Baselworld 2014: De Bethune DB29 Maxichrono Tourbillon. A Mono-Pusher 24-Hour Chronograph with Central Hands. Live Pictures and Pricing.

Last week we presented to you the new DB28 Digitale by De Bethune here. Today, we bring you another one of their exceptional novelties presented at Baselworld 2014. This time we are talking about the amazing De Bethune DB29 Maxichrono Tourbillon featuring a mono-pusher 24-hour chronograph with five hands on the central pinion and a 30-second indication tourbillon via the half hunter display case back. This new watch is fitted with a 5N rose gold case measuring 46 mm in diameter and 11.70 mm in thickness. The highly polished round case features cone-shaped lugs and a hinged half hunter case back that allows for full visibility of the movement and the tourbillon when opened via a very small push piece located below the winding crown. To round out the elegant look of this watch, De Bethune chose to fit it with an extra supple brown alligator strap with pin buckle.

This exceptional timepiece features an amazing horological complication where all chrono functions are operated via a mono-pusher on the winding crown and where all chrono hands are located in the central pinion along with the hour and minute hands. The De Bethune DB29 Maxichrono Tourbillon is fitted with a very elegant and well balanced silver-toned dial that features four different levels to provide exceptional depth and a domed shape towards its perimeter to maximize readability. From the center to the periphery one can find the 24-hour central chrono register, a chapter ring with Arabic numerals to read the time and lastly a chapter ring with minute indicators for the chronograph minutes and seconds. The five central hands —four blued steel and one rose gold for the chrono minutes register— are perfectly curved on their tips and perfectly contrasting. While the hour and minute hands are Breguet style-shaped hands, the rest of the hands are needle type with the 24-hour chrono hand being the smallest of them all.

Once you focus your attention to the half hunter solid case back on the watch and after pressing the small push-piece located right below the crown, a wonderful surprise and a real treat for the eyes awaits. As you open the half hunter case back, you can contemplate the fascinating manual-wound De Bethune calibre DB2039 with 30-seconds indication tourbillon. This in-house movement which is composed of 410 parts, 49 jewels and three column wheels is fully crafted and decorated by hand. The beating heart provides an outstanding power reserve of five full days.

On the wrist, this watch is an absolute treat wearing slightly smaller than its actual size —due to the shape of its lugs— and very comfortably. One of the nicest touches on this watch is the lack of branding on the dial that makes it even more unique and exclusive. Only those watchlifestylers in the know, will be able to call you out on what brand you are wearing. This timepiece will be produced in a very small batch of 20 timepieces per year without being a limited edition watch 'per se'.

Sticker Price 270,000 CHF ex VAT. For more info on De Bethune click here.

Baselworld 2014: De Bethune DB28 Digitale. Live Pictures and Pricing.

Ever since the creation of De Bethune, 18th century fine watchmaking has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for its founders, both of whom deeply admire and respect the mechanical ingenuity, the particularly refined aesthetic and the subtle elegance of French clocks from the Directory period. The DB28 Digitale, equipped with a mechanism powering multiple display modes —digital for the jumping hours and analogue for the minutes and spherical for the moon phases— embodies a highly contemporary vision of the aesthetic of that era. The watch fitted with a case measuring 43 mm in diameter and an outer bezel measuring 45 mm is a real treat for the eyes.

The dial adorned with a hand-guilloché barleycorn motif, together with the spherical moon and the star-studded sky, represent classical references that are arranged and executed in a manner that accentuates the modernity of the design. The silver-toned guilloché motif reveals all the beauty and finesse of its motifs. The visual equilibrium of the dial stems from the central spherical moon of which the two polished hemispheres —one in palladium and the other in flame-blued steel— indicate the moon phases with a degree of precision corresponding to a difference of just one lunar day every 1,112 years.

The peripheral depiction of the sky is spread from 9 and 3 o’clock above the minutes disc driven by a sophisticated micro-ball bearing mechanism that also powers the digital hours display. Like its dial, the polished titanium ultra-light case of the DB28 defines the modern and indeed futuristic nature of the DB28 Digitale. It is fitted with a 12 o’clock crown and equipped with a patented spring-based floating lugs system enabling millimeter-degree adjustment to the wrist and its movements.

The back of the watch reveals the finishing and technology of a Manufacture De Bethune movement, featuring flame-blued steel parts and bridges adorned with a Côtes de Genève style motif, reworked to accentuate the way light is reflected on the material and to draw the eye towards the heart of the movement. Several patents and innovations are displayed through this window onto the DB2144 calibre, notably equipped with the exclusive De Bethune self-regulating twin barrel, circular silicon/white gold balance wheel, balance-spring with flat end curve, as well as the triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system. The aesthetic balance and the readability of the DB28 Digitale, as well as the luminous shimmering effects created by the light playing across the material and its finishes, combine to create an atmosphere of gentle harmony imbued with refined elegance. The movement provides a power reserve of 5 days when fully wound.

Now, enjoy the rest of these live macro images we have prepared for you. This is a watch that will take your breath away and leave you in awe, as you find yourself admiring the dial and the movement. A watch with superb finishing, exceptional design and superior craftsmanship.

Sticker Price 95,000 CHF ex VAT. For more info on De Bethune click here.