DENIS FLAGEOLLET

Luxury watch business The 1916 Company, which brings the De Bethune brand to its lounges across the world, recently launched in Hong Kong. Tatler caught up with the watch brand’s founder to talk about his evolution from a legacy-bound apprentice to a pioneering force in the horological landscape

How did you decide to become a watchmaker? I am the fourth generation of watchmakers in my family—[but] I was not attracted to the field in the beginning. The more I read about watchmaking, learning about the history of watches, the ancestors, the greats, the more I [became] interested. What made you choose the name De Bethune for the brand? In the 17th century, there was a knight in France called De Bethune who was curious about science; he was a sailor as well. He also invented some watchmaking components because he needed to sail with precision. His name in French was Chevalier De Bethune; on our dial, we could not write [the whole name] because it was too long, so I went with De Bethune. You formed the Technique…

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Tatler Hong Kong (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2024

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