De Bethune

GRAIL WATCH 6: DE BETHUNE DB25 PERPETUAL CALENDAR 40MM “RHAPSODY IN BLUE”

$193,050.00
De Bethune’s DB 25 was first seen back in 2007. It was the result of the brand’s desire to clarify and simplify its vision into two key models, the DB 25 and the DB 28. Both expressed different aspects of De Bethune’s essence. The DB 28 was more avant-garde, while the DB 25 was a neo-classicist at heart.
The DB 25 Perpetual calendar entered the conversation in 2011, and it featured De Bethune hallmarks — the exquisite titanium case, the phenomenal movement with its spherical moon. It was architectural perfection, sized at 44mm. Until, in 2022, the brand improved on perfection by releasing a 40mm version, with a dial in silver and blue guilloché. The shift in size to more classical proportions is dramatic, and itis one that is perfectly in line with contemporary tastes. It’s also worth noting that this adjustment is only possible because of the in-house skills De Bethune has honed over the last 25 years.
Unlike the two-tone dial of the regularmodel, this version, Grail Watch 6: De Bethune DB25 Perpetual Calendar 40mm “Rhapsody in Blue” changes the tone — or rather the two-tone. We have opted for a solid, hand-blued guilloché dial with 12 radiating sectors, perfectly complemented by the star-studded sky in blue titanium. Like the Gershwin tune it’s named for, this watch is haunting, evocative and unforgettable.


Specifications
Reference: DB25sQPATIS3
Movement: 
Self-winding caliber DB2324V2; 120-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Perpetual calendar Month, Day, Date, Spherical moon phase indication and leap-year indication
Case: 
40mm; Grade 5 titanium; water resistant to 30m
Dial: Blue hand-guilloché, with 12 radiating sectors; De Bethune star-studded sky in blued titanium, inlaid with rose gold stars; Curved hour, date and moon phase rings with silver relief Roman numerals
Strap: Blue extra-supple alligator leather, alligator lining; Pin buckle in polished titanium
Availability: Limited and numbered edition of 5 pieces

Light and Bright

Titanium as a case material is having its time in the sun recently, and De Bethune are masters of the art of titanium. Not only do they use the famously hard-to-machine metal to create sophisticated sculptural forms, as evidenced through the brand's iconic lugs, but they also polished the metal so intensely that it burns with the light of a thousand suns.

Midnight Nocturne

If the case is daylight, the dial is darkest night. Twelve sectors of hand-guilloché radiate from the dial's central point, adding drama and dynamism to the velvety-blue appearance of this special dial. The outer hour ring adds depth and textural variation.

Starry Starry Night

Another iconic De Bethune detail is the star-studded sky, created in impossibly vivid blued titanium, inlaid with rose gold stars and a blue moon. Here, it dominates the top of the dial, balanced by the date pointer at the six o’clock position. It’s utterly charming and technically outstanding — a perfect summary of the brand as a whole.

Perpetually Perfect

De Bethune’s perpetual calendar movement is the stuff of legend. The caliber on this watch, the automatic DB2324V2, is even more impressive, as it was completely reworked to fit into the 40mm case — without compromising the 120 hours of power reserve, or the numerous technical innovations, like the hairspring with a proprietary terminal curve to aid in concentric breathing.