De Bethune presents unique “Cempasúchil II” at SIAR

On the occasion of Mexico’s SIAR watch show De Bethune debuted the “Cempasúchil II” – a new one-of-a-kind creation in its Maestri’art collection, with twin sides, two dials, two faces, and two identities…

For Mexico, De Bethune is once again having fun in celebrating the Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos). Denis Flageollet makes no secret of the fact that since the release of the Kind-of-Two in 2020, he has revelled in surprising people with the multiple possibilities afforded by such a double-sided watch and is looking forward to receiving collectors’ requests for one-of-a-kind timepieces in order to play with these countless options.

To kick off this future festival of made-to-order Kind-of-Two watches, Denis Flageollet got down to work with his long-time accomplice – Swiss Art engraver Michèle Rothen – in order to demonstrate the watch’s full potential. Midway between engraving and micro-sculpture, Michèle’s engraving surpasses all existing standards. Her infinitely accurate work is backed by Swiss artistic talent recognised as among the very best.

For the Cempasúchil II, reflecting a hint of mischief, they have jointly revived the characters featured in the DW5 Cempasúchil (presented in Mexico in 2020), this time by choosing the double-sided Kind-of-Two watch.

Its first dial is transformed into a dance floor for two Calaveras, indicating the hours and minutes. On the other side of the watch, a dedicated decor (usually hidden behind a secret cover) features a depiction of the two Calaveras ‘in action’. Beneath a show of laughing ossuaries worthy of La Catrina, an array of cams, levers and are set into motion and bring the two characters to life as a surprising and fun treat for amused observers. Animated on demand by a highly complex mechanism (like a small automaton) by means of a button at 12 o’clock, the merry scene conveys a sense of gaiety and mischief.

The entire engraving work on both dial sides is a nod to the brilliant Mexican engraver José Guadalupe Posada, an artist who made the dead dance in the late 19th century and already inspired Denis Flageollet and Michèle Rothen in 2020 when designing the DW5 Cempasúchil. The titanium casing has been flame-blued and engraved with subtle gold inlays to bring light and a discreetly precious touch.

This one-of-a-kind creation thus perfectly demonstrates the versatile nature of the Kind-of-Two, which offers clients the possibility of ordering bespoke versions with their very own automaton mechanism, giving free rein to their imagination. This provides scope for all kinds of animations, as well as different movement configurations. The beauty of this double-sided artwork thus reflects both mechanical and aesthetic perfection.