De Bethune
De Bethune DB28 41 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
De Bethune · DB28
De Bethune DB28 41 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
Reference 21611OR.15
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- De Bethune
- Collection
- DB28
- Model
- De Bethune DB28 41 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
- Reference number
- 21611OR.15
- Year / era
- 2002 · 2000s — modern production
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Mother-of-pearl
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 49D — In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2002 – 2010
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
De Bethune DB28 41 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k sits within De Bethune's DB28 line, introduced in 2002. It carries the house codes established since 2002 — 18k rose gold case, mother-of-pearl dial and in-house automatic with 22k gold rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
De Bethune
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 2002
- Founder
- David Zanetta & Denis Flageollet
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- DB28, DB25, DB Kind of Two, Starry Varius, Maxichrono
- Signature technologies
- Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · In-house hairspring production · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house automatic micro-rotor · In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Notable watches
- De Bethune DB28 37 mm Skeletonised Quartz (2002) · De Bethune DB28 41 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k (2002) · De Bethune DB28 42 mm Green Sapphire (2002) · De Bethune DB25 44 mm Silvered 18k (2002)
Brand history
De Bethune has spent more than 24 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's DB28, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
David Zanetta & Denis Flageollet established De Bethune in 2002, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every De Bethune calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
2002
David Zanetta & Denis Flageollet founds De Bethune in Switzerland.
2024
De Bethune continues to produce DB28, DB25, DB Kind of Two and other icons in limited numbers.