DE BETHUNE
DW5 Cempasúchil
Throughout watchmaking history there have been a host of watches that embrace “ memento mori ” ethos highlighting the fleeting nature of life . Taking this one step further , De Bethune has been inspired by the engravings of Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada ( 1852- 1913 ). With the DW5 Cempasúchil , Denis Flageollet ( master watchmaker and founder of De Bethune ) contracted his longtime collaborator and talented Swiss engraver Michèle Rothen to bring the ethos of Posada to life once again in a singular piece of horological art .
Flageollet and Rothen combine the technical challenges of not only working with a titanium case , but also having it flame-blued , handengraved , and decorated with several different types of 18-karat gold inserts presented in white gold , yellow gold , rose gold , green gold , and even a new ‘ marbled ’ gold - a blend of white , rose , and yellow gold .
On the outside of the timepiece , the watchmaker presents a fantastic façade . On the inside , the real world of watchmaking precision and engineering joins the whimsical celebration of life without . Horological inventions like the five- day dual barrel movement , a silicon / gold balance wheel , silicon escape wheel , a balance wheel with a flat terminal curve and a moon phase accurate to one day ’ s deviation over 1,112 years , add up to technical savoir faire .
Composed of two hemispheres , one of blued steel , the other of palladium , a small sphere indicates the phases of the moon , while a minimalist digital hour and minute display is visible through a hand-cut crystal cabochon . Price for this one of a kind is 275,000 Swiss Francs .
IW RATING
Design : 8 ( out of 10 ) Love it or hate it , there is nothing like it .
Innovation : 8 Advanced techniques in movement and materials .
Finissage : 8 Exotic outside and traditional within .
Legibility : 8 Easy to read even with the flamboyant design .
Rarity : 10 Only One .
Value : 9 Too exotic and rare to lose value .
Overall iW rating : 53 ( out of 60 )
30 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | WINTER 2021