The De Bethune DB25, specifically created for Only Watch, carries the theme of light to reflect the concept of the world, space and time. The watch is a mechanical hand-wound piece aesthetically created to resemble the night sky. The face is studded with gold and diamonds to suggest an infinite realm of a starlit night, but not just any starlit night. The specific night it recreates is January 8, 1297, when stars guided François Grimaldi through the dark, narrow streets of the Monaco fortress disguised as a Franciscan monk. He made his way through darkness to open the gates of the Genoese stronghold to his troops. And now 700 years later, his descendent is still the prince of Monaco.
The flame-blued dial is a masterful play on light with shimmering reflections and smooth curves. Its convex volume creates an illusion of infinite depth. Time is read off the bottom of the watch, displaying Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes. Its movement features a 270-component main plate polished to resemble 19th century watch models made for royalty. The case is 44mm in diameter and made of white gold. Its strap is super-supple alligator leather with a pin buckle.
The DB25 is a beautiful rendition of an historic night and has all the fine features one would expect from a De Bethune.