De Bethune

De Bethune launched the DB25 collection in 2007, originally featuring timepieces distinguished by traditional appearances and subtle designs. De Bethune used this series as an opportunity to implement various watchmaking technical abilities with moonphase or perpetual calendar complications, including their rendition of the tourbillon. 

This present DB25 model features a 44mm case like the other models in its series and in white gold, but notably excludes the common themes in its series' designs. Instead of downplaying dial appearances like other DB25 watches, De Bethune boldly integrates elements of traditional Chinese horology to construct a celebratory timepiece. The present “Imperial Fountain Dragon” DB25 wristwatch, as it is referred to, is inspired by the Yuan Ming Yuan, the famous Chinese Zodiac clepsydra fountain at the Old Summer. Palace in Beijing. A tribute to the Chinese clock fountain, the solid gold dial exhibits an exceptional engraving of a dragon’s head in the centre. Orbiting the dragon engraving are the blue steel peripheral hands moving under the dial centre, a design which gives more attention to the dragon head. The peripheral hands point towards hour markers engraved in Chinese. They also move above twelve Zodiac heads and are placed in respective order of the original Zodiac sequence in the Yuan Ming Yuan fountain, representing the hour indexes next to the Chinese characters on the dial. The watch is operated by a balance wheel, which is an in-house design of silicon, platinum, and gold, and operates with a manual movement, part of which can be visible through a skeletonised caseback.