Review: Starry, Starry Night – The De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius
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De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius
Think of De Bethune and you think of finishing taken to the next level Be it polishing or engraving, everything is always done so flawlessly and immaculately With the introduction of the DB25 Starry Varius, this trend of excellence continues.
The watch may be one of the most evocative we’ve photographed and reviewed, and it helps that it is so incredibly photogenic We bring you the details and our thoughts on one of De Bethune’s latest creation, the DB25 Starry Varius.
The Case, Dial, and Hands
The case of the DB25 Starry Varius is crafted in Grade 5 titanium and entirely polished to complement the dial Titanium cased watches are known for their lightness and comfort on the wrist and the DB25 Starry Varius is no exception.
Its ergonomics is further enhanced with the new case design boasting, most prominently, a smaller yet still modern diameter of 42 mm (as opposed to the usual 44 mm and above) The signature hollowed lugs, previously extending from the backside of the case, now stretch out from the case middle instead Measuring only 88 mm in height, the watch will have no problem slipping under tight dress cuffs and being worn as a dress watch But where the DB25 Starry Varius truly shines – and quite literally – is on the dial.
As you set your eyes on the face of the watch, they are immediately drawn to the stunning blue in the centre This dial inlay is, like the case, made of titanium But titanium isn’t naturally this glossy, or blue.
It starts off as a rough plate in De Bethune’s manufactory, grey and uninteresting Its journey to becoming the night sky starts with polishing, extensive mirror polishing It is then treated with a protective lacquer coating before being cut, cleaned and oven-blued.
A second coating of lacquer is then applied before perforations are made where the gold stars are going to be About 100 gold pins with spherical heads, each representing a star, are then fixed onto the dial The Milky Way seen in the background is actually gold leaf that has been carefully applied.
To make things even more interesting, the imagery of the night sky on the dial can be customised to the customer’s preferred location and date.
The new DB25 Starry Varius is fitted in a very manageable 42 mm x 8.8 mm polished titanium case.
The remainder of the dial is silver-toned and bears blue Roman numerals that encircle the titanium plate in the centre They, along with the two golden Breguet hands, indicate the time, which is the only function of the timepiece Each hour is further marked by golden studs outboard of the Roman numerals.
Overall, we feel that the DB25 Starry Varius oozes class, obviously scoring top points for aesthetics and design We love how visually dynamic the blue centre is Given its mirror-polished nature, it changes tone depending on the angle that light is hitting it, going from electric blue to almost black.
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