FLYING BACK AGAIN
The firm established in the Joux Valley, forever true to its illustrious roots, which played a role in the development of watchmaking then in that of aviation, unveils two limited editions of a novel automatic chronograph with flyback function.
In Breguet’s family tree, a host of figures stand out through their inventiveness which played a role in the development of specific fields crucial to the course of History. These, of course, include the engineer-watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), founder of the current-day eponymous firm, as well as his great-great-grandson Charles Breguet (1880-1955), an aviation pioneer. The Type XX collection was imagined in 1995 to commemorate these two illustrious men and is today enhanced with two Type XXI 3815 chronographs, available in 250 pieces per reference.
This new model, boasting a bright orange or green color, takes on a 42 mm titanium case, waterproof to depths of 100 m, and features case sides decorated with the famous fluting. It houses the automatic 594Q/A caliber beating at 4 Hz and delivering a power reserve of 48 hours with its gold oscillating weight visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback.
On the sunray-brushed black dial, where two snailed counters with different diameters have been cut out (small seconds at 9 o’clock and 24-hour indicator at 3 o’clock), thick Breguet numerals and 4 central hands set off with colored luminescent material emphasize the dynamic look of the watch. The two tapered baton-shaped ones, which conjure up the cathedral style typical of yesteryear’s pilot watches, display the hours and minutes. The 3rd with a hollow lozenge on its counterpoise ticks over the chronograph seconds which the 4th tipped with an orange lozenge totalizes as it hovers overs the white minute tracker on the flange.
The Type XXI 3815 is complemented by an aged-look dark-chocolate-colored calfskin strap for the orange version and a dark beige one for the green variation, both attached by a folding clasp.
Price: CHF14,500 breguet.com
By Sharmila Bertin