De Bethune Watches

De Bethune: Space-Age Haute Horology for the Collector Who’s Seen Everything

If you’ve been in the game long enough to get bored of blue dials and micro-rotors, then it’s time you met De Bethune — the independent brand that doesn’t just push boundaries… it erases them and redraws the map.

This is what happens when you hand two guys a blank check and say, “Design the best mechanical watch possible — and make it look like it came from the year 2500.”

The result? Watches that are technically groundbreaking, visually otherworldly, and finished to a level that makes even Geneva Seal brands sweat.

Brand History: Old-School Philosophy, Sci-Fi Execution

De Bethune was founded in 2002 by David Zanetta (art dealer, design visionary) and Denis Flageollet (watchmaker’s watchmaker). Together, they created a brand built around one core idea:

If it doesn’t exist yet — we’ll invent it.

And they did.

  • Proprietary balance wheels

  • In-house hairsprings

  • Silicon escape wheels

  • Floating lugs

  • Flame-blued titanium cases and dials

  • Shock protection systems that make tourbillons look like toys

This wasn’t just horology — it was mechanical art, engineered with precision and worn like sculpture.

Even after some corporate turbulence, Flageollet remains at the helm — and De Bethune is still producing some of the most exciting, envelope-pushing timepieces in the world, at ultra-limited scale.

Collector Highlights: Sci-Fi Cases, Flame-Blued Dials, and Technical Flex

  • DB28 – The flagship. Floating lugs, delta-shaped bridge, flame-blued titanium dial. It’s instantly recognizable — and instantly collectible.

  • DB25 – A little more classical, but still dripping with De Bethune DNA. Guilloché, starry skies, moonphases, and killer symmetry.

  • Dream Watch Series – The name says it all. Unfiltered watchmaking imagination. Skeletonized alien ships for your wrist.

  • DB27 Titan Hawk – The entry point (relatively speaking). Sportier, more wearable, still unmistakably De Bethune.

  • Starry Varius / Skybridge / Kind of Blue Editions – Pure visual poetry. These are the dials people whisper about at collector meetups.

And let’s not forget: every single component is designed, built, and finished in-house — even the hairspring. That’s rarified air.

Why Collectors Should Care

  • Truly independent – This isn’t group-owned, mass-produced, or crowd-funded. It’s artisanal engineering, at scale-of-one attention.

  • Insane finishing – From hand-polished titanium bridges to blued screws that look like they were color-graded by a cinematographer.

  • Technical innovation – De Bethune doesn’t copy complications — they reinvent them.

  • Rarity – Annual production is well under 300 pieces. You’re not just buying a watch. You’re joining a secret society.

  • Modern design language – These aren’t homage pieces. They’re modern. They’re bold. And they age beautifully.

Wearing a De Bethune says: I’ve already done the Patek and Lange thing. Now I’m collecting for me.

What They’re Making Now: Hyper-Modern, Hand-Finished, Uncompromising

De Bethune’s modern offerings include:

  • DB28XP – Ultra-slim, extra-flat versions of their iconic case, with architecture that feels carved from space metal.

  • DB Kind of Two – A reversible watch with two different faces. Because, why not?

  • DB25 Perpetual Calendar / Starry Varius – For when you want complexity, elegance, and that poetic De Bethune vibe.

  • DB28GS Grand Bleu – A sport-luxury dive watch with a mechanical light system. No batteries. Just wild mechanical genius.

Every release is made in extremely limited quantities, sold almost exclusively through collectors or boutique relationships, and often waitlisted before the press photos hit the internet.

Fed’s Take

De Bethune is the kind of brand that makes jaded collectors excited again.

I’ve seen dials that looked like galaxies, cases that felt like sci-fi objects, and movement bridges so well-polished you could use them as a shaving mirror. These watches aren’t trying to impress the masses — they’re built for the one percent of collectors who want something truly original.

Are they expensive? Yeah.
 Are they worth it? If you have the taste and the wallet, absolutely.

Once you wear a De Bethune, everything else starts to feel a little… flat.

For the Few, Not the Flashy

If you're ready for something rare, radical, and relentlessly well-made — De Bethune isn’t just a flex. It’s a revelation.

Delray Watch has a rotating selection of pre-owned De Bethune watches — pieces you won’t find sitting in mall boutiques or flexing on billboards.

Be the first to know when new De Bethune watches are available - subscribe for insider access here