De Bethune DB28XP
10th anniversary ultra-thin.
Although only 18 years old, De Bethune replica managed to create a surprisingly large number of unique and iconic case designs, as well as a series of complexity and movement innovations. But its iconic case design may be DB28, which is a large thin watch with a pair of spring-suspended pivot lugs.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of DB28, De Bethune reduced it to the creation of DB28XP. DB28XP is significantly thinner and more wear-resistant, and you can still immediately recognize what it is.
DB28XP is a smartly conceived watch because it can capture everything that makes DB28 special, except in a thinner, more refined, and more elegant case. The original DB28 was not too thick, but the DB28XP was thinner and thinner, a bit like a sci-fi formal watch.
The DB28XP is light and stylish to wear, the “floating” lugs comfortably hold the wrists, and aesthetics is clearly the essence of De Bethune, which means polished or hot blue titanium.
Although the size of the DB28XP is thinner than the original product, it can still achieve the same level of quality, even the smallest details. For example, the teeth of the barrel gear of the movement are polished, while the hands are polished titanium or rose gold depending on the model.
However, the design of the DB28XP is higher than the original design, it comes with some additional elements to decorate it, such as a crown guard or a grooved strap. The extra bits feel like an unnecessary addition to an already solid design. Do they really need it?
This is more of a philosophical question, which can be traced back to the origin of the brand. De Bethune’s unique style and creativity are attributed to its co-founders, watchmaker Dennis Flageollet and watchmaker David Zanetta.
Although Mr. Flageollet is undoubtedly the technical genius behind the brand, its house style was shaped by Mr. Zanetta, one of the world’s leading antique watch dealers in the 1970s and 1980s.
His knowledge of antique pocket watches and antique watches can explain many of the historical elements found in De Bethune’s space age design-from the 19th century gues to the 1920s Cartier. But in the financial difficulties of the brand, Mr. Zanetta sold his shares in 2017, although Mr. Flaglert still exists.
I once asked Mr. Zanetta a perfectly reasonable question, and he swears to me as usual. I immediately knew that he was a primitive man in watchmaking, and he became one of my favorite people in independent watchmaking.
He has a very clear aesthetic view of De Bethune, usually extreme-streamline means super smooth cosmic shells, gorgeous Mayan carvings have some connection with the end of the world.
At another time, I asked him why he only made relatively large watches, especially because some customers requested smaller watches. His reaction was predictable, and naturally included cursing. But he did eventually make a smaller DB25, including a gem-set version inspired by vintage Cartier pocket watches.
Therefore, DB28XP is consistent with the original style of the brand, but since the original DB28 is both beautiful and simple, there may be nothing superfluous. But this does not eliminate any problems with the top luxury replica watches itself, which is incredible in all tangible aspects.
DB28XP-“XP” is the abbreviation of “extra plat”, French is the abbreviation of “extra flat”-now there are two configurations. The dial of the standard version has a mirror-polished titanium alloy bridge, and the titanium dial of the DB28XP Starry Sky is embedded with pure gold stars. There is also the DB28XP tourbillon, which I will introduce sometime in the future.
Both models have the same shell, 43 mm high and only 7.3 mm high. It is worth noting that the diameter of DB28XP is actually slightly larger than the original DB28, 43 mm and 42.6 mm, but the difference is indistinguishable. The case should be 2 mm thinner, which is obvious.
DB28XP is very thin, and its appearance and size are smaller than its size. Although the wear and tear of the DB28XP is very similar to the original DB28, it is clearly more compact, more flexible, and feels good on the wrist.
The construction of the case is also similar to the original case, as is the first-class finish. All surfaces of the shell are mirror polished, and no flaws can be seen. Even the bottom cover is beautifully dressed, with a blue titanium ring and the words “Shimmer” engraved in the center.
However, compared with the original DB28, the compactness of this shell is slightly reduced. The 12 o’clock crown of the DB28XP has a crown guard and a narrow horizontal groove on the case strap.
Although I prefer a clean side of the case, the grooves accentuate the thinness of the case and therefore have an aesthetic purpose. However, the crown guard destroyed the roundness of the case.
I can imagine that they were installed to raise the crown to make it easy to handle-it is a bit cumbersome to wind the original DB28-although they are not very helpful. The DB28XP has a smaller crown ratio, but it is still quite close to the strap and lugs. The prices of the two versions of the watch are the same, but the appearance is quite different.
The starry sky is even more eye-catching, with a blue dial with exquisite concentric “shimmer” decorations and a small platinum starry sky. The starry night sky pattern is very similar to the De Bethune logo, as are the triangular hands and the balance bridge.
But the Arabic numerals on the brushed titanium chapter ring look inappropriate. At first glance, the numbers are not obvious, or even obvious-the blue middle part is very eye-catching-but once you notice them, the classic style of the numbers does not fit the rest of the dial.
The polished titanium dial can be said to be the more traditional look of the DB28. Here, the appearance is slightly different from the original DB28, the triangular bridge is located on the base decorated with “ultra-light” decoration.
It is almost monochromatic and completely silver, except for the blue titanium balance wheel and the blue insert on the hand. However, due to the mirror effect on the dial and case, the wholesale replica watches can be worn on the wrist.
My vote will be a polished titanium dial, which is a typical DB28. De Bethune offers various other models, and it can be said that the blue starry dial looks better.
The internal DB2115v6 is a typical representative of the De Bethune movement-it looks exquisite and has many proprietary functions.
It includes a number of patented inventions: a platinum balance wheel weighted by blue titanium, a hairspring with a flat end curve, and a triple Pare-Chute shock absorber for the balance wheel. Like many other De Bethune movements, it has a silicon escape wheel.
The movement is hidden on the back of the display, but according to De Bethune’s past work, it is undoubtedly done well. De Bethune combines manual and mechanical decoration on the movement, but it is higher than most of its peers.
The teeth of the barrel gears visible on the dial have been polished, and the visible jewels are located in the reticulated and polished counterbore.
The specific DB28XP shown in the photo is a prototype, explaining that the mirror-polished triangular bridge is imperfect and has an “orange peeling” texture. But De Bethune’s work is usually impeccable.
All in all, this is an impressive movement that coincides with the price of a watch. The only weakness may be the use of silicon. If De Bethune ceases to operate, it may be difficult to obtain replacement silicon parts in the near future.
It’s hard not to like De Bethune’s watches, because the brand has done so well. Even with some criticisms of DB28XP, it still does a good job. DB28XP is essentially an ideal watch for users who want to have De Bethune’s iconic style and quality. It uses a slim package that resembles the feel of a formal watch, but has advanced watchmaking and design features.
De Bethune DB28XP Ref. DB28XPTIS1 ( titanium)
Ref. DB28XPTIS3V2 (Starry Sky)
Diameter: 43 mm
Height: 7.2 mm
Material: Titanium
Water resistance: 30 m
Movement: DB2115v6
Functions: Hours and minutes
Winding: Hand-wound
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 6 days
Strap: Alligator with pin buckle
