The De Bethune DB Eight Chronograph Monopusher

While you might have in mind recent creation of De Bethune with modern displays and a bold case with floating lugs, the brand has also a long tradition of making classically-shaped chronographs, with an extremely elegant shape with ogive-designed lugs. These watches, known under the names DB1 and DB8, have a source of inspiration for a sort of encore, as the brand releases its 31st in-house movement, a mono pusher chronograph that is following the ultra-complex movement of the MaxiChrono. Here’s the new De Bethune DB Eight. 

The first watch of De Bethune, the DB1, was a classic two-register chronograph with a mono pusher architecture. And following this tradition, the brand is now releasing a watch that somehow pays tribute to this handsome, very elegant watch – of course already with a twist. With its mix of classic watchmaking elements and a case that was featuring now emblematic ogive-shaped lugs, it has become a hallmark watch for the brand. And the latest creation is its direct descendant.

Named De Bethune DB Eight, this new watch comes back to the more discreet and elegant style of early DB watches, with a 42.4mm case in polished titanium with a very slender profile of 9.2mm – yes, for a chronograph, that is extremely thin. Sleek, yet original, the case is paired with an equally elegant dial with Breguet numerals, blued hands and two different hand-guilloche patterns. Very tasteful indeed.

This back-to-basics however has its own twist, with an unusual display for the chronograph function. The DB Eight appears first as a time-only watch with… two seconds hand. But it’s not. Hours and minutes in the center, and the rest is devoted to the Chrono, with a central seconds and a 60-minute sub-dial. The chronograph is actuated by the crown, which serves for winding, adjusted and starting the chrono.

Inside the case is the hand-wound, in-house calibre DB3000. The brand’s 31st movement and a new development, it’s also the 4th monopusher chronograph conceived by Denis Flageollet, following the DB1, DB8 and Maxichrono. It has a classic column-wheel architecture with instaneous 60-minute counter. Being the brainchild of Flageollet, it comes with the usual delicacies – titanium balance with gold masses, De Bethune spiral and silicon escape wheel. Running at 4Hz, it stores 60h of power reserve and is entirely finished by hand, yet shows a modern style with multiple openings on the bridges.

Worn on a supple alligator strap, this De Bethune DB Eight Chronograph Monopusher is a superb tribute to the brand’s earliest years. We’ll give you more details later, once able to go hands-on with this handsome watch. Price is set at CHF 85,000. More details at www.debethune.ch.