A Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches, De Bethune, has created a very special version of its DB25 timepiece for the fourth edition of the Only Watch auction. Honoring the location of the event, the brand has decided to present a wristwatch that depicts a starry sky over the principality when Monaco was taken by the army led by Francois Grimaldi in 1297.
Disguised as a Franciscan monk, the nobleman with the nickname “the Cunning” had entered the castle of Monaco and then opened the gates to his army. Guided by the starlit sky, the army led by “the Cunning” and his relative, Ranier I, seized the fort and thus started the first rule of the Grimaldis over Monaco.
A Set of 14 Invisible Diamonds on the Dial
De Bethune presents a beautiful watch that looks exactly like the sky over the rock of Monaco, with the constellations of Orion and Gemini clearly standing out, represented with 14 invisibly set white diamonds on the flame-blued titanium dial (invisible setting means that the diamonds are set from below, so there is no metal showing among them).
Apart from these two constellations, there are 91 more stars represented with white gold, and a fixed single flame-blued titanium pointer (matching the dial), oriented to the bottom of the dial (the six o’clock position). The correct time is displayed with the use of rotating hour and minute disks, made of solid sandblasted silver. The hour disk includes Roman numerals, while minutes are shown with Arabic numerals.
A Mechanical Movement with Impressive Features
The accuracy of the unique watch by De Bethune is insured with a Caliber DB2105S hand-wound mechanical movement with 29 jewels. The mainplate and the bridges of the movement are made of beveled and hand-polished steel. Caliber DB2105S consists of 270 components and includes a twin self-regulating barrel that enables an extra long power reserve of 6 days.
Besides, the movement also has an in-house patented silicon-platinum annular balance to compensate for the temperature and elasticity. It also includes a balance spring with a flat terminal curve, which additionally improves the movement by insuring constant oscillations. The resistance of De Bethune DB25 Special Edition Watch is guaranteed with the inclusion of a triple para-chute shock-absorbing system.
This technologically exceptional watch is set into a triple-body round drum case, made of polished 18K white gold. The case has the diameter of 44 mm and the thickness of 12.5 mm. The face of the watch is guarded by sapphire crystals with anti-reflective coatings on both sides (1800 Vickers hardness). The same sapphire is used on the case back.
The lovely watch by De Berthune is completed with an extra-supple alligator strap with an 18K white gold buckle.
