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Two Watches In One: De Bethune Presents DB Kind of Two Jumping GMT
This year, De Bethune celebrates two decades of execution of centuries-old know-how and a tireless search for innovation.
Photo Credit: De Bethune
Apart from De Bethune’s momentous occasion, and in conjunction with the Salón Internacional Alta Relojería México 2022 (SIAR), the Manufacture is unveiling its 30th in-house caliber with the release of the DB of Kind Two Jumping GMT.
Last year, De Bethune presented the DB Kind of Two Tourbillon. The complexity of the watch has challenged limited and pushed boundaries in haute horology. Now, De Bethune unveils the DB Kind of Two Jumping GMT, offering a different time zone on each of its sides.
Double-sided watches are nothing new. Often inspired by astronomy, the decorative arts and mechanical engineering, they have been around for over two centuries. Double-sided cases became more and more prevalent as watchmakers grew more inclined to develop more complicated models. That said, beneath the deceivingly simplistic veil of this timepiece, De Bethune has clearly not taken the easiest path to success. This watch involves two dials which embody a real watchmaking challenge. Views from both the back and the front of the watch reveal an authentic transformation.
De Bethune co-founder and master watchmaker, Denis Flageollet, was convinced this concept would offer him an unprecedented field of research and the opportunity to provide a different, contemporary interpretation, thereby contributing to the advancement of horology.
Photo Credit: De Bethune
Depending on the wearer’s mood and occupied time zone, this time piece is perfectly reversible and can be worn on either side.
The initial inspiration was to create a watch with two very different identities, of which the aesthetic aspect guided the technical design of the new caliber entirely developed by Manufacture De Bethune at L’Auberson in the Swiss Jura.
The front side of the DB Kind of Two Jumping GMT displays a dial featuring a sleek and contemporary design that highlights the mechanics. This is certainly a new reading of the hour, centered on the balance wheel at six o’clock, accompanied by the minute index on the periphery. Extensive work was done on integrating polished, curved shapes, matte or glossy components, different thicknesses and levels, thereby creating a sensation of ample space and optimal volume, given the minimum height available for a watch integrating the complications of the jumping deadbeat second and the GMT.
The GMT side offers a more traditional aesthetic inspiration, with a finely hand-guilloché central part surrounded by the numerals already featured on the dials of De Bethune models such as the DB8 and DB10.
Photo Credit: De Bethune
All in all, with its elegant design, the combination of contemporary mechanics with a more traditional face, as well as the meticulous care devoted to details, legibility and comfort, the DB Kind of Two Jumping GMT perfectly illustrates one of the great principles of the Manufacture De Bethune: reinterpreting grand traditions with a contemporary vision of the horological object. This allows for a new field of expression that is refined and sophisticated, while preserving user-friendliness and simple read-off. A work of art with two faces, whose timeless beauty reflects mechanical and aesthetic perfection.
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