De Bethune
De Bethune Maxichrono 38 mm Blue Ceramic
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 · Maxichrono
De Bethune Maxichrono 38 mm Blue Ceramic
Reference 81651OR.33
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- De Bethune
- Collection
- Maxichrono
- Model
- De Bethune Maxichrono 38 mm Blue Ceramic
- Reference number
- 81651OR.33
- Year / era
- 2018 · 2010s — modern production
- Complication
- Chronograph
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 38F — In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Chronograph
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2018 – 2034
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
De Bethune Maxichrono 38 mm Blue Ceramic sits within De Bethune's Maxichrono line, introduced in 2018. It carries the house codes established since 2002 — ceramic case, blue "grande tapisserie" 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 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 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.