A NEW CHAPTER
In the long and fascinating history of the brand since its founder’s arrival in Paris, the watch brand has combined two important chapters to write a new one, symbolized by the presentation of two automatic chronographs.
If the mechanical genius of Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823) resonates within modern watchmaking, the name of Louis Breguet (1880-1955), his great-great-grandson, is profoundly linked to the rise of aviation. These two chapters in the fascinating history of this famous last name, whose family tree is full of illustrious personalities, gave rise in the 1950s to the design of a chronograph intended for the air force and available in two versions, one military (Type 20) and one civilian (Type XX). With the arrival of the 4th generation of this collection in 2023, Breguet returns to the original binomial spirit and presents two watches, including the civilian model, the Type XX Chronographe 2067.
This reference is driven by a new exclusive motor resulting of 4 years of development, the caliber 728 with flyback function. Set to a frequency of 5hz and equipped with a single barrel, it provides 60 hours of power reserve when fully wound via its blackened gold oscillating weight that presents a shape similar to the silhouette an old monoplane.
True to Abraham-Louis Breguet‘s philosophy, the dial’s graphic design focuses above all on the legibility of the various displays. Inspired by the first Type XXs produced some 70 years ago for the French naval aeronautics, it features a dark, matte tint that contrasts with the ivory luminescence of the large Arabic numerals and alpha-type hands. The difference in the circumference of the counters reflects a certain hierarchical approach to time information: the 15′ totalizer, fueled by the central second hand, takes pride of place at around 3 o’clock, while the hour totalizer (at 6 o’clock) and small seconds (at 9 o’clock) seem to fade into the background. To provide an additional landmark, the date appears discreetly in an aperture at 4:30. The steel case of the Type XX Chronographe 2067 measures 42mm in diameter and 14.1mm thick, and supports a graduated rotating bezel. It attaches to the wrist with one of two easily interchangeable straps, either two strands of beige calf leather or a black NATO band.
