American football player Michael Strahan spotted wearing a De Bethune

In December 2021, just before Michael Strahan suited up for Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital mission — becoming one of the few celebrities to reach space — cameras caught him deliberating over which watch to take along. In one hand, a De Bethune DB28 'Kind of Blue'; on his wrist, a Rolex Submariner Date 41mm ref. 126610LV. The juxtaposition was telling: a workhorse diver versus one of independent watchmaking's most visually arresting statements.

The De Bethune DB28 'Kind of Blue' is built around a 43mm grade-5 titanium case that earns its name through a process as analog as watchmaking itself: the case components are heated over an open flame until the titanium oxidizes into a rich, deep cobalt blue. No lacquer, no PVD, no chemical treatment — the color is entirely a product of controlled metallurgy. The result is a finish that varies subtly across each individual watch, making every example unique. The open-worked dial reveals De Bethune's in-house DB2019 movement, a hand-wound caliber beating at 28,800 vph, equipped with a silicon-titanium balance wheel and a patented flat balance spring — innovations that originated in De Bethune's decades of research into precision timekeeping.

De Bethune, the Le Locle-based independent manufacture co-founded by David Zanetta and master watchmaker Denis Flageollet in 2002, has built its reputation on technical originality and material experimentation. The DB28 line distills those values into a wearable format, offering a flying tourbillon variant and standard models, all characterized by the brand's signature spherical moon phase and star-shaped hours indicator — both present on the 'Kind of Blue.'

Among collectors, the DB28 'Kind of Blue' occupies serious territory. De Bethune produces in very limited numbers — typically fewer than 500 pieces per year across all references — and the brand has cultivated a fiercely loyal following among those who prioritize technical innovation over heritage marketing. The 'Kind of Blue' specifically benefits from an aesthetic coherence that makes it one of the label's most photogenic references.

Strahan's proximity to this watch in the context of space travel is appropriate: De Bethune has consistently pushed horological boundaries, much like the private space industry. Whether the DB28 made the journey aboard New Shepard remains unconfirmed — but the fact that Strahan was considering it speaks to a watch collection operating well above the mainstream.