Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of early-2000s watchmaking, De Bethune has resurrected its monopusher chronograph legacy with the DB25NC – a mechanical haiku written in polished titanium and moonlit guilloché. This isn't merely a timepiece; it's horological archaeology rendered in contemporary form, where every component whispers secrets of the brand's 2002 origins.
At 40.6mm, the case wears like a second skin of grade 5 titanium, its bullet-shaped lugs extending like miniature suspension bridges. The dial is a starburst of silver guilloché, so precise it appears machine-woven by watchmaking spiders. At 6 o'clock, the barleycorn-textured minute counter sits like a harvest moon against this metallic sky, its blued hands sweeping across the terrain like compass needles drawn to magnetic north.
Flip the watch over, and the exhibition caseback reveals the DB3000 movement – a mechanical ecosystem where 296 components coexist in perfect symbiosis. Highlights include:
The column-wheel chronograph mechanism operates with the decisive click of a camera shutter, its 60-minute counter advancing with the abrupt certainty of a metronome's swing.
At just 9.15mm thick, the DB25NC disappears under a shirt cuff like a shadow at noon. The alligator strap molds to the wrist like aged parchment, secured by a titanium buckle so understated it might be mistaken for a minimalist sculpture. Water resistance to 30 meters suggests this is a watch meant for counting minutes in downpours of champagne rather than actual rain.
Priced like a small contemporary artwork, this chronograph doesn't tell time – it curates it, transforming each measured second into a collectible moment. For those who understand that true luxury exists in the spaces between complications, the DB25NC isn't just a watch purchase; it's an act of horological preservation.
