n exploring the colour spectrum of natural titanium oxidation using a thermal process unique to the Manufacture, De Bethune has opted for a warm, intense tone to depict the nocturnal spectacle of a volcanic eruption.

The DB25xs Starry Varius features a starry sky reddened by the earth in turmoil; while the dial mirrors a celestial canopy tinged by the activity of a volcano and its flowing lava. Artisans in the L’Auberson workshops combine exceptional expertise and extreme meticulous care in hand-decorating the mirror-polished titanium dials. Their dexterity enables them to set each white gold pin in varyingly sized micro-perforations, bringing to life a poetic depiction of the starry sky. Using laser-beam micro-milling, a Milky Way motif is then revealed by applying 24-carat gold leaf. Like every starlit dial from the Maison, this new sky can be personalised according to a specific geographical location and date.

In a perpetual quest for comfort on the wrist, De Bethune’s classic collection that started out at 44 mm had already been aesthetically revamped in 2018, featuring a slender 42 mm case with revisited lugs.

The DB25 collection continues its transformation with a new 40 mm edition of the Starry Varius. In order to preserve the refinement of its original design, this trimmed-down interpretation required complete rethinking of this timepiece’s aesthetic balance.

According to Denis Flageollet: "It is important to maintain a beautiful dial aperture so that the observer can be fully immersed in the star-studded sky, thereby preserving the aura of the Starry Varius.”

Its refined case sits perfectly on the wrist. This highly contemporary design with its sloping geometry is distinguished by slender curving lugs – subtly openworked and adorned with ogives – that emphasise the roundness of the object and ensure a comfortable fit.

The display is enlivened by delicately hand-polished rose gold hands gliding over matching hour-markers set on a silver ring.

On the reverse side, a sapphire caseback with double anti-reflective treatment reveals the impeccable craftsmanship of the DB2005 hand-wound calibre incorporating the latest De Bethune technologies.

Equipped with a balance-spring featuring a flat terminal curve, a silicon escape-wheel and a shock-absorbing system, the DB25xs Starry Varius also incorporates the Manufacture’s latest titanium and white gold balance-wheel. All these patents and innovations have been developed in a contemporary spirit to adapt to the wearing conditions of our time and hence to withstand magnetic fields, shocks and accelerations – with the aim of achieving ever-greater timekeeping precision and unfailing reliability.

"Shaping 21st-century watchmaking in the finest watchmaking tradition means constantly rethinking the craft, developing it by modifying an element, a process or a technique, as well as sometimes making tiny, often imperceptible but necessary improvements to push the boundaries of mechanics with precision, reliability and finesse”, says Denis Flageollet.

The DB25xs Starry Varius is available in an ultra-lightweight mirror-polished grade 5 titanium case and in a more classic rose gold version. Each is fitted with an extra-supple double alligator leather strap.