Haute Complication: De Bethune DB28 Kind of Blue Tourbillon
De Bethune watches don’t seem to come out of Switzerland, but straight out of space! Their high-tech designs present traditional Swiss watchmaking in such a progressive shape that you get groundbreaking watches. This applies especially to the DB28 “Kind of Blue” Tourbillon.
To love this watch, you need to love blue. Given the significant amount of blue dialed watches that have been introduced in recent years, there seem to be many watch connoisseurs around that due. The blue that De Bethune uses has a deep blue hue to it that changes depending on how the light shines on it. It is difficult to describe, as the color seems almost like velvet.
It is not only the color that makes the DB28 “Kind of Blue” Tourbillon look like it comes from outer space. The case from Grade 5 titanium is more like a frame that connects the strap to the watch itself. They make the watch light weight and comfortable to wear. The blue color is achieved by heating and oxidation, a process that De Bethune has mastered like no one else.
Also, the bridges that form the dial seemed to have been shaped into something that reminds me of a Star Trek communicator badge, but that might be wishful thinking. They cover two mainspring barrels that give the watch a 5-day power reserve. This can be viewed on the back of the watch, which had been entirely dedicated to showing the power reserve.
Quite unusual is that the caliber DB2019 runs at a frequency of 36.000 vph. This results in a visibly more active tourbillon carriage, which does a complete rotation in 30 seconds. The tourbillon itself only weighs 0.2 grams, making it one of the lightest in the world. The DB28 Tourbillon is also fitted with a silicon balance wheel, surrounded by a white gold ring.
It is the combination of this technology, the superb finish, and yes, the blue color, that makes it that this watch can only be one thing: a De Bethune. While any of their watches are only made in very limited numbers, only five of the DB28 “Kind of Blue” Tourbillon will be made, priced at $250.000,- each. With private space flights finally taking off, you just might have found your perfect companion for a trip to outer space!
Also read the interview we had last year with David Zanetta, President of De Bethune
