De Bethune : the creative spirit

De Bethune : the creative spirit

It has taken just eleven short years for two watchmaking devotees to build what history will doubtless view as the foundations of 21st century horology.



In 2002, when David Zanetta, a collector with a passion for art, history and timepieces, decided to join forces in founding De Bethune with Denis Flageollet, the son, grandson and great-grandson of watchmakers, they were both keenly aware of sharing the same vision of tomorrow's watchmaking.



With 9 registered patents and 11 in-house calibers; with its feet firmly planted in history and its head resolutely turned towards the future, De Bethune received a major token of recognition from its peers in November 2011. The Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix awarded it the famous "Aiguille d'Or" or Golden Hand, its most coveted title, thereby honouring its exceptional approach at the very crossroads of art and science. 



Exploring the third dimension



Like the classic chef d'oeuvres of historical master-watchmakers, De Bethune creations are authentic sculptures in which every component is designed to occupy all three spatial dimensions. 



Spherical Moon 

The De Bethune spherical moon epitomises this vision by providing a poetic and yet highly technical display of the motion of this heavenly body. Inspired by a longstanding tradition stemming from astronomical clocks, this depiction of the moon is also a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, whose sketch of it appeared in the Madrid Codex. Composed of two hemispheres, one in flame-blued steel and the other in palladium, carefully assembled using a push-in technique, the sphere is driven by an extremely precise mechanism and requires adjustment only once every 122 years. Delicately detached from the dial as if floating in a weightless state, the De Bethune spherical moon opens a symbolic window onto the cosmos.

Floating lugs

In order to enable the timepiece to mould the shape of the wrist and naturally follow its movements, De Bethune has developed a unique system of titanium floating lugs. An integrated drawback-spring automatically directs them towards the ideal position, thereby guaranteeing optimal hold and a reduction in undue impacts.

Using new materials in horology 



In its quest for mechanical perfection, De Bethune constantly explores new horizons and frequently makes use in its creations of materials that are new to the watch industry.

De Bethune has developed and patented the world's first balance-wheel to incorporate silicon. This highly robust and flawless material considerably improves movements' efficiency and appearance. Its physical properties, its extreme lightness, its elasticity and its suitability for various treatments have also enabled the Manufacture to create parts requiring extreme precision, such as escape-wheels, balance-springs, hands, bridges and collets. They are machined in a particle accelerator by a deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) operation performed within a complete vacuum and at a temperature of around -273°C.

Ultimate shock resistance
As a loyal companion for contemporary individuals, the wristwatch is subjected to an increasingly wide range of stresses and strains. Shock resistance is an essential prerequisite to which De Bethune has responded by two major innovations, the triple pare-chute anti-shock system; and the oscillating weight shock-absorber system. 



The triple pare-chute 

The only system of its kind used in the watch industry, the triple pare-chute protects the heart of the movement thanks to a titanium bridge secured by a spring-based system. Three jewels connect the various elements, thereby not only absorbing shocks but also ensuring precise repositioning of the bridge after a displacement.

Oscillating Weight Shock Absorber 

The oscillating weight guard device is also a world premiere. A steel shock-absorbing device with 4 small spring feet and 12 jewels maintains the smooth motion of the titanium/ platinum oscillating weight. In case of substantial or repeated impacts, the spring feet of the shock-absorber may be deformed along several axes, therefore avoiding any damage to the oscillating weight itself. The jewels contribute to reducing friction. 



The peak of timing precision



The DeBethune Escapment 

The Swiss 20-toothed lever escapement has been entirely updated by the De Bethune R&D department. In order to improve efficiency, the angles of the escapement locking and impulse planes are substantially different from the usual norms.
Thanks to an exclusive De Bethune process, the escapewheel is thinned down as far as possible to achieve minimum inertia, thus ensuring optimal running and reducing wear. The alternate bevels on each tooth, one on top and the next below, help ensure an even spread of the lubricant and cut the wear on the lever pallets in half by doubling the contact surface.


The lever is poised so as to cancel out the effects of gravity and ensure improved rating in the various watch positions. This involves an exclusive process in which the pallets are clamped in place rather than cemented.

Tourbillon 

The laws of physics are absolutely clear: in order to compensate for the violence of wrist movements, the tourbillon carriage must be as light as possible and endowed with a maximum frequency and rotation speed, along with minimal weight and inertia. After two and a half years of research, De Bethune developed the first tourbillon ever truly designed to be worn on the wrist. Thanks to the use of new technologies, this silicon/titanium tourbillon beats at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour, within a carriage that rotates once every 30 seconds. The latter is the lightest ever introduced on the market and comprises 64 parts weighing 0.18 grams in all, meaning four times less than a conventional carriage. 

Chronometric Setting System 
The chronometric setting system, a world-first innovation from De Bethune, enables each user to easily adjust the rate of his watch by simply pressing one of the two pushpieces on the back of the watch. To ensure optimal use, the limits of such adjustment are indicated in red through an aperture.

Fundamental Research: Constraint-Free High Frequency 

After two years of study conducted by the engineers and physicists of the De Bethune laboratory, under the guidance of Denis Flageollet, a new fundamental principle of mechanical horology has been developed. Dubbed "mechanical resonics", this discovery is based on the successful synchronisation of a sound frequency oscillator and a magnetic escapement rotor within a mechanical watch. It thereby paves the way for a whole new discipline. Free of any balance and spring assembly or traditional escapement, and composed of a minimum number of parts, the mechanism thus invented by De Bethune shows every promise of achieving the highest levels of precision while eliminating the traditional constraints represented by wear, shock resistance and lubrication.