Unique Pieces

Aviation is at the heart of the artistic creation process. De Bethune is meticulously inspired by its engines and fuselages to craft a new DW5. A unique piece in titanium sublimated by the talent of the artist Michèle Rothen: a nine-cylinder star engine engraved by hand on the back of the watch. This is a type of piston engine in which the cylinders are placed on the same plane around the engine's output axis. This engine alone embodies the strength and thirst for innovation of aviation. Its power could reach up to 1000 horsepower. The DW5 opposes and reconciles the minuteness of its mechanism with the power of an aircraft engine. The simplicity, only apparent, of a riveted fuselage hints at its strength. Its resistance to pressure, bending and torsion guarantees the integrity of the aircraft. In the DW5, we find the details of the finishes, a spherical moon phase and especially blue. A blue-azure that reminds us at all times that the immensely large can be worn, provided we dream further.

In 2017, De Bethune decided to create an extraordinary dial with a fragment that fell from space over 4,000 years ago and landed in Argentina. Cut into a fine sliver to form the dial and manually flame-blued, this piece of meteorite was then polished and drilled to form a multitude of tiny holes inlaid with white gold spheres depicting the stars of the galaxy. The case of the DB28 Kind of Blue Meteorite is entirely made of blued titanium, framing the De Bethune tourbillon appearing at 6 o’clock, the lightest and fastest in the world. 

In 2016, using a fragment that fell to Earth from space over 4,000 years ago and was discovered in Argentina, De Bethune created the Dream Watch 5 Meteorite. Each step of the manufacturing process proved a puzzle that challenged skills, knowledge and intuition. The original anthracite colour of the case made from this fragment was deliberately preserved, before being manually flame-blued in order to highlight the unique texture of the meteorite, streaked with zebra stripes and dotted with fragments forming a snapshot of the universe. The resolutely unclassifiable Dream Watch 5 Meteorite is on a mission to reflect a unique vision of space, while testifying to the unfathomable mysteries of the universe.

In 2015, after created the “Maya” limited edition ", De Bethune continued to explore the theme of this ancient civilization using jade, one of its sacred stones. As in the heart of the Mayan calendar, the god of war and the energy of the moving sun appears in the dial centre. The back is adorned with the feathered serpent regarded as the god of resurrection and reincarnation. Around the jade, each Kin (day) is represented by one of the twenty glyphs which, in Mayan astrology, form the eternal part of the soul. When the timepiece isplaced on the wrist, the jade touches the skin and creates
 a unique feel.

In 2013, De Bethune presented the DB25 Imperial Fountain in the form of sets of 12 art pieces. The solid gold dials are indeed true works of art, graced with exceptional sculpted and coloured decorations. The animal symbols of the Chinese zodiac are hand-engraved with an interpretation of the bronze heads surrounding the fountain in the former Summer Palace nestling in the Yuan Ming Yuan garden near Beijing, China. Each of the central engravings made by the Swiss artist Michèle Rothen represents a bas-relief depiction of one of the twelve animal heads, crafted from Grand Feu enamel using the delicate and precise technique of translucent enamel applied to chased reliefs. The effect is complemented by slender flame-blued steel hands sweeping gracefully around the dial rim. This circumferential display mechanism called for the design of a new DB2145 calibre, specially created to free the centre of movement from any mechanical components.

In 2017, De Bethune created this timepiece perfectly showcasing a cooperative endeavour with a client. While one immediately notes that the star-studded sky is personalised, it is the caseback that reveals a magnificent hand engraving depicting the Beijing University entrance gate. Every detail has been meticulously crafted to achieve a result exceeding the client’s expectations. 

In 2015, De Bethune created a very special clock designed to be built into a helicopter. Resistance to vibrations, shocks and compliance with safety constraints were the challenges successfully met by De Bethune in order to pass the Eurocopter tests. The classically inspired dial reflects the aesthetic codes of the DB25L with its guilloché dial and spherical moon.