De Bethune DB22 Prototype Review

ED209 · 2013-01-05T13:05:51Z

Explore the De Bethune DB22 prototype in 18k rose gold with a grey dial, comparing its unique features to production models. Discover the Calibre DB 2024 movement.

Just wanted to share a few pics of the DeBethune DB22 that I took a while back. This is a special piece in the hands of a fellow PuristS collector, and it is the prototype piece of the DB22.

The prototype is made in 18k rose gold case and bezel with a grey dial, however the DB22 production models are available in various combinations of a 18k rose gold or titanium case, and either blue, black or grey dials. All model variations have 6 TP3 style titanium screws around the bezel. The watch is rather large at 48mm in diameter but the 10mm thickness makes it somewhat easier to wear on a small wrist.

The dial itself is made of titanium with a 'microlight' decoration that has a circular pattern on it that is similar to guilloche. I think this helps deflect light and makes it easier to see the hands and read the time. One of the nice details that I like on the dial is the outer ring with the minute scale. It has slightly smaller sized titanium screws that matched the bezel. The titanium screws on both the bezel and dial ring are also aligned with the triangular shaped TP3 tip pointing inward.

Besides the hours and minutes, the DB22 also has a interesting power reserve indicator displayed at the 12 o'clock position. There are two triangular slotted power reserve indicators that are colored in the background. It turns from red to blue indicating how much power is left. Power reserve is excellent and rated for 6 days.

The skeletonized triangular shaped minute and hour hands are large and easy to read. It is made of a blue-ish colored titanium and steel. It's hard to see in my pictures, but t he layering and design of the hands give it a 3 dimensional depth when viewing it in person.

The movement in the DB22 is the DeBethune Calibre DB 2024 which is an automatic movement made of 274 components and 49 jewels . It has self-regulating twin barrels and a titanium and platinum balance wheel. The winding rotor is also made in titanium with a platinum counter weight. As you can see from the pictures, the transparent caseback has a sapphire crystal to view the movement. Water resistance is rated at 20 atm but I'm sure this watch never gets anywhere near water.

I don't have that much experience with the DeBethune collection, so I asked my fellow PuristS if there were any noticeable differences between his prototype and a production model. He mentioned that there are two small slight differences between the two. The first is lugs. The prototype has very slightly shorter lugs and it is a little bit more round than the production models. And the other is with the crown. The overall shape of the crown on the prototype is more cylindrical compared to the production which has more defined bevel around the crown. The outside of the crown on the production models also has a rounded bump compared to a flat surface on the prototype.

In terms of overall finishing, the prototype movement was excellent and in my opinion very near production quality. There were no obvious marks or rough areas that I could see. Even the case and bezel were in excellent shape with no dings or dents which was surprising for me to see. The PuristS owner said it was in original condition and has not been refinished.

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Regards,
ED-209

This message has been edited by ED209 on 2013-01-05 13:06:39

The Discussion

andrewluff

Jan 5, 2013

Thanks for sharing!

I love the combo, I have never seen the RG version before but really like this model. Cheers Andrew

ED209

Jan 6, 2013

The color variations

Hi Andrew, Thanks for checking out the report. IMO, of all the versions of the DB22 that I've seen, I think the RG and grey dial looks the best. Regards, ED-209

foversta

Jan 5, 2013

The RG case works pretty well with the DB22...

Thanks a lot Ed for the presentation and the pictures of this prototype! Fx

ED209

Jan 6, 2013

Thanks for checking out the pics

:) Regards, ED-209

DRMW

Jan 5, 2013

Hey, nice DB22! =) [nt]

ED209

Jan 6, 2013

LOL!

:) Thanks for checking out the report on the DB22. Regards, ED-209

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De Bethune DB22 Prototype Review

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