Twenty years ago, the Haute horological world welcomed De Bethune. Showcasing the technical ingenuity of master watchmaker and co-founder Denis Flageollet, De Bethune immediately established itself as an outlier with a unique ability to blur the lines between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design, mining history to create a brand both impossibly modern and technically advanced.
Flageollet’s objective has always been the glorious and elusive goal of chronometric perfection and no watch brand has been as disruptive as De Bethune. In just twenty years, the company has unveiled thirty in-house movements in the most surprising way, by emphasizing mechanical simplicity and concentrating on the fundamentals of traditional watchmaking. Following this principle, De Bethune has built a collection of pieces with extendable designs capable of evolving over time through innovation and the brand’s research into emerging materials.
To maintain that level of excellence, the annual production of De Bethune has remained extremely low, ranging between 150 and 250 watches per year at an average —with price ranges between $45,000 and $300,000 USD—making it one of the rarest and most exclusive watch brands in the world. By keeping the size of its collection stable, the Swiss-based company has the space to craft the most sophisticated and innovative watches possible and preserve an extraordinarily intimate link with its customers.
Now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, De Bethune is not only widely recognized, but indeed considered emblematic of the renaissance of independent watchmaking in the twenty-first century. With a text by Arthur Touchot, a foreword by Wei Koh, founder of Revolution magazine and Grail Watch, as well as special contributions from De Bethune CEO Pierre Jacques and a cross-section of watch industry notables. De Bethune: The Art of Watchmaking invites readers to experience every single facet of this cult atelier, from founding to the future, manufacture to movements.
When asked what watch collectors in the next century will take from this golden age of timekeeping, you can say with certainty that they will recognize Denis Flageollet as one of the greatest horological minds of all time. To own a De Bethune watch is to have stewardship of an object with enduring totemic and historical significance.
The De Bethune: The Art of Watchmaking Book by Assouline measures 11 x 14 in —28 x 35.5 cm—, includes 220 pages with over 100 stunning images, and is presented with a hardcover in a luxury slipcase. The book will be available via Assouline starting January 2023.
Sticker Price $195 USD. For more info on Assouline click here and for De Bethune here.
