Our remarks

DE BETHUNE DBS Spherical Moon, Reference DBS-W S5, 18k White Gold, Box, Year 2005, Early Model, Rare

Created for the very first "Only Watch" charity auction in 2005, the DBS marked a genuine turning point for De Bethune, introducing the inverted movement architecture that would go on to define the brand's now-iconic DB28, alongside a completely new case language unlike anything the young manufacture had built before.

The case is 18k white gold in De Bethune's distinctive horseshoe shape, 42.5mm wide and 51mm lug to lug, with two conventional ogival lower lugs and a flexible metal wrap curling around the crown at twelve o'clock, an entirely original silhouette when it debuted.

The anthracite dial reveals the inverted movement beneath, dominated by De Bethune's signature delta-shaped bridge, staggered mainspring barrels and triple pare-chute anti-shock system, with the manufacture's patented spherical moon phase display, accurate to within a single day roughly every 122 years, a genuine leap over the flat rotating discs used elsewhere in the industry.

The case back carries an engraving of the De Bethune crest alongside a small cutout window displaying the power reserve, a detail that keeps the technical story consistent front to back.

This example is offered as in:

- Very good condition

- Early and very rare production model

- Original De Bethune box

"The watch that started De Bethune's inverted movement story, wearing a moon phase more accurate than most observatories bother with.“