, allowing time to express itself in a different way. Jumping hours, minutes displayed on a rotating disc, and a spherical moon phase combine to create a three-dimensional display, in which each indication appears to possess its own dedicated mechanism.

At the 12 o’clock position, an aperture displays the jumping hours. At 6 o’clock, a rotating disc tracks the minutes. And in the center, the spectacular spherical Moon tilted at a 60° angle is impossible to miss. Its two hemispheres one made of palladium, the other of flame-blued steel reproduce the lunar phases with astonishing precision: a deviation of just one lunar day every 1,112 years. It is enough to make a standard moon phase display pale in comparison to this true masterpiece of horological artistry.

The new DB25 Digitale features a multi-format display: digital for jumping hours, analog for the minutes, and spherical for the moon phases.

A dial that plays with the light

But the DB25 Digitale does more than just revolutionize the way time is read; it also pays exquisite attention to its visual setting. Its blued titanium dial features a random guilloché pattern, with undulations evoking the shimmer of a stream in the moonlight. The result is hypnotic: depending on the angle, the blue seems to shift in depth, and the pattern appears almost to move.

Surrounding this, the minute section features a hand-executed “grain d’orge” (barleycorn) guilloché pattern, while a fixed ring of polished and blued Grade 5 titanium frames the composition. White gold stars are inlaid within it, scattered like those in a miniature sky. In total, 82 elements contribute to the creation of this remarkable surface, combining work guilloché, polished finishes, heat-treated titanium, and plays of light. Yet, beneath this apparent poetry lies a serious mechanical core. The hour and minute displays are driven by a micro-ball-bearing system developed to ensure the smooth rotation of these elements. In other words, even the parts of the dial that appear motionless are hard at work behind the scenes.

The show continues on the back

Turn the watch over the gesture is well worth it. The open case back reveals the DB2144V3 caliber, a manual-winding mechanical movement comprising 416 components and 32 jewels, developed and manufactured by De Bethune. It boasts a five-day power reserve, thanks to the self-regulating twin barrel an innovation introduced by the brand in 2004.

The movement incorporates several of De Bethune’s signature technical features: a titanium balance wheel with white gold insertsoptimized for temperature fluctuations and aerodynamic efficiency a De Bethune balance spring with a flat terminal curve, a silicon escape wheel, and a triple pare-chute shock absorption system. The entire assembly operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour.

The decoration is equally impressive. The concave titanium mainplate sits alongside a hand-beveled and hand-polished barrel bridge, while the delta-shaped bridge features for the first time the same random guilloché pattern found on the dial. The mechanics thus become a natural extension of the aesthetic of the dial side.

106 000 CHF

Technical details :

Case :
Polished grade 5 titanium
Diameter : 42 mm
Thichness: 11,9 mm
Integrated, openwork horns
Sapphire crystal (1800 Vickers hardness) with double anti-reflective coating
Polished and open Grade 5 titanium screw-in case back – Sapphire crystal
Water-Resistance : 30 meters
Hand-stitched, extra-supple alligator leather strap with alligator
Polished grade 5 titanium buckle.

Display :
Jumping hour window at 12 o’clock
Analog minute display via a rotating disc at 6 o’clock
Spherical moon phase indication in palladium and flame-blued steelaccurate to one lunar day every 1,112 years at the center. De Bethune patent (2004)

Dial :
Titane aléatoire bleui guilloché. Innovation De Béthune 2023 
Secteur des minutes argenté et guilloché principal au motif grain d’orge Bague fixe des minutes et pourtour de la lune sphérique en titane grade 5 poli, bleui et incrusté d’étoiles en ou gris

Fuctions :
Jump-hour display in an aperture, analog minutes on a rotating disc, and a central spherical moon-phase indication (inclined at 60°).

Movement :
Mechanical manual-winding caliber – DB2144V3
416 components
32 jewels
Diameter : 30 mm
Power reserve : 5-day power-reserve, powered by a self-regulating twin barrel — De Bethune innovation, 2004
Specifications:
Titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts — De Bethune patent 2004 — optimized for temperature variations and air penetration — De Bethune innovation 2016
“De Bethune” balance spring with flat terminal curve — Invention 2004, De Bethune design registration 2006
Silicon escape wheel — De Bethune innovation 2005
Spherical moon phase indication with an accuracy of one lunar day every 1,112 years — De Bethune patent 2004
Blued triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system — De Bethune innovation 2005
Frequency: 28,000 vibrations per hour

Décorations:
Concave titanium mainplate cover — De Bethune innovation, 2013
Hand-beveled and hand-polished titanium barrel bridge
Central insert in blued titanium with random guilloché — De Bethune innovation, 2023

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