In June 2023, lovers of military chronographs and sports watches saw their patience rewarded with the launch of the Type 20 Chronographe 2057. It was in Paris, the capital that saw Abraham-Louis Breguet found his workshop almost a century and a half ago and Louis Breguet take off his planes in the 1900s, that the watch brand chose to unveil the fourth generation of this collection. Inspired by the aesthetic vocabulary of the original watch, produced at the request of the Air Force in 1,100 examples between 1955 and 1959, this new model showcases all the contemporary expertise of the Manufacture.

The 42mm-diameter, 14.1mm-thick steel case features a knurled rotating bezel, while its right-hand side houses two piston-shaped pushers and an imposing conical crown. This sturdy case houses the 7281 caliber, a variation of the 728, a 5hz automatic chronograph movement with flight-return function specially developed for this product line. When fully wound by its blackened gold oscillating weight, which takes up the stylized silhouette of an aircraft, it provides a 60-hour power reserve.

In terms of displays, the Type 20’s black dial is curved with oversized Arabic numerals, coated in a soft green luminescent material, over which fly two white-lacquered hands for the hours and minutes, while the seconds scroll in a counter at 9 o’clock. The second hand in the center counts down the seconds in a minute totalizer at 3 o’clock, overlooking the discreet date display at 4:30.

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The 1950s in France saw the birth of an instrument specially developed by Breguet to accompany the soldiers of the skies, available in two variants: the Type 20 for the French Air Force, then the Type XX for the French Naval Aviation, each with its own specific features at the request of these two air defense departments. Dubbed “civilian”, the Type XX Chronographe 2067 presented in June 2023 embodies the fourth generation of this 1954-approved instrument, which became a collector’s item in 1995.

Its dark, matte-as-night dial contrasts with the ivory hue of the large Arabic numerals on the hour circle, the central alpha hands and the oversized chronograph seconds counter at 3 o’clock. This difference in size between the sub-dials and their finish (the small seconds at 9 o’clock and the hour totalizer at 6 o’clock are azure) testifies to a desire to structure and prioritize information, as evidenced by the date indication whose aperture slips between two indexes at 4:30. It is thus present but in the background so as not to disrupt the reading of the current time or the measurement of short times. Measuring 42mm in diameter and 14.1mm thick, its steel case is water-resistant to a depth of 100m and features a graduated, notched rotating bezel. It houses a new calibre 728 automatic chronograph movement with flyback function. With a high frequency of 5hz (36,000 vibrations per hour) and a unique barrel, its well-thought-out construction provides a power reserve of 60 hours when fully wound by its airplane-shaped oscillating weight.

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While the overall personality seems virtually unchanged between the versions offered to the French Air Force in the 1950s and those of the fourth generation presented by Breguet in 2023, the Type XX Chronographe 2067 and Type 20 Chronographe 2057 are watches firmly rooted in modernity. Indeed, every detail of the graphics on their faces, every element that makes up the aesthetic ergonomics of their bodies, has been studied at length.

After a meticulous analysis of the archives, Breguet chose to work in coherence with its past to determine a stylistic vocabulary to be retained on this steel binomial, while adding a few changes here and there. The crown, in particular, is not the same for each model, conical on one to evoke the pear shape of old pilots’ watches and flat on the other for a touch of modernity, but still fluted. The bezel features knurled flanks and no graduations apart from a triangular marker on the Type 20, while the bezel supporting the Type XX case is notched and bears a black-lacquered scale.

On the dial side, to maintain the contrast between the black disc and the various displays, the Manufacture has chosen to play with the color of the luminescent material (soft green for reference 2057 and sandy beige for 2067), the shape of the central hands (baton or alpha) and those of the counters (curved or straight). The azure or matte finish of the sub-dials and their inscriptions (Arabic numerals or slender hour-markers) also play an important role. Finally, the modern touch also applies to the bracelets, as each version is supplied with calfskin leather or steel links, always with a black NATO link as a supplement, which can be replaced by other options to be chosen from the range offered by Breguet.

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The presentation of the fourth-generation Type XX, to be unveiled in June 2023, is accompanied by a mechanical feat embodied by the caliber 728. This powerful self-winding flyback chronograph movement, set to a high frequency of 5hz (36,000 vibrations per hour), which took around four years to develop exclusively for this Breguet collection, is assembled using 350 components.

It powers the Type XX Chronographe 2067 model, the so-called “civilian” version that takes up the technical codes defined by the French naval aeronautics industry in the late 1950s, and features a first totalizer graduated over 15 minutes at 9 o’clock on the dial, and a second one for the hours at 6 o’clock. This reliable heart, with its silicon balance-spring and escapement wheel assembly and oscillating weight openworked to form the silhouette of a monoplane, comes with a second movement, caliber 7281, housed in the Type 20 Chronographe 2057 case. The military-style variant was inspired by the Air Force’s 1953 specifications, with three sub-dials (small seconds at 3 o’clock, 60-minute chronograph counters at 9 o’clock and 12-hour chronograph counters at 6 o’clock). Both feature a date display in an open window at 4:30. The caliber 728, for which several patent applications have been filed, as well as its declination, deliver a high power reserve of 60 hours to suit modern short-time measurement.

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The Type XX collection is based on two historical pillars of Breguet, two branches that have intertwined over time: Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), the peerless master clockmaker who founded a workshop in Paris in 1775 and transformed the science of timekeeping, and Louis Breguet (1880-1955), the revolutionary aircraft designer and great-great-grandson of the former, who built aircrafts that contributed to the victory of 1918.

Originally, before becoming an indispensable chronograph for navigators in the skies, the Type XX was an administrative code name determined by the French Air Force. When the latter issued a call for tenders in 1953 to design a flight instrument to be worn on the wrist, Breguet’s two areas of expertise came together: the company’s past as an aircraft manufacturer joined with its age-old watchmaking expertise to build a watch to very precise specifications: a sturdy timepiece that could withstand extreme conditions, measured at least 38mm in diameter, with a dark dial featuring luminescent numerals and hands to capture time information even in the dark, and equipped with a flyback chronograph function, a complex system mastered by Breguet. In 1954, after numerous tests, the company’s watch was chosen by the French Air Force, which ordered 1,100 examples, followed by the French Naval Aviation which bought 500 pieces. Each model had its own particularities to suit the needs and uses of these two military entities.

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Just under a year ago, a duo of chronographs inspired by instruments produced by Breguet for the French Air Force made it world debut, one with a military look (Type 20 Chronograph 2057) and the other with a “civilian” style (Type XX Chronograph 2067). These new models come with two straps each: tobacco or dark calf leather strands, depending on the version, and a black textile NATO strap.

This year, as versatility is in the air, the watch brand has chosen to equip this pairing with three rows of steel links attached to a folding clasp. Their matte and shiny finish echoes that of the 42mm-diameter case, creating a harmonious whole. Fluid and ergonomic, this sturdy, sporty bracelet specially developed for the Type XX adapts to the circumference of the wrist, as it features a “comfort link” that can be extended by around 2mm. As the body’s overall volume fluctuates throughout the day, according to the seasons and different activities, this practical system is ideal for a precise fit against the skin.

In addition to steel, Breguet also offers calfskin leather bracelets in the same dark hue as the dials of its Type XX models, with stitching that evokes the colors of the luminescent material on the Arabic hour numerals and hands: soft green for reference 2057 and sandy beige for 2067. As for the NATO straps, three new colors – sand, gray and khaki – now enrich the range, inviting you to personalize your watch according to your current tastes and desires.

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