Like many watch collectors, I started with collecting mainstream brands, before learning more about the independent brands and falling in love with them. De Bethune is an independent brand that stands out to me due to its cutting-edge technology and very modern designs, three GPHG awards including the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix in 2011, wide range of product lines, and solid financial backing. Furthermore, De Bethune only produces 160-200 watches annually across all models, which means that each watch is fairly rare (including the De Bethune DB27).

The only downside is the prices are generally pretty high, so I aimed for the entry level model in current production, which is the De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk V2.  The DB27 V1 was released in 2012 while the V2 was released in 2018.  There are four color choices for the dial, blue, black, silver and salmon.  The DB25 is a more classic line while DB28 is a more contemporary line.  De Bethune DB27 combines the signature floating lugs and crown at 12 o’clock from DB28 and adopts a more conventional 3-hand dial design. It is perfect for an entry level model for De Bethune.

My De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk keeps very accurate time and it is merely half a second slow per day measured over 30 days.  It is a bit faster lying down dial-up while a bit slower vertically (on a winder) and being worn.  So my trick is to let it lie down flat dial-up during the evenings. One surprise to me is that the second hand doesn’t hack, which is a feature I’d prefer to have.  The power reserve is 60 hours which is plentiful.  The movement in DB27 V2 is a new one and different from the V1.  The transparent caseback and skeletonized rotor offer a good view of the movement.

The De Bethune DB27 is very comfortable to wear thanks to the stylistic floating lugs and the light weight titanium case. The 43mm case size is just fine for my 20cm (7.87in) wrist but may be a bit too big for some folks.