The "Type XX", Evolved with Aviation History, Returns in Two Models for Military and Civilian Use

BREGUET | Breguet

A collection that, since the 1950s, has been cherished by pilots as a precision timepiece and established its status, is revived.

In 2023, the "Type XX" equipped with a new movement reappears with a design that returns to its origins. This new generation "Type XX" has been developed over four years and is presented in two models. Each is based on a military and a civilian model.

Text by SEKI Ryutaro

What is Breguet's proud masterpiece, the "Type XX"?

The "Type XX" is a wristwatch for pilot equipment designated by the French Ministry of Aviation. In the early 1950s, Breguet learned that the French Air Force was seeking a wristwatch-type chronograph and immediately volunteered to develop it. It was a watch with a black dial, luminous numerals and hands, a robust movement resistant to changes in air pressure and sudden acceleration, a rotating bezel, and a chronograph mechanism with a flyback function.

While multiple brands won contracts with the same military, Breguet also submitted a prototype in 1952. It received approval from the Air Force Technical Department in 1953. In 1954, Breguet received an order for 1,100 military "Type 20" watches from the French Air Force and supplied them from 1955 to 1959.

On the other hand, the supplying companies were permitted to sell the same products to private customers. It was for these reasons that military "Type XX" and civilian "Type XX" watches were produced.

The "Type XX", Evolved with Aviation History, Returns in Two Models for Military and Civilian Use | BREGUET

Breguet Type 20 No. 7211

Type 20 2057 Military Type

This new model draws inspiration from the 1,100 watches supplied to the French Air Force from 1955 to 1959.
As the model from that time was marked with the Arabic numeral "20" rather than Roman numerals, this model also features the same notation.

Original details are reproduced as much as possible: the distinctive syringe-shaped hour and minute hands, the small seconds at 9 o'clock, the black dial with two subdials including a large 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock called the "big eye," a bidirectional rotating bezel with a flat top and a grippy serrated side, and a pear-shaped crown. The triangular marker on the bezel, the Arabic numeral indices, and the entire hands are finished with mint green luminous paint.

Type XX 2067 Civilian Type

While it has the same black dial as the military model, the layout differs, featuring three registers: a 15-minute counter at 3 o'clock and a 12-hour counter at 6 o'clock. The distinctive hand shape, the "big eye" counter, and the bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markers draw inspiration from a 1957 Type XX (case No. 2988) in the Breguet Museum.

The large, flat crown, designed for ease of use, has a classical appearance. The triangular marker on the bezel, the Arabic numerals, and the hands are coated with vintage-style ivory-colored Super-LumiNova.