Independents

pifpaf
511

• Show profile
• Show other posts

De Bethune, review of 7 models.

This post is the mix of two reviews  that I wrote  few weeks ago at Chronopassion a Parisian shop...

A note before all, the De Bethune pieces are not photogenic, this watches are always better in true than in pics...

The DB25 before all, the "basic" model of De Bethune, one of my favorite:



I love this power reserve, deliciousely offset in this watch witch seems classical at the first view.
This power reserve makes me think about a red brake caliper on a limousine.

  It looks (too) great on my wrist:



This piece is superb, De Bethune re-visit classical code of vintage/classical watch with talent on this DB25, this is a big watch 44.60mm on 11.10mm, but the watch keeps its elegance and the guillochage is a real pleasure.
I am going at le Louvre to an exposition on vintage Breguet watch, made around the French Revolution in 1789 (Between 1775-1850), and the guillochage and the conception of the dial of this DB25 keep the pure spirit of the beginning of the modern horlogical.
 
Here with the stale dial, i prefer the warm and the charm of the white version:  



Note the "build" is thin, the case with is hollowed lugs, gives a great feeling of ligther. 



The move is great, the balance wheel is enterely re-imaginated, as is shown on pics:
platinium for weigth, titanium for skeleton:







Here is a draw that I took from De Bethune website:



After that, a DBS, nothing to do with the Aston Martin, but the sharpness is at the rendez-vous, 6 days of power reserve (as other De Bethune listed here), 28800 a/h, 3-D moonphase, 42.80mm on 11.30mm.
Very interesting piece, the watch as others, is nicer on the wrist than on pics...

But definitely this piece is not my drug, the "asymetrical" case and this kind of lug (we need to invent other vocabulary for De Bethune) shocks me visually, and the bridge that looks like the Nasa logo, makes a spare dial in a very massive case, makes the watch not coherent, the bottom of the dial in cote de genéve reinforces this feeling. 
In the same style watch I prefer Hautlence HL02 or 05 that are  very coherent esthetically.



caseback:



Always from De Bethune Website, moonphase:



This is the DBDigitale, more classical in its global presentation, same case than the DBS, what a pity, its a very interesting technical performance, but its not the funniest De Bethune, comparing to other De Bethune, it is a little boring...
Technicaly, always 6 day power reserve, digital wiew of QA, a a great moonphase at the back, case of 42.8mm on 14.6mm.
 


Another drawing on the spiral:




After, my favorite,  the DB24 Vetrois (as you can traduce by DB24veethree) the kind of watch that makes you make wet dream, the third version of the DB24, the first version as no regulator for automatic winding, the second has it, but the indication is only at the back of the watch, and the third has this indication on the dial and on the caseback.
It is one of the most impressive watch I ever seen.



The caracteristic of the UHO (Unidentified Horlogical Object)  48mm*13.8mm (bigger than my Radiomir 1938, but I think that the watch make 46mm), 6 days power reserve with indicator in dial (in red), titanium 300m waterproof case (a true sports watch), and automatic winding, you can set the streng of winding with the crown, 3 positions. Minimum for sport, and maximum for desk-dive.....

A video:

www.dailymotion.com

Look at the build, the design is very Aztec, but it seems that the creator was thinking about the design of New-York architecture of 30'. 





The design of this watch, the way that it is inventing, makes me think that it looks like that no other one, it impresses me at all points of views.

Caseback:




The DB26:



Here la little video for show you the concept of mobiles lugs:

www.dailymotion.com

I prefer the following DB25, the saphire hands sound cheap, the case is thicker. The slick bezel is very interesting, as the dial, but the watch is less coherent thant the DB25...



And the DB15:



The pictures are not my best, but they give a good idea of the reflects on the dial:  



On wrist, I feel very happy:



IMO this the best QP of the Horlogical, grey mouse dial, amazing reflects, perfect bicompax subdials, discret and functionnal, whith a great guillochage, and this marvelous DB moonphase. Other moonphases are vintage compared to the DB.

I regret that the number on dial are not applicated, the paint doesn't give the same effect that the white dial. The bridge of the move (see pictures on balance wheel at the beginning of the rewiew) thats looks like the famous Nasa logo, is not my favorite.

But the matter is not this detail, the matter is the price, I show to you a pic of the JlC QP of my friend Dang,  that we took in his restaurant, Le sourire de Saigon... The JLC QP costs 36000€ (catalogue price), the DB QP is at 100 000€, 300% more for 20% of finitions and 30% innovations on the movment.

Eternal discussion:

Dang's QP:


A last one, i love suffering:


Pifpaf: I edited very quickly your message to correct some typos.
This message has been edited by foversta on 2009-08-01 02:49:35