Slim and comfortable fit: De Bethune’s new DB28XP Steel Wheels

Since its debut in 2018, the De Bethune DB28 Steel Wheels watch has revealed the unique architecture of the movement with a sense of transparency and lightness. Using De Bethune’s characteristic triangular arrow-shaped bridge, with the spherical moon phase at 6 o’clock, plus various special-shaped parts, it injects a modern architectural flavor into the watch and becomes one of the most representative designs of the brand. And this year’s brand new DB28XP Steel Wheels has passed on this spirit to the world again.

The new DB28XP Steel Wheels watch has a multi-layered case made of titanium metal, which is mirror-polished to create a reflection of light and shadow, making the entire watch look like a building that integrates time, space and light.

De Bethune’s Slim Aesthetics
De Bethune has been investing in the research and development of ultra-thin watches since 2020, and launched the DB28XP as a masterpiece to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the DB28 series. It also presents the research results of the brand’s continuous exploration of mechanical structure and aesthetics.

In the process of challenging ultra-thin watches, brand founder Denis Dlageollet not only innovated the mechanical process, but also continued to insist on the original design beauty and style. He knows that the key is to maintain a consistent design style and to find a balance between aesthetics and craftsmanship. The results are self-evident. Today, the elegant lines and modern style of DB28XP are definitely a concrete manifestation of the brand’s beauty.

Create the perfect balance
The all-new DB28XP Steel Wheels relive De Bethune’s future vision for the art of watchmaking. The connection of thin case, components, movement and surface decoration is revealing the simple future style that the brand is trying to create.

The multi-layered case made of titanium and the lines formed by polishing create reflections of light and shadow, making the entire watch like a building that integrates time, space and light. Atypical parts such as spheres and semi-circles, with microwave decoration, satin, polishing and other surface treatments, allow the watch to form a unique light and shadow and surface depth under different light angles, and show the modern style design of the watch. bring you a great gaming experience.

The distinctive modern design comes from the beauty brought by the unique structure of the Calibre 2115v11 self-winding movement. The hollowed-out barrel and ratchet on the dial are clearly visible, and the triangular arrow-shaped bridge with brand characteristics in the center, which is treated with microwave decoration, brings a sense of light suspension to the vision. best replica watches

In addition, 12 polished blue titanium spheres inspired by the exclusive balance wheel design are surrounded on the outside, in addition to being used as hour markers, they also subtly echo the De Bethune logo. The blue-tempered titanium central hour and minute hands are also a representative feature of the brand.

The Craftsmanship of De Bethune Timepieces
The open window at 6 o’clock shows the De Bethune balance wheel mounted on the hand-wound movement. This is a brand new watch reform launched by the brand after careful research in physics and mathematics. Small size, titanium, with small platinum weights on the outer ring for excellent inertia, reliability and isochronism.

In addition to the uniquely shaped balance wheel, De Bethune also pays special attention to the most delicate soul element in the mechanical watch – the hairspring. The center of gravity of the operation is maintained by the flat curve at the end fixed on the outside, so that the perfect concentric circle structure can be maintained during operation, which brings better stability. In addition, the advantages of a lower center of gravity, better adjustment, more precise speed adjustment, and no-clamp hairspring design can also act as shock absorbers when subjected to shocks. After numerous tests and adjustments, a perfect, balanced, high-precision structure has been achieved. With its self-developed self-adjusting kinetic energy double barrels, De Bethune successfully increased the power reserve by 20%, giving the fake watches for sale a 6-day power reserve.

In addition, in order to maintain the safety of wearing and use, De Bethune has added an exclusive triple shock absorber system to the balance wheel bridge to protect the entire assembly. This is a set of bridges that are symmetrical on both sides to ensure that the balance wheel is kept in the most appropriate position. A set of shock absorbers is added to each end of the structure, using springs instead of fixed bearings, making it a shock absorber system that can effectively absorb shock and strengthen the structure. Together with the shock absorber of the central balance wheel, there are three groups in total, hence the name triple shock absorber.

DB28XP Steel Wheels
Titanium case, diameter 43 mm, hours, minutes, power reserve display on the case back, DB2115v11 manual winding movement, power reserve 6 days, sapphire crystal glass mirror and bottom cover, water-resistant to 30 meters, alligator leather strap.

unparalleled comfort
As a watch for daily use, wearing comfort is also very important. Like all DB28 series, the DB28XP Steel Wheels are the most impressive to the wearer. In addition to the light and skin-friendly titanium case, the patented floating lug design can be adjusted according to the size of the wrist. Wearing close to the hand, the comfort is also greatly increased. In addition, the same titanium clasp and crocodile leather strap as the case have a finishing touch for practicality, comfort and beauty in daily wear. De Bethune fake

Up close: Jacob & Co. Opera Godfather Minute Repeater

Tops in style and sophistication.

Known for its jewelry clocks and planetariums, Jacob & Co. specializes in top-of-the-line watches. One of its latest products is the Opera Godfather Minute Repeater. Inspired by the film of the same name, this large watch features the brand’s typical sapphire cake dome style and houses a 758-component movement. While the Godfather branding on the dial is flashy, the mechanics of the watch are surprisingly unusual and impressive.

The Godfather repeater can tell the time through the minute repeater function and can also play the Godfather theme on the miniature binocular music box inside the case (see video below). This makes it essentially a double-chain complication: one barrel and running chain drive the three-axis tourbillon and time display – which is linked to the repeating mechanism – while the second barrel and chain drive the music box .

Jacob & Co. fake specializes in loud watches, so everything has to be judged by that benchmark. For example, the Twin Turbo Furious is one of the more modest complications offered by the brand.

The Godfather Repeater is just right for that track. It’s very large – nearly 50mm wide and over 20mm high – so it scores poorly on abrasion resistance. But it scores highly on the state of the wrist, both aesthetically and functionally, which is certainly the focus of the entire exercise.

That said, the large size is more than just vanity. This makes perfect sense mechanically, as the case is filled with the movement. The movement developed by Le Cercle des Horlogers, a frequent partner of Jacob & Co., is very interesting. The construction of the movement can be deduced from what is visible, which is of course novel – the layout has to be twisted to accommodate the music box, time display and tourbillon on the front.

Its complex combination – repeater, music box and tourbillon – is not common. A few brands do make music box watches, notably Breguet, Christophe Claret, and Ulysse Nardin, but neither a minute repeater nor a tourbillon, making Jacob & Co. the only brand to offer one.

These acoustic complexities make sense when put together, but the nature of the music box inevitably requires a massive movement, which results in a massive top quality watches. Even the Breguet La Musicale 7800, possibly the most elegant music box watch ever made, is only 48mm in diameter.

The sophistication of the Godfather repeater is impressive. And it does a decent job with sound. Both the repeater and the music box are clear and pleasant, despite the inevitable buzz of the Doge. The repeater, in particular, is particularly loud, thanks in part to the wide and ventilated interior of the case.

As an otherworldly, highly complex watch, the Godfather Minute Repeater has been an admirable success with a bold statement. Its size and complexity are gorgeous enough on their own, which makes the branding on the dial excessive and unnecessary.

The godfather emblem and portrait of Marlon Brando on the miniature grand—not forgetting the violin-shaped crown lever—reminiscent of cheap movie memorabilia. They’re tacky and unnecessary – take it all and it’s still the godfather repeater.

And on the subject of The Godfather, best Jacob & Co. has acquired the film rights to a series of watches. The basic Godfather is a three-axis tourbillon with a music box and track display, but no minute repeater. There are six variants of this model, plus several versions of the Godfather repeater, including one with an (and tacky) bullet-marked hour. Jacob & Co. also makes some Scarface watches. There are too many watches based on gangster movies in the brand’s catalog, though that might just be the result its customers want.

The Godfather Repeater is good at what it wants to be. To do so, it requires a retail price of $600,000, which makes it expensive relative to comparable watches. For example, the Louis Vuitton Carpe Diem Minute Repeater retails for just under $500,000. Still, nothing else compares to it – repeaters, music boxes and multi-axis tourbillons (don’t forget the retro organised crime theme) – so it can’t compare to anything else.

under the cake dome
The case of the Godfather repeater is more like a gold frame for multiple sapphire windows on all sides. I counted the seven sapphire windows on the front, sides and back, which offer panoramic views of the movement.

All those windows and its tall profile also give it the cake-dome look that has become Jacob & Co.’s signature watch aesthetic thanks to the brand’s best-selling complication, the Astronomia.

The case is tall, making the skeletonized lugs appear exaggerated. But they’re cleverly kept short and sloped down, and the strap is attached to the bottom of the case, so despite the watch’s large diameter, it’s in a decent position.

Despite everything on the dial, legibility is surprisingly good. This is thanks to the elevated skeleton sub-dial in rose gold at the time, which contrasts sharply with the movement.

Raised with additional gearing, the raised time display is necessary to make room for everything below – the music box’s two cylinders, a spherical three-axis tourbillon and striking mechanism. Surrounding all of this is the repeater’s raised gong.

The time display, tourbillon and mainspring form the part of the movement that is responsible for timing.

This in turn connects to the striking mechanism visible on the back, which “reads” the current time and then strikes the hammers and gongs on the front. Essentially a modular mechanism mounted on the back of the movement, the striking mechanism, along with the hammers and gongs, forms the second key part of the movement. buy watches online

The last part is the music box, which is an independent body. That is to say, even if the striking barrel is not wound and the time is not adjusted, the music box will work normally.

It can do this because the music box is powered by its own barrel, which is wound by the same crown. I believe the two barrels are stacked, with the barrel closest to the case back powering the chronograph and the other hidden barrel for the music box.

The one-piece violin-shaped lever, the crown has two winding directions, one for the timekeeping barrel winding, and the other for the music box barrel winding.

When fully wound, the chronograph movement can run for 44 hours—a respectable thing considering the size of the constantly moving tourbillon—while the music box can play three full sequences in full wind.

It’s hard to imagine that the three-axis tourbillon isn’t the most prominent element in the movement, but it has a lot of competition in the Godfather minute repeater.

The music box consists of two copper cylinders with steel needles, each of which rotates against a steel comb. The vibrations of the 30 teeth of the two combs then produce a composition of 120 notes.

Because the cylinders must rotate at a constant speed, their movement is regulated by a governor visible at two o’clock. Like the repeater’s governor (visible at six o’clock), it uses air resistance to regulate the movement of the cylinder.

Located at 1 o’clock is the three-axis tourbillon, the same as the one in the Twin Turbo Furious, which was also developed by the same movement specialist. Aside from the tourbillon, both the Godfather minute repeater and the Twin Turbo Furious share several elements of their movements, including the minute repeater mechanism.

The tourbillon rotates at high speed: the outermost cage rotates once every 180 seconds, the middle cage completes a rotation every 48 seconds, and the innermost cage completes a rotation every 24 seconds.

The tourbillon also employs a “torque separation” mechanism, essentially two superimposed wheels, connected by springs, with a limited range of relative motion. This limits the energy delivered to the tourbillon – which is large and heavy – in turn smoothing out the energy delivered to the balance wheel. Due to this mechanism, the movement of the cage can sometimes appear jerky, as if it were gradually rotating.

The separation mechanism is a solution to the problems created by tourbillons that are not necessary for simpler tourbillons, or none at all. But that would completely ignore the point of this watch, which is minimal in style and function. Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon

With the development of the multi-axis tourbillon, this one is a more elegant one. Thanks to the extensive use of skeletonized wheels made by LIGA, a lithography technique that enables extreme detail on a tiny scale, the tourbillon has many exotic shapes.

The other major kit up front is the strike mechanism. A pair of hammers and accompanying gong are visible at the front. The repeater setup is traditional, although the two gongs dove significantly upwards as they extend out of the base in order to clear the music box mechanism on the dial.

The striking is controlled by a percussion mechanism visible on the back. This is a series of racks that “read” the time and convert it into an input for the hammer and gong. In terms of decoration, the movement is exquisitely crafted – clean, capable and comprehensive, but not entirely handmade. That said, the refined finish is certainly not what attracts buyers to such a watch.

The Godfather Repeat watch, and Jacob & Co. more broadly, occupy a unique niche of luxury, over-the-top timepieces that no other brand can match. While many brands in this segment share similar styles, the Godfather Repeater and many other Jacob & Co. complications are different.

Granted, the Godfather repeater could be improved — mostly by dialing back the brand — but it excels at maintaining the status quo.

Jacob & Co. Opera Godfather Minute Repeater
refer to. OP500.40.AA.AA.ABALA

Diameter: 49 mm
Height: 23 mm
Material: 18k rose gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: JCFM07
Functions: Time, minute repeater, three-axis tourbillon and music box with two cylinders
Winding: Manual winding
Frequency: 21,600 beats/hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 44 hours

Strap: Alligator leather with folding clasp

De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius

Humans have long looked to the sky for inspiration. The stars provide a way to tell a story, a way to navigate the world, and a reason for humans to dream and think about our place in the universe. Watchmakers and astronomers often work together to advance the scientific discovery process, resulting in new discoveries in the fields of astronomy and watchmaking.

It’s this history of innovation that has inspired De Bethune co-founder and master watchmaker Denis Flageollet to push the boundaries of innovation and materials, looking to the stars for inspiration in his avant-garde sci-fi-themed watches. De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius is less of a sci-fi adventure and more of a hit from Denis Flageollet. This watch should be synonymous with his name and the De Bethune brand.

Starry Varius perfectly leverages Denis Flageollet’s design aesthetic and iconic queue. On the case, Flageollet includes his signature skeletonized lugs, which curve gracefully along the wrist. The lugs feature torpedo points, a subtle nod to his earliest watch, the De Bethune DB1 chronograph, with its retro French inspiration.

The dial showcases De Bethune’s material innovations, with a flame-blue titanium central disc with a display of the Milky Way. Finished with hand-set and polished 24k leaf gold cabochons and laser micro-milling, the pattern depicts the Milky Way. Breguet rose gold hands complete the watch and complement the handcrafted dial.

The entire movement is finished in the Bethune curve, an in-house finishing technique that interacts with light in a beautiful and captivating way, the stripes are evident in natural light, and adjusting the angle of the watch and letting the light dance on it is a pleasure. The double-barrel system features a hand-snailed, compact spiral finish and offers an incredible six-day power reserve via the hand-wound DB2005 movement.

The movement incorporates many of Flageollet’s inventions, including a triple-chute anti-shock system, self-regulating double barrels, a titanium balance with platinum inserts, a fake De Bethune hairspring with a flat-end curve, and a silicon escape wheel. See His titanium balance wheel and balance spring work incredible with its flat end curve, a truly mesmerizing sight.

Starry Varius takes De Bethune’s signature sci-fi feel, but captures De Bethune’s innovations and patents and expresses them in beautifully handcrafted watches. Notably, De Bethune will create a custom Starry Varius with a dial depicting the sky anywhere at any time, allowing you to mark special occasions and places in your life with the celestial dial of your choice.

Specification
Model: DB25 Starry Varius

Reference number: DB25VRS3

Case Size + Material: 42mm, 18k Rose Gold

Bottom cover: Exhibition bottom cover

Movement: Manual winding movement DB2005

Complications/functions: hours, minutes

Strap/Bracelet: Double-sided alligator leather strap, rose gold Tang buckle