Tourbillon Régulateur DB16
Case : platinum, cone-shaped lugs, sapphire back Diameter : 43mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound (Calibre DB2509, 96h power reserve), 499 parts, 30” silicon/titanium 36,000 vph tourbillon, hand-crafted finishing and decoration including Côtes de Genève, 7 patents (see text) Functions : hours, minutes, jumping seconds, date, perpetual calendar, spherical moon-phase indicator, age of the moon and leap years, tourbillon with 30” display of the seconds, power-reserve indication Dial : silver-toned with radiating hand-crafted guilloché pattern Water resistance : 30m Strap : extra-supple alligator leather with pin buckle 5-piece limited series
Great news for collectors : the Tourbillon Régulateur DB16 now comes in a five-piece platinum run. This relatively understated exterior contrasts with the extraordinary horological content of this perpetual calendar with deadbeat seconds model, of which the 30-second silicon and titanium tourbillon beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour is visible only through the case-back. This demurely concealed marvel is even more impressive when one considers that its 63 parts weigh just 0.18 grams. By way of a reminder, this model epitomising the expertise of the De Bethune R&D lab is protected by no less than seven patents : on the front, its famous spherical moon-phase indication and the central jumping seconds ; and on the back a self-regulating double barrel, a silicon and white gold balance-wheel with a flat terminal curve, a 30-second silicon-titanium De Bethune 36,000 vph tourbillon in silicon and titanium, a silicon escape-wheel, and a retrograde age-of-the-moon indication. An expert eye will note at first glance the iconic De Bethune cone-shaped lugs, as well as the hand-polished and flame-blued curved steel hands.
