The New De Bethune DB25xs Sand Winds

One of the most distinctive indie brands on the scene today, it’s impossible to mistake a De Bethune watch. Some of the signature aesthetic clues, developed by master watchmaker and co-founder Denis Flageollet, are heat-treated titanium components and random guilloché patterns. As a counterweight to the more futuristic and flagship DB28 family, the more classical DB25 collection, released in 2007, shares round, drum-shaped cases with hollowed bullet-shaped lugs. The DBxs, launched in 2025 as the “extra small” brother of the DB25, has been selected for the latest edition, flaunting a gorgeous yellow heat-treated titanium dial with random guilloché evoking the ripples created by wind blowing across sand dunes.

Described by the brand as the “art of chromatic oxidation”, De Bethune’s trademark vibrant-coloured titanium components were discovered quite by accident in the lab while Flageollet was trying to stabilise a titanium balance wheel with the same treatment used for blued steel. However, as the temperature climbed, the surface began to change colour from amber at lower temperatures, then to purple and finally to electric blue at the highest temperatures.

Passionate about classical watchmaking, but interpreted with aerospace-grade materials, Flageollet revisited the traditional art of guilloché in a more contemporary vein with the brand’s distinctive random guilloché pattern. Breaking away from the strict geometry of classical guilloché patterns, De Bethune’s random guilloché motif is haphazard, composed of irregular horizontal undulating lines rippling across the dial. Another feature of De Bethune’s original hand-guilloché pattern is that it is applied to hard-grade metals like titanium and even meteorite.

The DB25 has long been associated with celestial Starry Varius dials. The new DB25xs Sand Winds now features a yellow heat-oxidised titanium dial decorated with a random guilloché pattern. Rippling across the dial like the profiles of sand dunes, the asymmetric guilloché undulations add depth and react dynamically to light. Enhanced with a scattering of dots, the hand-applied spherical white gold stars further animate the scenery. The rounded titanium chapter ring features Arabic numerals and polished titanium spherical markers. In keeping with its more classical spirit, the hand-polished titanium Breguet-style hands have open tips and are heat-treated, like the spherical markers, to obtain a warm brown colour.

The 40.6mm titanium case has an ultra-slim profile of 8.8mm and is polished throughout. The more compact dimensions, the signature openworked tapering lugs with their bullet-shaped tips and the lightweight properties of titanium ensure a comfortable fit. Fitted with anti-glare sapphire crystals front and back, the reverse reveals the in-house calibre DB2005, a manual-winding movement with a 4Hz frequency and a mighty six-day power reserve, thanks to the patented self-regulating twin barrel system. Other notable features include the heat-blued titanium balance wheel, weighted with white gold inserts, the patented hairspring with a flat terminal curve, the silicon escape wheel and the para-chute shock-absorption system.  Dominated by the large delta-shaped barrel bridge with Côtes de Bethune stripes and a thermally blued central brace, you can see the edges of the solarised barrels and the mirror-polished balance bridge at the base.

The DB25xs Sand Winds is paired with a brown alligator leather strap and a polished titanium pin buckle. It is part of the permanent collection and retails for CHF 70,000 or USD 85,000. More information at debethune.ch.