De Bethune has gone far, far beyond having your name engraved on the caseback when it comes to watch personalisation
Owning a De Bethune watch is truly a singular experience in every sense of the word. In its quest for perfection, the independent Swiss watchmaker in Jura recently introduced the Sensoriel Chronometry Project that aims to tailor your watch according to your lifestyle, taking into account everything from your daily routine to the humidity level in your home.
Earlier this year, De Bethune, which is distributed exclusively by The Hour Glass in Malaysia, presented an intriguing proposition in the form of the DB25 Starry Varius Aérolite in which customer can customise the blue meteorite dial with a precise sky map (constellation) at a specific time, date, and place. Tiny white gold pins in different shapes and sizes are used to create the constellation on the dial. One of the owners of the watch, which is limited to five pieces a year, is a pet lover and requested that the constellation reflected his dog's birthdate!
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But the Sensoriel Chronometry Project is taking the notion of personalisation to a whole new level. "When you want a suit that fits you perfectly, you go to a tailor. It's the same thinking here," says Pierre Jacques, CEO of De Bethune. "Co-founder and master watchmaker Denis Flageollet is someone who always strives for perfection, a watch that suits the wearer perfectly."
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Chronometric precision is also dependent on the wearer's behaviour and environment. A watch generally leaves the manufacture without taking these into account. "To be as precise as possible, the watch has to be tailor-made for every individual according to their lifestyle and routine," notes Jacques. "It even takes into consideration the temperature and humidity, which differ from country to country."