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lot 01

De Bethune

DB5

This watch was featured at the "De Bethune: The Private Collection" auction

Starting bid CHF 45 000
Hammer price CHF 66 000
Buy now price CHF 90 000
Total bids 14
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Specification

CaseYellow gold case 750/1000 with a sapphire caseback
StrapOriginal black Alligator leather strap, with original yellow gold pin buckle
DialSilvered dial with a engine turned center applied with Roman numerals & blued Breguet hands
MovementRhodium-plated automatic movement, with a 18k gold rotor & blued screws
Cal.A23
Ref.DB5RT
Case No.006
D=42mm

Condition report

Case:Good, signs of wear
Strap:Good, signs of wear
Dial:Mint condition
Movement:All functions working properly
Amplitude (Dial on top/Lift angle 52):Approx 290°
Accuracy (Dial on top):Approx +8 sec/day
Box:Yes
Papers:Yes

Details 

An extremely rare, collectible, charismatic and early rose gold self-winding 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 2002. Case in 18k rose gold, diameter 41mm, 8mm thick, with ogival lugs, sapphire caseback. Matte silver-plated solid-gold dial with central zone decorated by ‘grain d’orge’ guilloché motif, chapter ring with dark-blue pad-printed radial Roman numerals, and ‘pomme de Breguet’ blued steel hands. Caliber De Bethune 2072, self-winding, 18k gold rotor embellished with côtes circulares decoration and an embossed brand logo, power reserve up to 36 hours. Functions – indication of time in hours, minutes and seconds. De Bethune black leather strap with De Bethune pin buckle in 18k rose gold. Numbered edition. 

Lot essay 

At present, De Bethune watches are performing very well at auctions, especially pieces from the early period of the company’s activity. It should also be noted that since its foundation, the brand has never produced watches in large volumes. The production of De Bethune has always retained an extremely limited, exclusive character. Early De Bethune watches, especially models launched in the company’s founding year, are of considerable collector’s appeal as the brand’s collection developed very dynamically in the early period. Many references appeared, their production period was usually very short, and the number of issued pieces was very small. As for the reference DB5RT, only a few have surfaced on the secondary market. Together with this reference, the brand also released models in white gold (DB5WT) and yellow gold (DB5YT), and they appear on the market just as rarely. Our study shows that the circulation of reference DB5RT was unlikely to exceed 20–30 copies; this assumption can be made by the fact that of the examples that have appeared on the market, the watch with the largest number is marked as No. 020. De Bethune states a release of 21 pieces of the white-gold DB5WT reference, though unfortunately, the brand does not provide information about the release of models in pink and yellow gold. 

This watch dates back to the first year of De Bethune activity, and exhibits all the signs of style characteristic of the early period of the brand, including a round case with characteristic ogival lugs, and a light cream-toned matte silvered and solid-gold dial with ‘pomme de Breguet’ blued steel hands.

We find in this piece a manifestation of the strategy of De Bethune, which always strives to create unconventional, particular and spectacular designs, while adhering to a consistent approach. This means that in any watch of the brand there are always elements of style that appear in other references, unambiguously showing that this watch is undoubtedly a De Bethune. In the present reference, these style elements include the characteristic bullet-shaped lugs – called ogival lugs by the brand – a chapter ring with pad-printed radial Roman numerals, and a matte silver-plated and solid-gold dial decorated with three types of guilloche decoration. 

In the early days, the brand had just begun to develop its own calibers, and watches issued in 2002 and 2003 were equipped with calibers purchased from suppliers which were then, as a rule, significantly upgraded. This also applies to the De Bethune caliber 2072 of the present example. It is based on the vintage AS 2072 caliber of A. Schild S.A. (also known as ASSA), a Swiss movement and movement-blank supplier, operating to the 1970s. The caliber has been significantly modified by De Bethune installing a solid gold rotor, increasing the number of jewels to 20. The movement parts have received haute horlogerie finishes, including côtes circulares and perlage decorations, gilt engraved inscriptions, a snailed finish, chamfering and polishing, and straight grinding of the flat steel parts. 

Reasons to bid 

The De Bethune DB5 Ref. DB5RT No. 006 would be a desirable purchase for the collector and De Bethune watchmaking expertise aficionado, with an opportunity to obtain an extremely rare, collectible, charismatic and early mechanical timepiece from this famous independent watch brand, one of the undoubted leaders in the modern haute horlogerie watch market. This watch dates back to the first year of De Bethune activity, and exhibits all the signs of style characteristic of the early period of the brand, including a round case with characteristic ogival lugs, and a light cream-toned matte silvered and solid-gold dial with ‘pomme de Breguet’ blued steel hands. The present example, featuring number 006 engraved on the caseback rim, is one of the earliest examples of the DB5RT reference to ever leave the manufacture, making this rare and desirable example even more attractive.