De Bethune DB27 D Polo Edition

To mark its first ever sponsorship of a polo tournament, the De Bethune Princely Polo Cup held in Vaduz on August 29th and 30th, the Geneva based luxury watch Manufacture presents a 10-piece limited edition of the DB27.

Exclusively developed for the game of polo, the De Bethune DB27 D Polo Edition watch can withstand the violent impacts it is liable to sustain on the wrist of the rider wearing it.

Traditionally equipped with a protective cover or swivelled over into its housing, the classic polo player’s watch cannot display the time during play without risk of damage.

Thanks to its case equipped with an ultra-sturdy outer shell or ‘hull’, together with perfectly integrated and protected apertures, reading off the time during chukkas is now possible with this limited-edition DB27. The digital jumping hours display and the minutes indicator enable a clear and instant time indication without any actual handling of the watch.

In its research work on new procedures and materials, De Bethune found that the choice of machining hardened steel and of combining its properties with those of a carbon-based coating, was a viable and sustainable alternative solution for ensuring a watch’s shock resistance.

This vacuum-based treatment with a layer of carbon and hydrogen is generally applied to stainless steel in the watch industry, whereas the blackened polished hardened steel of the DB27 unites the ideal characteristics that considerably enhance the robustness and elasticity of the case.

Calibre S233D from the Manufacture is equipped with De Bethune patented and innovative features including the patented triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system that protects the regulating organ from repeated and violent shocks.

The 43 mm round case with its 12 o’clock crown leaves comfortable space on the wrist thanks to short floating lugs. These articulated lugs are equipped with a patented spring-based system that enables the watch to adjust to the wrist and to polo players’ movements in order to achieve ultimate comfort and elegance.

In an appealing aesthetic touch, the shimmering overall black polished effect is enlivened by a pink gold medallion hand-engraved with two mallets and inlaid with a hand-polished white gold ball.

Technical details

Model: De Bethune DB27 D Polo Edition Digitale

Functions
Hours & minutes

Movement
Calibre S233D – mechanical self-winding
Power reserve: 5 days
Functions: aperture-type jumping hours – analogue minutes indicator on a rotating disc
Diameter 40 mm
350 components
Hand-crafted finishing and decoration
Self-regulating twin barrel
Silicon/white gold balance wheel – balance spring with flat terminal curve
Triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system
Titanium/platinum oscillating weight
Silicon escape wheel
Jewelling: 43 jewels
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour

Case
Black polished hardened steel with extra-hard 5000 Vickers treatment
Round shape
43 mm in diameter – 13 mm thick
Attachments: short black floating lugs in polished hardened steel with extra-hard 5000 Vickers treatment
Glass: sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment, 1800 Vickers
Crown: screw-locked at 12 o’clock
Back: solid, black in polished hardened steel with extra-hard 5000 Vickers treatment

Display
Hull: black in polished hardened steel with extra-hard 5000 Vickers treatment
Central pink gold medallion hand-engraved with two mallets and inlaid with a polished white gold ball
Engraved and circular satin-brushed titanium ring
Jumping hours aperture at 12 o’clock
Minutes indicator on a rotating disc

Strap
Extra-supple alligator leather with pin buckle