Grade One Replica Watch

Back to The Roots: Breguet Type 20 Chronographe 2057 and Type XX Chronographe 2067

06 June 2023

After four years of development, the time has come: Breguet presents two new pilot’s watches inspired by the Maison's military (Type 20) as well as civilian (Type XX) models of the 1950s. The new Type 20 Chronographe 2057 and the Type XX Chronographe 2067 fully stand in the tradition of Breguet’s close relationship with aviation. This goes back to the aircraft manufacturer and inventor of the Gyroplanes (the forerunner of the helicopter) Louis Charles Breguet, in the early 20th century. He is no less than the great-great-grandson of Abraham-Louis Breguet.Louis Charles Breguet was primarily an aircraft manufacturer. His grandfather, Louis-Clement Breguet ran the watchmaking workshop and Maison Breguet, though he sold it to his workshop director Edward Brown in 1870. Nevertheless, the two companies maintained very good relations. During the two world wars, Louis Charles Breguet produced military aircraft for the French Air Force – the timepieces for the cockpit and wristwatches for the pilots came from the Maison Breguet watch manufacture. Here, you can find an in-depth article about the history of pilot's watches at Breguet.Three generationsThe newly presented models date back to Breguet’s post-World War II history and are inspired by the pilot watches from the 1950s. Back in the early 1950s, the French Air Force was looking for a watchmaker to produce a watch for them according to certain specifications. The required criteria included a black dial with luminous material, a bi-directional rotating bezel and a chronograph with a “flyback” function. Breguet secured the contract in 1954 and in 1955 released the first generation Type 20 watches with a 30-minute counter and Valjoux 222 calibre, which was delivered to the French Air Force until 1959. With a 15-minute and 12-hour totalizer slightly adapted to different needs, Breguet also supplied Navy fighter pilots and test pilots with this chronograph until 1970.Breguet Type 20 from around 1955This first generation was then followed by the second generation from 1971 until its discontinuation in 1985. With this edition of the Type 20, there were some changes in appearance and calibre. For example, the case diameter was larger and the bezel was only unidirectional rotatable. There was also a ‘big eye’ subdial counter and an integrated Valjoux 235 or 725 calibre.Breguet Type XX from 1975Finally, after almost 10 years, the Type XX celebrated its revival in 1995, marking the start of the third generation. For the first time, the Type XX Aeronaval 3800 ST featured an in-house automatic movement with calibre 582 for the Type 20 or Type XX. In the following years, the Type XX was further developed in the form of the Type XXI and Type XXII, with the appearance of these models moving further and further away from their origins.In view of the great demand, Breguet introduced a civilian version with the designation Type XX as early as the 1950s. This allowed the military models to be distinguished from the civilian models by listing the military pilot watches under Type 20 and the civilian variants under Type XX.Back to the rootsIn the 2010s, limited editions and unique pieces were released to mark anniversaries, bringing back memories of the original pilot’s watch design. Through this year’s new models, the Type 20 is making a big comeback. While the Type 20 Chronographe 2057 harks back to the military model, the civilian watch served as the inspiration for the Type XX Chronographe 2067. In the following, we will take a closer look at how this is reflected in the design and how the two timepieces correspond or differ. You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Default. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers. Unblock content Accept required service and unblock content More Information..................