De Bethune is introducing the latest DB28XP Kind of Blue Tourbillon. A limited edition of 20 pieces, born from the union of the elegant DB28XP and the captivating DB28 Kind of Blue Tourbillon.
In his quest for an ultra-thin watch, Denis Flageollet envisioned the DB28XP as a fusion of technical and aesthetic challenges. It represents a delicate balance between intricacy and simplicity, requiring precise execution and a harmonious blend of design and limitations.
The DB28XP Kind of Blue is the natural evolution of two iconic models from De Bethune: the DB28XP and the DB28 Kind of Blue. It embodies the best of both worlds by combining the sleek design and refinement of the DB28XP with a completely blue look, inspired by the DB28 Kind of Blue and bearing the Manufacture’s signature.
Here, it’s all about levels of interpretation, reliefs, and the interplay of light with shadows and reflections. Crafted from blued titanium, the watch reveals an architectural fusion of space, time, and light at first glance. Its deep and luminous blue is achieved through the natural oxidation of the material, making each watch a unique work of art.
The dial, entirely made of Microlight, reimagines and modernizes traditional guilloché technique. On its expansive flat surface, this technique gains new meaning and enhances the structure. By playing with shadow and light, it adds depth and delivers a more architectural and dynamic result. The overall effect becomes more contemporary.
De Bethune opened a chapter in the world of ultra-thin watches in 2020 with the launch of the DB28XP, celebrating ten years of mechanical and aesthetic research and work. In his pursuit of an ultra-thin timepiece, Denis Flageollet envisioned it as both a technical and aesthetic challenge—the complexity of slimness, an adventure that demands precision and harmony between design and constraints.
As if by fate, the De Bethune DB28XP has now become an embodiment of beauty, an elegance that epitomizes purity in its most absolute form.
In the expansive array of complications and functions that De Bethune has mastered, the tourbillon has often taken a leading role. A tourbillon equipped with an extraordinarily lightweight cage (0.18 gr., the lightest ever created) rotating every thirty seconds, comprising a total of 63 components (the lightest of which weighs less than 0.0001 gram!). Today, a wrist-worn watch experiences significantly more “torture” than a pocket watch. Rapid and erratic wrist movements impose kinetic brutality on watch mechanics, warranting careful consideration. Just as Breguet invented the tourbillon to counteract the effects of Earth’s gravity and enhance the precision of marine watches, De Bethune sought ways to optimize it for today’s wristwatches.
The equation? To be more effective on a wrist subjected to quick and erratic movements, the tourbillon must have a higher frequency and a faster rotation speed. By creating a tourbillon in titanium and silicon with a frequency of 36,000 vibrations/hour and an extraordinarily lightweight cage rotating every thirty seconds, describing the feat is easier than achieving it. Much like an airborne insect, a true exoskeleton maintains the entire structure. Thus, the De Bethune tourbillon, so small, so light, so fast, simply fulfills its function better for contemporary watches. The futuristic shape of the tourbillon bridge symmetrically and perfectly supports the tourbillon on both sides, keeping it in its position.
Reference: DB28XPTB
Function: Hours, Minutes, 30’’ indicator via the ultra-light De Bethune tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock, power reserve on the back
Movement: DB2009v5
Type: Mechanical hand-wound movement
Adjustment: Winding and setting the time by means of the crown (2 positions)
Technical features of calibre DB2009v5
Case and strap
Display
Strap
About De Bethune
Located in L’Auberson, in the Canton of Vaud, the De Bethune watch Manufacture is above all a research and development facility, an atelier working with cutting-edge technologies, albeit in the spirit of the great 18th century master-watchmakers. This naturally involves designing and crafting all components individually, while paying meticulous attention to even the slightest details. Not doing more, but instead doing better; drawing inspiration from the past and perpetually reinventing it; building bridges with all fields of knowledge: such are the principles driving the elaboration of De Bethune’s mechanisms and artistic criteria. The quest for perfection and beauty guides the work of the master-watchmakers as they patiently craft exceptional timepieces. The pure style, taut lines and slenderness of the cases represent the inimitable hallmark of De Bethune creations.
