De Bethune
- Founded
- 2002
- Based in
- L'Auberson, Switzerland
- In our catalog
- 1 watch from $43,000 to $60,000
De Bethune is a small independent manufacture in the Swiss Jura that combines old-school research with very modern design. Its watches are often in polished titanium, sometimes heat-blued, with lugs that pivot and dials that look like starry skies.
History
Watchmaker Denis Flageollet and David Zanetta founded De Bethune in 2002 in L'Auberson, near Sainte-Croix. The name honours an 18th-century French watchmaking patron, the Chevalier de Béthune.
Flageollet's work led to a series of technical patents: silicon and titanium balance wheels, a shock protection system called the triple pare-chute and a 3D spherical moon phase. The DB28 won the top prize, the Aiguille d'Or, at the 2011 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.
Signature models
- DB27 Titan Hawk V2: A 43 mm titanium watch with a self-winding movement and a dial with a guilloché centre, the brand's most approachable model.
What it's known for
Floating, sprung lugs that follow the wrist, blued titanium, hand-finished movements and dials with starry-sky or sculpted patterns. Many models are made in very small runs.
Price and positioning
The DB27 starts in the $40,000s, DB28 models are usually $100,000 or more, and tourbillons go far higher. It sits with F.P. Journe, Laurent Ferrier and Greubel Forsey among the most respected independents.
De Bethune watches in our library
- De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk V2 ($43,000 to $60,000)