2013/03/19

DEWITT the Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon

 

Conceived and sketched out for the first time one August 28, the Twenty-8-Eight watch is a friendly nod to Monsieur Jérôme de Witt’s illustrious ancestor, Napoleon Bonaparte, proclaimed “Emperor of the French” by the Senate on the 28th day of Floréal in the revolutionary calendar.

The new Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon also harks back to Monsieur de Witt’s imperial heritage, and above all to the deep passion for watchmaking which has stayed with his family down the generations.

Equipped with the calibre DW8028 incorporating the first tourbillon movement entirely developed and produced within the Manufacture, its rather classic construction relies on tried and tested ancestral technical parameters: 18,000 Vph and 72 hours of power reserve. The movement has a Swiss lever escapement with a variable inertia balance wheel and a Breguet overcoil balance spring sequenced at 2.5 Hz. The balance wheel, escapement wheel and pallet are in 18 carat yellow gold.

Its stylish aesthetic plays on contrasts with a bold combination of noble materials with innovative style: 18-carat pink or white gold and titanium with a bronze- or glaciercolouredPVD coating.

The new dials of the Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon have a two part design. On the upper part, the two vertical appliques are inspired by a very masculine and imposing Art Deco construction with a futurist touch. The lower part of the dial opens onto a beautiful large circular-grained circle which frames the heart of the movement displaying the visible beating of the tourbillon.

On the two new bronze and glacier versions, the crown, buckle and the case attachment screws are in 18 carat gold.

The Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon lives up perfectly to the very high standards of finishing adopted by the DeWitt Manufacture. Entirely carried out by hand, the finishing work is of a rare quality and can be observed through the sapphire glass back. The barrel and the tourbillon carriage bridges are painstakingly bevelled and decorated with “Côtes de Genève”.

A small plaque bearing the signature of the master watchmaker is to be found on the back of the watch, on the barrel bridge, a token of the passion and extreme care put into making each timepiece. If forges a direct link between the customer and the master watchmaker. Indeed, to ensure perfect quality of the finished product, DeWitt makes it a point of honour that each watch is assembled, adjusted and tested by a single master watchmaker from start to finish.

The two new Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon models are produced in limited editions of 99 pieces each.