First launched in 2010, the Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon marked a turning point for DeWitt thanks to its use of the manually wound calibre DW8028, De Witt’s first 100% Manufacture Tourbillon movement with a 72 hour power reserve and a spiral with a Breguet curve sequenced at 2.5 Hz. In fact DeWitt has expanded its Twenty-8-Eight family this year with three new models, including the tourbillon, the automatic and the skeleton tourbillon.
The new 43mm round case model comes in rose gold and grade 5 Neotitanium, a rare metal chosen for its superb qualities of lightness and robustness. With a contrasting two-tone face in anthracite grey and galvanic black, the accuracy and finishing levels have been applied individually to each of the 27 components of the dial.
Grade 5 Neotitanium is a relatively new metal whose hardness is ten times superior to that of grade 5 Titanium. It’s used principally in surgery and Formula 1, but now it finds itself as an integral part of this new model from DeWitt.
The dial of the Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon is masculine but with a distinct Art Deco aura about it. The lower half of the dial is a large circle said to symbolise wholeness, the infinite nature of energy and, surprisingly for a man’s watch, the power of the feminine.
The movement is protected by a semi-transparent grille. The pattern represented on the dial is that of a large radiating sunray that reaches right out to the sides and is divided into two different colour zones. The Roman and Arabic numerals are placed on a circular applique in rose gold that extends over the whole dial.
Finally, for perfect balance, two hands (hours and minutes) are positioned in the centre of the dial in the shape of swords. Two appliques, each bearing shiny rings, are positioned at 3 and 9 o’clock.
Entirely hand-made, the Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon’s the movement can be observed through the sapphire crystal back. The barrel and cage-bridges are finely decorated with Côtes de Genève, while two miniature “W” signatures can be seen on the crown and on the golden buckle.
The new Twenty-8-Eight comes in a slightly thinner case (10.28 mm) than the Academia collection. The bezel is diamond-set and features sand-blasted columns. Streamlined satin-finished lugs round off the design while the keynote characteristics of a DeWitt watch remain fully recognisable.
