Signé Magazine
Browse
  • Art & Design
  • Lifestyle
    • Hotel & Spa
    • Grooming
    • Travel
  • More
    • Auctions
    • Gear
    • Philanthropy
  • Insider
  • Trends
  • Accessories
Search
Signé Magazine
Subscribe
Signé Magazine Signé Magazine
  • Art & Design
  • Lifestyle
    • Hotel & Spa
    • Grooming
    • Travel
  • More
    • Auctions
    • Gear
    • Philanthropy
  • Insider
  • Trends
  • Accessories
De Bethune DB28XP Meteorite
  • Watches

De Bethune’s DB28XP Meteorite Has Heavenly Origins

  • March 31, 2021
  • 3 minute read

De Bethune pays tribute to one of nature’s pure and unrestrained forces with the DB28XP Meteorite, featuring a black zirconium case and a meteorite dial. This variant of the DB28XP is limited to just ten timepieces worldwide. Ferrous meteorites have already been used at De Bethune, notably to create one of the cases of the famous Dream Watch 5 and then the dial of the DB28 Kind of Blue Meteorite.

Denis Flageollet, founder and Master Watchmaker of De Bethune, is passionate about meteorites. He nurtures a passion by regularly trialling iron ore reduction processes with a view to one day making his own metal. Denis Flageollet comments: “No other metal is as strongly charged with pure energy and emotion as the ferrous meteorites that have taken shape in the furnace of the star-studded heavens.”

His deep-felt interest in the material and his numerous attempts with Russian and Egyptian meteorites have led the maison to work with a new kind of meteorite: Muonionalusta Meteorite. Believed to have struck planet Earth more than one million years BCE, somewhere between Finland and Sweden on the Muniono river banks, this is probably the world’s oldest known meteorite to date. The first fragment was discovered in Sweden, in 1906. It is composed mainly of iron and nickel, and it is distinguished by the perfectly geometrical lines of its 60° angle cross-hatched “Widmanstätten” pattern.

De Bethune DB28XP Meteorite

The dial of the DB28XP Meteorite is adorned with this ancestral stone forged in space. This metal alloy endows the dial with a distinctive texture and geometrical patterns aligned in a precise way that makes each timepiece special and unique.

De Bethune’s mastery of metals’ thermal oxidation has once again enabled it to raise the level of complexity by creating a starry sky accompanied by its Milky Way on a previously blued meteorite dial. This azure shade results from the heat released by the chemical reactions of the heated meteorite.

Dotted across this blue dial surface is a multitude of small white gold pins, delicately driven in between the different shapes and thicknesses of the octahedral geometrical structures. Like tiny suspended marbles, these glittering flashes of light endow the celestial vault with its aura of timeless depth. In addition to bringing a unique fragment of space to the wrist, each sky is different: the customer can choose a given constellation, according to a precise sky map, at a specific date, time and place.

The DB28 Meteorite’s ultra-light, polished black zirconium case with patented floating lugs asserts the watch’s modern and futuristic character. The case is complemented by its classically round, ultra-thin crown at 12 o’clock and its hunter-type back typical of pocket watches.

  • De Bethune DB28XP Meteorite
  • De Bethune DB28XP Meteorite

The use of zirconium for the case represents a natural and sustainable alternative for achieving a black colour. The hardness of the metal and its stable oxidation, which does not deteriorate at room temperatures, are vital assets in guaranteeing the resistance and durability of a watch exterior.

The DB28XP Meteorite features the manufacture’s distinctive graphic codes – a zirconium hour circle, a minutes ring bearing Arabic numerals, the discreet De Bethune signature at 12 o’clock, and pink gold hands identical to those on the DB28XP Starry Sky dial. The design of the Microlight engraving and the case’s slenderness reflect De Bethune’s contemporary expression of watchmaking art.

The hand-wound movement is equipped with the De Bethune balance, visible through the 6 o’clock dial aperture. It represents the outcome of a consistent physical and mathematical approach to improving its operation undertaken by the watchmaker. It is equipped with the latest technical advances, including an adjusted diameter, the use of titanium, and small white gold weights placed around the rim, which endows it with remarkable inertia, reliability and regulating properties.

De Bethune DB28XP Meteorite

De Bethune has equipped this model with its very own balance spring, the extremely thin component regarded as the soul of the mechanical watch. Its centre of gravity is maintained in the centre by means of a flat curve affixed to the outside of the balance spring. Differences in the thickness of the blade further enhance the precision of its concentric development. The advantages oF this design include reduced thickness, improved adjustment of the concentricity quality, finer adjustment of the index (regulator) and no more need for its pins. Simultaneously, the shape of the curve acts as a shock absorber in case of impacts.

In the DB28XP Meteorite, De Bethune subtly combines the maison’s ancestral knowledge with the latest technical and scientific breakthroughs to present a timepiece that expresses a resolutely avant-garde spirit.

Related Topics
  • DB28XP
  • DB28XP Meteorite
  • De Bethune
  • Denis Flageollet
  • Dream Watch 5
  • hand-wound movement
  • meteorite
  • polished black zirconium
  • ultra-light
You May Also Like
Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa
View Post
  • Watches

A New Look Luminor Luna Rossa For A New Beginning

  • Sameer Denjipady
  • August 1, 2022
Hublot x UEFA Womens EURO
View Post
  • Watches

Hublot Adds UEFA Women’s EURO To Its Football Crown.

  • Sameer Denjipady
  • July 28, 2022
IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition Toto Wolff
View Post
  • Auctions
  • Watches

The Last “Toto Wolff” Watch Auctioned For Charity

  • Sameer Denjipady
  • July 25, 2022
Jacob& Co Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer Blue
View Post
  • Auctions
  • Watches

The First-Ever Triple Axis Tourbillon To Go Into Space, To Be Auctioned

  • Sameer Denjipady
  • July 21, 2022
Big Bang Unico Summer Purple
View Post
  • Watches

Hublot’s Big Bang Unico Summer Purple Makes A Splash

  • Sameer Denjipady
  • July 19, 2022
Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Green
View Post
  • Watches

The Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Turns Green

  • Sameer Denjipady
  • June 27, 2022
Roger Dubuis Ceramic
View Post
  • Watches

Roger Dubuis Debuts Two Timepieces In Black Ceramic

  • Sameer Denjipady
  • June 24, 2022
Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Aqua Blue - Moser & Cie
View Post
  • Watches

Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Aqua Blue By H. Moser & Cie

  • Sameer Denjipady
  • June 22, 2022
FEATURED POSTS
  • Tommy Factory by Tommy Hilfiger
    Tommy Factory – A Warhol-Inspired Creative Playground
    • 08.08.22
    • 2 min
  • Bentley To Debut First Limited-Edition NFT In September
    Bentley To Debut First Limited-Edition NFT In September
    • 05.08.22
    • 2 min
  • JLR cars at No Time To Die Auction at Christies London
    JLR Cars To Star At James Bond Christie’s Auction
    • 03.08.22
    • 2 min
  • Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa
    A New Look Luminor Luna Rossa For A New Beginning
    • 01.08.22
    • 2 min
  • Maserati Project24
    Project24 – Maserati’s super-exclusive New Track-Only Car
    • 29.07.22
    • 2 min
WATCHES & WONDERS
  • Rolex at Watches & Wonders 2021
    Rolex At Watches & Wonders 2021
    • April 19, 2021
    • 5 minute read
  • Patek Philippe Watches and Wonders Geneva 2021
    Patek Philippe Honours Its Beloved Nautilus With Four New Models At W&W21
    • April 15, 2021
    • 5 minute read
  • Vacheron Constantin at Watches & Wonders
    • May 10, 2020
    • 3 minute read
  • Roger Dubuis at Watches & Wonders
    • May 10, 2020
    • 1 minute read
  • Speake-Marin at Watches & Wonders
    • May 10, 2020
    • 1 minute read
Launching Soon
Special subscription packages for Signé MagazineJuly 1, 2020
Our special subscription packages have now been launched.
Follow Us
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Make your Inbox more interesting.

Every alternate week get a packaged update from the world of luxury. A newsletter tastefully curated by the 'Keepers of Craft', Signé Magazine.

Signé Magazine
  • Contact Us
Keepers of Craft

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

 

Loading Comments...