Collector's Showcase 2015

When asked to describe the idea behind Dream Watch 5, De Bethune’s latest and highly unorthodox timepiece, company founder and designer David Zanetta offersa simple two-word answer: “the future.” While that description applies somewhat to all of the company’s offerings, Zanetta has given his imagination its greatest freedom in the series of Dream Watches, which often presage important developments for the company. 

Some models have been compared to spaceships, with their aggressive, angular lines. The flowing curves of the polished titanium Dream Watch 5 ($162,000, in a limited edition of 10), however, seem to evoke something far more organic—perhaps, with the strap unfolded, even a bird. But nested comfortably underneath a shirt cuff, the layout of the crown and the jumping disk digital display make themselves readable with just the slightest effort. Such utility suggests De Bethune’s futurism is not just design fantasy, but calculated evolution as well.

Edited for Robb Report.