De Bethune

The small but extremely dedicated team of watchmakers at De Bethune will launch a new high tech Tourbillon + Minute Repeater in 2010. The entire tourbillon of this watch is made from silicon-based materials and weighs a mere 0.017 grams! And to top that the minute repeater is slated to strike a bell rather than the traditional wire gongs of typical repeating watches.

Shown above is the new "Dream Watch One" featuring a balance oscillator (wheel) comprised of a platinum rim at the perimeter and a mirror polished silicon disk at the center. Since the silicon disk is ultra-light and the platinum rim extremely heavy, the inertia of the oscillator is properly optimized at its extreme perimeter. Notice there is no visible hairspring. You can see this new oscillator in the above photo just above the moonphase sphere.

F.P. Journe

F.P. Journe follows up on his Grand & Petite Sonnerie with "Repetition Minutes Souveraine". The most striking thing about this watch is how thin it is for a minute repeater, the movement is only 4mm thick! This is not only a technical achievement but adds a great deal of class when worn on the wrist. At the 10 o’clock position on the perimeter of the bezel is a slide for activating the repeater and the first thing I noticed was how effortlessly the slide operates. Also at the 10 o’clock dial position are the striking hammers, and opposite at 3 o’clock is the power reserve indication.

Plates and bridges of the F.P. Journe Repetition Minutes Souveraine movement are of solid 18K rose gold and housed in a 40mm stainless steel case. It is the opinion of Mr Journe that steel is a better sounding case material for striking watches than gold or platinum. The repeating mechanism is very clever and is unlike any I have ever seen. This clever design is hidden between the plates. One of the repeater details visible is the newly developed inertia governor (upper right in this photo) that controls the strike cadence (speed).

For more on the watches that impressed Ron DeCorte at the Swiss fairs this year, please go to www.watchtribune.com.