When we think of De Bethune, the independent fine watchmaking brand based in Ste Croix, Switzerland, we think of its iconic designs such as the avant-garde DB 28 with its crown at 12 o’clock and patented floating lugs, conceived for comfort and versatility. Or, perhaps it’s the DB 25 that comes to mind, the more classically styled collection that appeals to the more traditionally oriented watch lover. Three years ago, De Bethune debuted their DB Kind of Two, a reversible watch pivoting within its lugs along the 3–9 axis in order to highlight more indications and styles than might easily fit on a single-dial timepiece.
This dual-dial system opened up the possibility of multi-complication watches for De Bethune, an idea which has now achieved its apotheosis in the DB Kind of Grande Complication, released a few weeks ago. The master watchmaker at the heart of all the creations of the brand, Denis Flageollet, is not just a mechanical genius — he is above all known for his holistic approach to horology, which also covers the aesthetic and practical aspects of having a watch on the wrist.
Such an approach is immediately evident in the prior models of the brand; whilst De Bethune obviously had the expertise all along to produce watches with multiple indications and functions, Flageollet judged it best to restrict the scope of expression within his creations until the DB Kind of Two was launched, introducing the system which would provide adequate space for a watch such as the Kind of Grande Complication.
On one side of the DB Kind of Grande Complication, De Bethune’s proprietary high-frequency fast-rotation tourbillon takes pride of place. This tourbillon beats at 5Hz (36,000vph) and rotates once every 30 seconds, bringing a double advantage in terms of ensuring the precision of the watch. Even with its high frequency, the patented balance and hairspring (featuring the De Bethune terminal curve) can be clearly seen at the centre of the tourbillon mechanism, a sharp reminder of the reputation for innovation that De Bethune has established since its earliest days.
Just above the tourbillon is an indication of the hours, minutes and seconds, the last of which is particularly interesting. At De Bethune, mechanics comes hand in hand with functionality — this is not a brand that believes in incorporating complex mechanisms just for their own sake. The central seconds indication of the DB Kind of Grande Complication is a dead seconds indication (Flageollet understandably prefers the term “jumping seconds” to the more familiar term “dead seconds”), which offers a higher level of precision in timing indication, as the second hand moves crisply from one second to the next without the trailing action that characterises the seconds indication in most other mechanical watches.
The left side of this dial also bears an indication of power reserve of 4 days — an impressive feat in a 5Hz watch. On the right side of the dial, just around the periphery of one of the mainspring barrels, a scale running from 1 to 29 represents the day of the moon phase, a rare feature in moon-phase watches. This augments the utility of the ultra-accurate 3D moon phase display on the other dial (visible when worn on the wrist with the crown positioned at 6 o’clock. This rotating spherical moon is a technical hallmark of De Bethune, formed of two hemispheres (one of blued steel and one of polished palladium), and accumulating only one single day of error after 122 years. The spherical moon is positioned at the 3 o’clock position, its blue hemisphere blending in perfectly with the heat-blued titanium dial. The dial is decorated to resemble a star-filled firmament, studded with gold pins to resemble the Milky Way as it traverses the night sky.
Also on this dial is a perpetual calendar indication, with a date counter at the 9 o’clock position, the day of the week at 1 o’clock and the month at 4 o’clock. Of course, no perpetual calendar watch is complete without an indication of the leap year, which is visible just next to the spherical moon phase display.
As mentioned earlier, each De Bethune watch comes with a myriad of little touches that refine the experience of having it on the wrist, and the DB Kind of Grande Complication is no different. Features such as the floating lugs make this watch incredibly easy to wear despite its 43.3mm case diameter and 13.85mm case height. The hands are manually shaped into their final form, especially the hands that have to pass over the spherical moon. These have to be bent in a particular way so that their tips come as close as possible to the dial (for precise reading) without colliding with the spherical moon as it projects beyond the surface of the dial.
The De Bethune DB Kind of Grande Complication may be the ultimate summary of the last 22 years of mechanical innovation at this jewel of a brand — their Greatest Hits double-album, so to speak — but that doesn’t mean the journey stops here. Having had the chance to speak personally with Denis Flageollet at the launch of this watch, I can assure you that there are plenty more amazing ideas and technical innovations waiting down the line for those who love De Bethune and their creations. And I don’t mean “maybe” or even “kind of”. This is a promise.
