There are watch dials that use color, and there are dials that generate it. The DB25xs Sand Winds belongs to the second category. De Bethune’s artisans apply two techniques developed entirely in-house to the titanium dial: random guilloché, which breaks the surface into a pattern of irregular micro-reliefs, and natural oxidative heat treatment, which draws out a deep amber yellow through chemistry rather than pigment. The result is a shimmer that shifts with the angle of light, evoking the way wind moves across sand in long, slow ripples. Polished yellow titanium hands and hour markers echo the warmth of the dial, while white gold inserts introduce just enough contrast.
The 40mm grade 5 titanium case is hand-polished and built around the slender, hollowed-out tapered lugs that define the DB25 series, a profile that sits comfortably on virtually any wrist size. Beneath a double-sided anti-glare sapphire crystal, the caseback reveals Calibre DB2005 running at 28,800 vibrations per hour, its surfaces finished with Côtes De Bethune decoration on polished blued titanium. The balance wheel is titanium with white gold inserts, the balance spring carries a flat terminal curve, and a triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system protects the escapement. A silicon wheel and self-regulating twin barrel deliver a six-day power reserve at a consistent rate.
A lined brown alligator strap with a polished titanium pin buckle completes the watch, chosen to echo the natural warmth of the dial. De Bethune has long drawn on the natural world as a starting point, and the Sand Winds delivers on that instinct with real conviction.
