De Bethune’s “The ninth Mayan Underworld” featuring a gold dial with intricate engravings by Michèle Rothen is truly a sight to behold. Photo: © TANG Portfolio
If you are reading this on 17 December 2012, the date of this article’s posting, then there are only a few days left before the world ends on 21 December, if the doomsday theorists are correct in their conclusions about the Mayan calendar.
If you are reading this article on 22 December 2012 and nothing is amiss in the world, would that then mean that those who supported the view of the end of the world were wrong in their readings?
Well, perhaps it will be safer to observe what happens on 23 December 2012. This is because museum curators of the Penn Museum in Philadelphia believe that the date should not be 21 December but 23 December, which is the actually the end of the 13th cycle of the Mayan calendar.
If you are reading this after 23 December 2012 and everything is as per normal in the world, then now you’d know who the real experts are.
His Excellency Antonio Guillermo Villegas Villalobos, Mexican Ambassador to Singapore had at the end of 2011, made a public clarification that the end of the 13th cycle “b’ak’tun” of the Mayan calendar on 23 December 2012, as predicted in the sixth century AD was not the end of the world but “the beginning of a new cycle in which the Cosmos would regenerate” and these were based on “authorised scholars on the subject”.
As such, time is still on our side. With regards to the Mayan calendar, one watch brand that has got it right in our opinion, is none other than De Bethune with its “The ninth Mayan Underworld” wristwatch.
Introduced in January 2012, it was a sight to behold, especially with the intricate engravings on the gold dial featuring the brand’s own interpretation of the Mayan calendar and the b’ak’tun.
Michèle Rothen was commissioned by De Bethune to perform the beautiful engraving artwork. If you ever have the rare opportunity to catch sight of such a timepiece, you will be captivated, just as we were. We highly recommend spending some time viewing the detailing of the dial engravings.
Only 12 pieces of the ninth Mayan Underworld have been produced. If you like this De Bethune timepiece, do check on its availability with your nearest authorised dealer. In Singapore and the region, De Bethune’s authorised dealer is The Hour Glass.
If such a timepiece proves to be elusive and it is something you really wish to own, do not worry, it will definitely not be “the end of the world”, new De Bethune timepieces with such intricate engraving works will be introduced in 2013 and here’s a clue and a tip: pre-order now and don’t allow the new watch to “slither” away.