Vibe Shift: De Bethune Launches the DB28xs Dark Sand

In the wake of Watches and Wonders 2026, it’s clear that in order to evolve, brands are beginning to value materials just as much as they do mechanics. And there are plenty of practical reasons for this: the price of gold has skyrocketed, and ongoing global supply chain issues have thrown a monkey wrench into production calendars.

However, De Bethune is a Maison that has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to embracing unusual materials. So, while other manufacturers are trying to figure out how to adapt their original recipes to changing tastes, De Bethune is using innovations in materials and finishing to create a whole new menu of shapes and colors.

And in the case of the new DB28xs Dark Sand, it’s the material that shapes the watch’s aesthetics and performance. Let’s take a look!

De Bethune has been featuring zirconium in its collections since 2012. This dense mineral is hard, rating approximately 5 on the Mohs scale (titanium, by comparison, is 6)! And it has a stable oxidation rate. As a result of both these assets, zirconium cases are robust, long-lasting, and sustainable.

Of course, physically, the harder a metal is,  the more difficult it is to work with. But if we wanted things to be easy to make, we would carve our timepieces out of butter.

The DB28xs Dark Sand has kept many of the aesthetic signatures of its predecessor, the DB28xs Steel Wheels, including crown placement at 12 o’clock and an openwork mechanism.
 

What’s new is that the main ingredient – the case – uses texture to play light in a whole new way. As the brand states in a press release about the Dark Sand, “Light is no longer merely revealed, but it is instead absorbed, sculpted, then reflected in subtle touches, shaped by the finishes and volumes.”

Here, the zirconium takes on a black satin-brushed finish, which falls in between matte and polished – if we were going to get poetic about it, you could say that it feels a bit like the fine fragments of basalt you find on the beach of a volcanic island, hence the name, “Dark Sand.” Thus, when the light hits the surface treatment, it reflects and refracts, rather than casting shadows.
 

This hand-finished effect also influences how the eye perceives the architecture of the DB28xs Dark Sand. The dial, for example, features the same openworked display of the Steel Wheels, but the circular, sandblasted black titanium of the Dark Sand provides a better contrast between the hours and the minutes. Meanwhile, polished mauve titanium hour-markers add a purplish touch to the dial.

At the center, De Bethune’s signature deltoid-shaped bridge has been decorated with a raised barley-corn guilloché pattern that makes the whole apparatus appear as if it’s floating in the air.

Openworked dials have also been reasserting themselves in high-end horology. When done well, it’s about adding to the harmony of a timepiece, not just simply subtracting materials.

The Dark Sand is animated by the DB2115V13 mechanical hand-wound movement, which beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour to provide exceptional precision. So, it makes sense to highlight the calibre’s many patents and technical innovations.
 

A mix of materials provided many other visually pleasing, high-performance details: Optimized for temperature variations and air penetration, the titanium balance wheel with its white gold weights ensures inertia and regulation. The signature De Bethune balance spring with its unique flat terminal curve promises unrivaled accuracy. A silicon escape wheel and a triple-pare-chute shock-absorbing system both improve the energy efficiency, which in turn contributes to the calibre’s six-day power reserve.

The screwdown caseback continues the light refracting color story. It has an anthracite microlight finish, which complements the mauve/golden tones of the linear six-day power reserve indicator.
 

For an extra grace note, the Dark Sand’s 39mm-wide by 8mm-thick zirconium case employs a patented floating lug system and a mixed-marriages leather-lined fabric strap with a matching zirconium pin buckle.

While no pricing information was available at the time of publication, the De Bethune DB28xs Dark Sand is now in stores. For more information, check out the De Bethune website.