Breguet Type XX

Breguet is a Swiss manufacture founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris in 1775. Type XX is its pilot's chronograph, a watch with roots in aviation history. In the 1950s the manufacture made these chronographs for the French Ministry of Defence, including for naval aviators, and the military's main requirement was the flyback function. The related Type XXI and Type XXII lines have their own pages.

All the Type XX watches covered here are mechanical and self-winding. They use Breguet calibre 582 or its date version 582 Q; both are based on the Lemania 1350, with a 48-hour power reserve, and the 582 Q beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. The collection is recognised by its case: coin-edge fluting on the sides, a rotating bezel with a scale for short intervals, a dark dial with large numerals and luminescent hands, and a sapphire crystal.

The Type XX chronographs come in two versions: the military Aéronavale and the civilian Transatlantique. Cases are made of stainless steel, titanium and 18-carat yellow gold, measuring 39 or 39.5 mm, on a leather strap or bracelet.