Breguet’s iconic pilot’s watches ‒ Type 20 and Type XX ‒ are back and better than ever
Breguet releases the much-awaited fourth generation of the Type 20 and Type XX in 42mm stainless steel.
The invention of the tourbillon, Marie Antoinette’s most complicated pocket watch, women’s watches with royal pedigree, and a slew of stunning dress watches — these are accomplishments Breguet and its illustrious founder Abraham-Louis are perhaps most famous for. But that means it can be easy to miss the fact that the brand is also known for one of the most significant pilot’s watches in horological history.
Breguet was making chronographs suitable for military aviation from as early as the 1930s, but its most popular models were to come in the 1950s, when the French Air Force put out a call to watchmakers to create highly technical and hardy timepieces for its pilots. Breguet was one of the few to win the contract to build them, and the Air Force placed an order for 1,100 of them, known as the Type 20. So precise and reliable were these instruments that the French Navy ordered another 500 watches for its airborne wing, the Aeronautique Navale, in 1958. Two years later, Breguet delivered the Type XX, which had a 15-minute totaliser instead of a 30-minute totaliser found on its predecessor. It didn’t take long for the public to start coveting these robust and sporty models, so Breguet acquiesced, offering “civilian” versions of the Type XX models.
Despite their popularity, the Type 20 and Type XX watches were something of a rarity in the years that followed. The third generation of these chronographs only showed up as recently as 2010 and was equipped with a high-frequency movement. They appeared again as one-of-a-kind models at the Only Watch auctions in 2019 and 2021.
It was high time for Breguet to answer the call of nostalgia, and that time is now, as it releases the much-awaited fourth generation of the Type 20 and Type XX in 42mm stainless steel. Faithfully recreating the aesthetic of the 1,100 pieces ordered by the French Air Force is the Type 20 Chronographe 2057. Like the original, it features a black dial with Arabic numerals, a two-register layout with a 30-minute totaliser at 3 o’clock and 60-second totaliser at 9 o’clock, mint green-coloured luminescent material in the numerals and hands, a pear-shaped crown, and a fluted bidirectional bezel.
The crown is adjustable in three positions, allowing the wearer to set the date — a modern addition for increased usefulness — and the time. A pusher at 2 o’clock activates the chronograph while another one at 4 o’clock engages the flyback function.
The Type XX Chronographe 2067 is a recreation of the civilian version of the chronograph from the 1950s and 1960s — specifically the Ref. 2988 from 1957, though here too, a date has been added as a modern concession. The overall style echoes the crisp legibility of the Type 20 Chronographe 2057 but distinguishes itself with a three-register display: A 15-minute totaliser at 3 o’clock, 12-hour totaliser at 6 o’clock and running seconds at 9 o’clock. Other notable differences include the cream-coloured lume and an engraved bidirectional bezel.
The Calibre 728 and the 7281 power the Type 20 and Type XX respectively, and both are self-winding, with a column wheel and vertical clutch for smooth operation of the integrated chronograph. A balance spring, escape wheel and pallet-lever horns crafted from silicon ensure their immunity to magnetism, resulting in greater accuracy. The movements beat at a high frequency of 5Hz, and provide 60 hours of power reserve, and are water resistant to 100m. If you flip it over, you can admire the lush finishing of the calibres through their exhibition case backs, where components have been meticulously decorated with snailing, bevelling, circular-graining, and a sunburst pattern. As another nod to its aviation heritage, the rotor has been shaped like an aircraft wing and engraved with the Breguet logo.
The Type 20 comes with a black calfskin strap while the Type XX is offered with a tan version, but both watches have access to an additional NATO fabric strap which can be easily interchanged.
Whether it’s the no-nonsense, tool watch-appeal of the Type 20 or the slightly more casual and visually busy flair of the Type XX, these vintage-inspired models are the contemporary comebacks we’ve been waiting for.