De Bethune DB28GS JPS

When De Bethune released the DB28GS in 2015, a decade ago, it was an immediate hit with collectors. The brand’s first true sports timepiece, it felt like an evolutionary step for the iconic DB28. Some years later, master watchmaker Denis Flageollet and the team returned to the model with a new edition, the DB28GS JPS. “John Player Special,” this timepiece is a tribute to the golden age of motorsport with a black and gold color palette to match that of Lotus race cars.

Constantly refining the structural nuances hovering between polished and matt, dark grey and deep black, color and texture are a major component of what makes De Bethune designs special. Here, all of the JPS’ golden accents are yellow titanium, an early demonstration of De Bethune’s expertise in working with the oxidation of titanium beyond the brand’s signature blue. Front runner for future timepieces, we observe this yellowed titanium in many De Bethune timepieces including the most recent 2025 DB28xs Yellow Tones.

While the overall design and aesthetics of the DB28GS JPS captures the eye, the underlying movement is everything collectors come to expect from De Bethune. Caliber DB2080 is brought together with 400 components, 51 jewels, and features the brand’s patented innovations. These include a titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts, optimized for temperature differences, a triple pare-chute shock absorbing system to combat wear and tear in everyday life, as well as the “De Bethune” balance spring with flat terminal curve and a silicon escape wheel. With abundant hand finishing, Caliber DB2080 covers all the bases of haute horlogerie with mirror polishing, beveling, snailing on the barrels.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this timepiece is its mechanical light. No electronics, no battery, entirely mechanical. A pusher at 6 o’clock serves to provide light on demand thanks to a gear train driven by the double barrel. By means of an original miniature dynamo, this gear train supplies the energy necessary to light up the face of the watch without affecting its operation and the energy necessary for the smooth running of its movement. This is a real challenge that is truly comparable to the highly technical operation of a minute repeater movement, in which the overall energy efficiency must be maximal and perfectly controlled.