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DB25 Moon Phase, 44mm DB25 Moon Phase, 44mm DB25 Moon Phase, 44mm DB25 Moon Phase, 44mm DB25 Moon Phase, 44mm DB25 Moon Phase, 44mm DB25 Moon Phase, 44mm DB25 Moon Phase, 44mm
lot 30

De Bethune

DB25 Moon Phase, 44mm

Estimate CHF 40 000 / CHF 50 000
Starting bid CHF 40 000
Hammer price CHF 75 000
Total bids 16
Buyer’s premium will not be charged

Specification

CaseWhite gold case 750/1000 with pierced lugs and sapphire caseback
BraceletBlack Alligator strap with original white gold pin buckle
DialMirror-polished blued titanium dial with inset gold stars, spherical revolving moonphase at 12 o'clock
MovementHand-wound movement with mirror-polished bridges, 2 mainspring barrels, 6 power reserve
Cal.DB21055
Ref.DB25Lv2
Movement No.110
Case No.17
D=44.5 mm

Condition report

Case:Good, signs of wear
Strap:Good, signs of wear
Dial:Very good, mint condition
Movement:Very good, working properly
Amplitude (Dial on top/Lift angle 52):Approx 290 degrees
Accuracy (Dial on top):Approx + 15 sec/day
Box:Yes
Papers:Yes

Details

A fine, very rare, and charismatic white gold wristwatch of the Swiss watch brand De Bethune, founded in 2002 by the Italian vintage watch dealer David Zanetta and French watchmaker Denis Flageollet. Reference introduced in 2010. Case in 18k white gold, diameter 44mm, 11.2mm thick, lugs of a hollowed design, sapphire caseback. Star-studded ‘sky’ dial in blued and polished titanium with hand-fitted white gold pins depicting the stars, avant-garde ‘pomme de Breguet’ polished stainless steel hands, spherical moonphase indicator in palladium and flame-blued steel. Manual-winding caliber DB2105V1 (marked as DB2105S), double barrel and 6-day power reserve. Functions – indication of time in hours and minutes, moonphase indicator at 12 o’clock, power reserve indicator on the reverse of the movement. Black leather strap with De Bethune pin buckle in 18k white gold. Numbered edition. De Bethune recently reported 103 pieces made since 2010, but concerning the number of pieces issued we should assume slightly largely numbers as the reference is not discontinued.

Lot essay

The spherical moonphase indicator, developed by De Bethune for its collection in 2004 and immediately realized in the DB15 series of perpetual calendar watches, is perceived as one of the symbols of the brand’s collection, appearing in a variety of versions. In the present reference, this complication is presented in the most spectacular manner, with the hands for the time display and a spherical moonphase indicator at 12 o’clock over the night-blue sky background adorned with applied gold pins depicting the stars. The 44mm DB25 Moon Phase Starry Sky was introduced in 2010 and was quite popular compared to the majority of De Bethune releases, with the brand reporting 103 pieces having been produced since then. Caliber DB2105, the manual-winding movement of the present watch, features a power reserve indicator on the reverse side of the movement, and reveals finishing in the characteristic De Bethune style, with a shield-shaped barrel bridge of so-called ‘Star Trek design’ and a distinctive mirror-polished mainplate and bridge.

The movement’s signature architecture, featuring a central shield-shaped barrel bridge inspired by the Star Trek logo, is revealed through the sapphire caseback of the DB25 Moon Phase watch. The Star Trek design endows the movement with impressive charisma

The present reference comes with curved hour and minute hands, crafted from polished steel. The curved shape allows the hands to pass over the three-dimensional moonphase indicator unimpeded. Their shape is one of the typical De Bethune designs, a kind of avant-garde reinterpretation of the so-called ‘Breguet hands’ – ‘pomme de Breguet’, introduced in 2005 in the DBS collection.

Designed for the DB15 and DB16 models (launched in 2004), the movement’s signature architecture, featuring a central shield-shaped barrel bridge inspired by the Star Trek logo, is revealed through the sapphire caseback of the DB25 Moon Phase watch. The Star Trek design endows the movement with impressive charisma.

The manual-winding DB2105V1 caliber of the present example, visible through the sapphire caseback, is an entirely in-house caliber. Having more than sufficient 6-day power reserve, it was developed in 2010 for the DB25 Moon Phase and embedded with patented and exclusive De Bethune innovations such as a silicon annular balance encircled by a white gold rim, a hairspring with flat terminal curve, and a unique triple shock resistance system with flat steel fixing springs and a polished flexible horizontal bridge. The power reserve indicator, located on the reverse side of the movement, is made as a slot, arched along the balance bridge. The presence of such an indicator is highly appropriate in a manual-winding watch.

Reasons to bid

The DB25 Moon Phase Starry Sky Ref. DB25LWS3V2 would be an attractive purchase for the collector and De Bethune watchmaking expertise aficionado, with an opportunity to obtain a very rare, beautiful and charismatic mechanical timepiece from this famous independent watch brand, one of the undoubted leaders in the haute horlogerie watch market. The combination of impeccable technical workmanship, manifested in the manufacture of an unusual manual-winding caliber of signature ‘Star Trek design’, an exquisite artisanal finishing of the decorative ‘starry sky’ dial, and the branded spherical moonphase indicator, undoubtedly adds to the appeal of this lot.

N.B.

The keen collector should note that also offered for purchase in this sale is an impressive selection of De Bethune collectible wristwatches, including the extremely rare ‘all blue’ DB28 Kind of Blue ‘Golden Hands’, DB28 Grand Sport ‘Grand Sailor’, the rare and desirable DB26 Perpetual Calendar ‘The Last’, the historically important DBS ‘The First Generation’, 40mm DB25 Moon Phase Starry Sky ‘Unique Hands’ as well as other fine and notable timepieces of the brand.