De Bethune
De Bethune DB28 37 mm Skeletonised Quartz
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 37 mm Skeletonised Quartz
Reference 93081OR.27
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- De Bethune
- Collection
- DB28
- Model
- De Bethune DB28 37 mm Skeletonised Quartz
- Reference number
- 93081OR.27
- Year / era
- 2002 · 2000s — modern production
- Complication
- Tourbillon
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 50 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 37 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 76E — In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 27 jewels
- Complications
- Tourbillon
- Functions
- Perpetual calendar, leap year
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2002 – 2005
- Limited-edition quantity
- 50 pieces
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
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 37 mm Skeletonised Quartz sits within De Bethune's DB28 line, introduced in 2002. It carries the house codes established since 2002 — quartz tpt case, skeletonised dial and in-house manual-winding, hand-finished — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
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.