De Bethune
De Bethune Starry Varius 36 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 · Starry Varius
De Bethune Starry Varius 36 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
Reference 89902OR.53
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- De Bethune
- Collection
- Starry Varius
- Model
- De Bethune Starry Varius 36 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
- Reference number
- 89902OR.53
- Year / era
- 2002 · 2000s — modern production
- Complication
- Perpetual calendar
- Movement
- In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Dial type
- Mother-of-pearl
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 100 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 88C — In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Perpetual calendar
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2002 – 2005
- Limited-edition quantity
- 100 pieces
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
De Bethune Starry Varius 36 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k sits within De Bethune's Starry Varius line, introduced in 2002. It carries the house codes established since 2002 — 18k white gold case, mother-of-pearl dial and in-house automatic micro-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.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- 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.
More Starry Varius
De Bethune Starry Varius 39 mm Salmon Carbon
Ref. 46322OR.30
De Bethune Starry Varius 36 mm Skeletonised Sapphire
Ref. 71659OR.83
De Bethune Starry Varius 38 mm Meteorite Quartz
Ref. 64824OR.16
De Bethune Starry Varius 38 mm Salmon 18k
Ref. 35040OR.90
De Bethune Starry Varius 42 mm Green Stainless
Ref. 48591ST.81