Hands On The De Bethune DB25 Quetzalcoatl Watch

I saw a magical snake at Baselworld this year! Naturally, you would wonder where the encounter took place. It was at De Bethune. And, it was no ordinary snake with engraved feathers of the sacred quetzal bird. The De Bethune DB25 Quetzalcoatl is the latest addition showing off the watchmaker’s craftsmanship, following in the tradition of the DB25 Imperial Fountain collection and the Ninth Mayan Underworld.

An iconic incarnation of pre-Columbian America, the feathered serpent gets it’s name from language spoken by the Nahua people from Mexico and Central America. In Nahuati, quetzalli describes the large iridescent green feathers of the strikingly coloured birds and coatl means snake. Composed of two parts, the DB25 Quetzalcoatl’s dial is made of a solid gold and is hand-engraved. Architecture of the Tenochtitlan Templo Mayor inspired the hours indicator on the outer ring, while the central part is finished with the brand’s special microlight guilloché technique.

No, it does not fly or bite, but rather tells the time in a most unique way. The mythical Quetzalcoatl, associated with gods of the wind, of arts, crafts and knowledge, acts as hands changing position according to time. For the hours, see the snake’s head while the tail indicates the minutes. The drum-shaped white gold case is generously sized at 44mm diameter. When worn, one can’t help but admire in awe the meticulous detailed engraving.

Quite the contrary of simplistic, it would befit the wrist of a select number of connoisseurs.The extra-supple alligator leather strap with pin buckle adds to the already exotic, a lavish touch. The DB2005 calibre mechanical hand-wound movement beats at a frequency of 4 Hertz and is equipped with a self-regulating twin barrel effecting a 6-day power reserve.

Photo Credit: Haute Time. For more information, please visit the official De Bethune website. Follow Haute Time on Instagram to catch all of the new releases as they happen.