De Bethune: Space-Age Horology with 18th-Century Soul

In a watch world that often leans on heritage and safe design, De Bethune is the rare independent that does neither. Founded in 2002 by David Zanetta and Denis Flageollet, the brand has never been about nostalgia. Instead, it mixes deep horological tradition with futuristic design—Breguet by way of Blade Runner.

Flageollet, the technical mind behind the brand, isn’t just building watches; he’s building ideas. The workshop in L’Auberson, Switzerland, is more like a lab than a manufacture. Over the past two decades, De Bethune has filed dozens of patents and introduced innovations like the triple pare-chute shock absorption system, a silicon balance with white gold weights, and the visually mesmerizing “floating” lugs that make their cases wear like silk.

But it’s not just innovation for innovation’s sake. Every technical flourish serves a purpose. The cases are often mirror-polished titanium—lightweight, hypoallergenic, and as reflective as a sci-fi monolith. Dials lean into symmetry and spatial drama: delta-shaped bridges, star-studded skies, flame-blued titanium that looks like it was colored by the aurora borealis. These watches don’t just tell time—they reimagine what timekeeping should look like.

And yet, beneath all the polish and patents, there’s a commitment to traditional watchmaking that borders on obsessive. Hand-finishing is everywhere. Movements are decorated in a way that even the Geneva brands quietly respect. Many De Bethune models are still adjusted in six positions, not five. It’s the kind of detail that collectors who actually wear their watches care about.

Models like the DB28, DB25 Starry Varius, and Dream Watch 5 have helped define the brand’s aesthetic—neo-futuristic, wildly overengineered, and often breathtaking. These aren’t crowd-pleasers; they’re conversation starters. You don’t wear a De Bethune to fit in. You wear one because you know exactly what it is.

In a market that rewards both hype and heritage, De Bethune exists somewhere else entirely: in the small, quiet space where design, engineering, and philosophy meet. It’s horology without compromise—and that’s increasingly rare.