Iconic and innovative De Bethune
De Bethune watches
De Bethune watches: An independent Swiss watch manufacturer located at L’Auberson in the Jura mountains of Switzerland, De Bethune is famed for its spherical moons, tourbillons, perpetual calendars, chronometers, and other innovative offerings. Till date, De Bethune has developed no fewer than 27 calibres, presented some 30 world premieres, and registered a large number of patents. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with the CEO of the marque, Pierre Jacques, to chat about their new watches and the latest innovations presented by the brand
You released the DB28 GS in Geneva in January 2019; how has the reaction been?
The reception was excellent; it was a good time for De Bethune to come out with a new vision of a sports or diving watch. It is very complicated horologically but innovative. It goes with our tagline of “Watchmaking Art in the 21st Century”; it was a good time to exhibit the fusion between tradition, craftsmanship, and new technology. That is why we created a new calibre, released the energy from a spring barrel to a turbine and a dynamo that provides a bluish light for the mechanical movement. The LED system would spread the light to the dial.
When is the watch supposed to be out in the market?
It would be out in the market by this summer; we will start to deliver the first pieces in June.
De Bethune has a partnership with Black Badger?
Yes, there is a partnership; the challenge for diving watches is to read the time in difficult conditions. You also need to get the information very fast. We needed Black Badger since he makes the best Luminova in the market. We did not want something in yellow or orange; we wanted something elegant but that we could see very well in the dark. That is why we have developed a new colour – the Black Badger Luminova that we call the Blue Moon. In the dark, it is the blue of the titanium blue of De Bethune. When it is not in the dark, it is the blue of nitrate titanium. It really is a very interesting colour; it literally glows.
What will the Black Badger be used for – the indexes and the minute hand?
It will be used for the indexes, the minute, and the hour hands. It will also be used on the bezel.
You are also releasing a new edition of the DB28?
Yes, it is called the DB28 Yellow Tones; it is ‘Tones’ in plural because there are many shades of yellow; it is very subtle. We get this colour by oxidisation of titanium; when we heat titanium, it gets oxidised and the colour goes from yellow to yellow fire, to green, purple, and finally blue. During one of the moments of oxidation, it is the colour of a shade of bronze. It is not a coating; it is oxidising of the material. You have to see the watch to appreciate its beauty and the many shades of yellow in it. It is a very classy, retro yellow; evocative of the Art Deco era.
What made you decide on yellow and not some other colour, such as green, for instance?
We at De Bethune do not like to follow trends; we are more of trendsetters, discreet trendsetters but trendsetters. Everyone is now making blue; quite a few watchmakers are also making green timepieces. I do not know of any other brand creating in yellow, especially this shade of yellow. We like to explore new territory and this was one area that was as yet unexplored.
Why did the DB28 become so iconic?
In this watch, you can see the modernity of De Bethune but also its classicism. It is a fusion between an unchained pocket watch and a very futuristic design. It is innovative in terms of techniques and materials. It is Grade 5 Titanium, highly polished; it is comfortable to wear, it is elegant and very modern. It is the perfect watch to wear. The reason this watch became so iconic is because you can never get bored of it. An icon is something that passes the test of time and still makes you very excited to touch it and wear it. We got the chance to make such an iconic watch and I am sure that we can continue this line because there is so much of territory that we can still explore with this shape – mixing materials and different elements.
How will De Bethune be able to meet the demand for DB28 with such a small Manufacture?
That is definitely a challenge; when you launch a new product, people want it immediately. We are a small Manufacture, with only 26 people working with us and producing 150 watches a year. With new calibres and new models, we need time to make the components because we make every component ourselves. We will do it but it will take time. For instance, the GS will be delivered in June; this is the one with the Black Badger colour, Super-Luminova, and so on. We will be delivering the first Yellow Tones in July. It is our challenge; it is true that it does not make sense in one way, and it would be better to do one or two products in a year. But at De Bethune we like variety and in this year itself, we have come out with four new models.
Is innovation still a central theme at De Bethune?
Yes, you can see in the new DB28 we have the latest DB balance wheel; we have created eight different balance wheels in the past year. We are always trying to make them perform better and be more accurate; that is definitely innovation. The new Yellow Tones is an example of innovation in terms of aesthetics. In the GS, we see the innovation in the mixing of technology. So, yes, innovation is a central part of who we are and we will continue to be innovative.
