All Five 2025 De Bethune Releases
The original DB28 Kind of Blue was released in 2016, marking a milestone for De Bethune–one of our favorite high-end independent luxury watch brands–with its fully heat-blued titanium case and dial. It quickly became one of the brand’s most recognized models, and at Geneva Watch Days 2025, De Bethune released their eighth (and smallest) Kind of Blue watch. There are also two smaller Starry Varius models with heat-pinked titanium dials, a monopusher chronograph, and a new downsized time-only model with a yellowed titanium case among the 2025 De Bethune releases. We’ll go over all of them.
De Bethune has been making increasing headway in the avant-grade ultra-luxury watch market ever since their 2002 debut, and they seem to have really hit their stride in recent years. Their 2025 releases are right in line with our (high) expectations of the brand, and I think it can rightfully be viewed as a year of downsizing.
DB28xs Yellow Tones
Widely regarded as De Bethune’s signature creation, the DB28 model is known for its spring-loaded movable skeletonized lugs, exposed shield-shaped barrel bridge, and spectacular finishing. The DB28 won the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève’s “Aiguille d’Or” in 2011, and it has since spawned numerous variations, including tourbillon versions and smaller versions like the DB28xs. In October 2025, continuing their year of modestly sized releases, De Bethune unveiled the DB28xs Yellow Tones with a list price of $115,000.
With its yellowed Grade 5 titanium case and matching Star Trek logo-like bridge that dominates the dial, it’s essentially a smaller version of the DB28 Yellow Tones that debuted five years prior. “XS” does in fact stand for “extra small,” and although its 38.7mm diameter isn’t really that small, keep in mind that De Bethune watches are historically on the larger side–they never made anything under 40mm until 2023. A self-regulating twin-barrel setup provides an exceptional power reserve of six days.
De Bethune creates their yellow titanium through thermal oxidation, a controlled heating process that changes the color of the metal’s surface without using any coating or plating. When Grade 5 titanium is heated, a thin oxide layer forms, and the appearance depends on its thickness: at lower temperatures (usually around 200–300 °C), the metal turns yellow or amber, while higher temperatures lead to purple or blue tones .
DB28xs Kind of Blue Tourbillon
The DB28xs Kind of Blue Tourbillon, released for 2025, is the first De Bethune to have a tourbillon in the smaller case size of 38.7mm (as opposed to 42.6mm). Inside the slim 8mm-thick case is the high-beat caliber DB2009v5 ticking 10 times per second, featuring De Bethune’s renowned lightweight titanium tourbillon rotating twice per minute (once per minute is typical).
Twin barrels provide an impressive five days of power reserve, and a wealth of extensively finished blued titanium is visible through the sapphire exhibition caseback.
You have to make a really special watch to put a $225,000 suggested retail price on it, and that’s exactly what De Bethune has done.
2025 De Bethune DB25xs Starry Varius in Titanium and Rose Gold
De Bethune, in their words, has been “exploring the color spectrum of natural titanium oxidation using a thermal process unique to the Manufacture.” That’s how they made the attractive magenta color on the 2025 De Bethune DB25xs Starry Varius, offered with either a rose gold or titanium case. As far as I know, nobody else is capable of treating titanium to create this color.
But the dial color is just the beginning. The “dots” on the dial of a De Bethune Starry Varius are individually hand-fitted white gold pins that represent stars of the Milky Way in the night sky. A laser micro-milling process adds additional tiny decorations.
The attention to detail is incredible, and there’s a reason De Bethune is among the most expensive watch brands in the world. Pre-owned De Bethune watches tend to sell between $40,000-$150,000 depending on the model, and I think these new pinkish Starry Varius models should sell just fine at their list prices of around $80,000 in titanium and $85,000 in rose gold. In fact that’s about what an older used blue Starry Varius DB25 would go for. De Bethune calls the new dial color “burgundy” although I would sooner call it “magenta.”
In any case, the output of the entire De Bethune brand is roughly one watch per workday, so although the DB25xs Starry Varius isn’t technically a limited edition, it will surely be made in very small numbers. Its middle-of-the-road 40.6mm case diameter will be suitable for most wrists, but its lugs are fixed, unlike on the DB28xs (which has movable lugs that can be pulled downward around smaller wrists, effectively reducing the lug-to-lug length).
The DB2005 movement inside the DB25xs, as expected, is beautiful to look at through the sapphire exhibition caseback:
Like the DB28XS Kind of Blue Tourbillon, the DB25xs Starry Varius comes on an “extra-supple double alligator strap,” meaning even the inner lining (which is often calfskin) is alligator. Canvas straps are available upon request from the brand as well.
DB25 Monopusher
The DB25 Monopusher was De Bethune’s first release of 2025, marking 23 years since their very first watch, the DB1 (which was also a monopusher chronograph) debuted. It combines a dressy, elegant dial similar to those found on early De Bethunes with the stylish skeletonized lugs the brand is now known for. Monopusher chronographs, though often seen as novel today, actually predate multi-button chronographs. It’s a very traditional complication, and as you would expect, the manual-wind DB 3000 movement is a joy to behold through the sapphire caseback.
With a 40.6mm case made of Grade 5 titanium and a tasteful white guilloche dial, the DB25 Monopusher has more of an everyday-wearable vibe than most De Bethune watches. Just look at the subdial:
Look how flawless all the printing and guilloche work are. The unlumed blued hands were a perfect choice as well. The chrono minutes hand has an “instantaneous jump” feature, meaning it advances cleanly to each minute mark as the previous minute ends. It doesn’t “drag” continuously.
De Bethunes hold their value well, so if you ever went to sell your DB25 Monopusher, you’d probably get the full MSRP ($90,000) or more. Now let’s break down the specs of all the 2025 De Bethune releases:
2025 De Bethune Specs
| DB28xs Kind of Blue Tourbillon | DB25xs Starry Varius Rose Gold | DB25xs Starry Varius Titanium | DB28xs Yellow Tones | DB25 Monopusher Chronograph | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reference | DB28XSTB | DB25VxsRV2 | DB25VxsTiV2 | DB28XSY | DB25VXS |
| Functions | Hours, Minutes, 30-sec tourbillon at 6 o’clock | Hours, Minutes | Hours, Minutes | Hours, Minutes, Power reserve on back | Hours, Minutes, Chronograph (mono-pusher, 60s/60min) |
| Movement Caliber | DB2009v5 (manual, 10 bps) | DB2005 (manual, 8 bps) | DB2005 (manual, 8 bps) | DB2115V14 (manual-wind) | DB3000 (manual-wind) |
| Movement Features | Titanium balance with gold inserts, flat terminal curve hairspring, silicon escape wheel, ultra-light 30s titanium tourbillon | Titanium balance with gold inserts, flat terminal curve hairspring, silicon escape wheel, triple pare-chute shock | Titanium balance with gold inserts, flat terminal curve hairspring, silicon escape wheel, triple pare-chute shock | Titanium balance with white gold inserts, “De Bethune” balance spring with flat terminal curve, silicon escape wheel, triple pare-chute shock | Titanium balance with white gold inserts, flat terminal curve hairspring, silicon escape wheel, ultra-thin column wheel, instantaneous 60-min counter |
| Power Reserve | 5 days (twin barrel) | 6 days (twin barrel) | 6 days (twin barrel) | 6 days (twin barrel) | 60 hours |
| Case Material | Blued polished grade 5 titanium | 5N Rose gold | Grade 5 titanium | Yellow polished grade 5 titanium | Grade 5 titanium |
| Case Diameter | 38.7 mm | 40.6 mm | 40.6 mm | 38.7 mm | 40.6 mm |
| Case Thickness | 8 mm | 8.8 mm | 8.8 mm | 7.4 mm | 9.15 mm |
| Lugs | Floating lugs, blued polished titanium | Integrated hollowed lugs | Integrated hollowed lugs | Floating lugs, yellow titanium | Integrated hollowed lugs |
| Caseback | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| Water Resistance | 30m | 30m | 30m | 30m | 30m |
| Dial | Blued microlight ring, polished markers, central blued triangular bridge | Pinkish titanium w/ gold pins “Milky Way” | Pinkish titanium w/ gold pins “Milky Way” | Circular satin-finish titanium hour & minute ring, yellow polished markers, yellow titanium barrel bridge (microlight, sandblasted/polished), yellow dial base | Silver, radiating guilloché (12 sectors), blue Arabic numerals, barleycorn subdial at 6, polished titanium hands |
| Hands | Polished titanium | Hand-polished rose gold | Hand-polished rose gold | Yellow polished titanium | Polished titanium, blued hands for chrono |
| Strap | Extra-supple alligator, lining | Extra-supple alligator, lining | Extra-supple alligator, lining | Extra-supple alligator, lining | Extra-supple alligator, lining |
| Buckle | Blued titanium pin buckle | 5N Rose gold ardillon buckle | Titanium pin buckle | Yellow polished titanium pin buckle | Grade 5 titanium pin buckle |
| Release Date | September 4, 2025 | September 4, 2025 | September 4, 2025 | October 14, 2025 | April 22, 2025 |
| MSRP (2025) | $215,000 | $85,000 | $80,000 | $115,000 | $90,000 |
While none of the 2025 De Bethune releases are entirely new models, saying they’re “just new colors” would be underselling the heat-pinked titanium dials of the DB25xs Starry Varius. Plus the yellow titanium case of the DB28xs Yellow Tones won’t be found elsewhere. Most brands stop at blued titanium, and with the DB28xs Kind of Blue Tourbillon, De Bethune has reminded us that they can use that masterfully too.
Leave a Reply