Nuovi Breguet Type XX: ispirati dal cielo e dalla storia

For its 250th anniversary, Breguet is treating itself to a world tour to unveil a series of celebratory watches destined to remain in the brand’s history. In April, in Paris, the brand unveiled the Classique Souscription 2025; last month in Shanghai the Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035 made its debut; and now, in New York, Breguet has presented to the public for the first time two new references of the historic Type XX.

A name that is a milestone in watchmaking history – whose origins we recounted in this article. Since its relaunch alongside the Type 20 military version in 2023, the Type XX has become even more of a collector’s item, so much so that last year Breguet introduced a stunning version, with a rose gold case, blue dial and ceramic bezel. Now, in the Big Apple, the Swiss brand has doubled down by unveiling two new watches.

THE BREGUET GOLD CASE

We have already written about the history of the Type XX and Type 20 and how these watches are closely linked to the world of aeronautics in the article presenting the novelties of 2023, quoted above. We do not think it is appropriate to go over it again: better to concentrate on the chronographs that have just been presented, for which Breguet has allowed itself to seek inspiration in the references of the past, while giving them a decidedly contemporary touch of elegance and technology.

These two new watches feature smaller cases than their predecessors. We are talking about a diameter of 38.3 mm and a thickness of 13.2 mm. The diameter is no coincidence, as it is the same case size as the Type XX of 1955, from which it all began. What differentiates these chronographs is the case material: Breguet gold – which we have already seen in the Classique Souscription 2025. It is an 18-carat alloy composed of 75% gold enriched with silver, copper and palladium. The unique and exclusive composition, designed and developed by Breguet, gives the alloy a distinctive blond sheen. In addition to the case, the slender bidirectional rotating bezel is also made of Breguet gold and is embellished with engraved black numerals.

THE DIALS OF THE NEW TYPE XX

The colour of the case and bezel contrasts sharply with that of the dials, which are of different shades and materials. For the reference 2075BH/G9/398, Breguet has chosen the colour silver, thanks to the use of this material. In the 2075BH/99/398, on the other hand, the dial is black and made of a special alloy called Duralumin, composed of 95% aluminium. An alloy that found a place in this chronograph mainly for a historical reason; it was in fact used by aviation pioneer Louis Breguet, great-grandson of Abraham-Louis, to forge the fuselage of his planes.

The deep black colour of the dial is obtained through a process of anodising Duralumin, which gives the alloy a strong mechanical resistance. Not surprisingly, this process is widely used today in the aerospace industry. The use of Duralumin is ‘declared’ by Breguet on the dial of the watch with the ‘AI’ inscription, positioned between 7 and 8 o’clock using a tone-on-tone which makes it very discreet. In the same position, but at the edge of the dial, the Ag925 marking appears on the reference with the silver dial.

The differences between the dials of the two references are substantial, beyond colour and material. For the black version, Breguet has chosen the same configuration as the Type 20 Chronographe 2057 with two counters, the continuous seconds hand at 9 o’clock and the Big Eye 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock. There is great variety in the shapes of the hands: syringe-shaped for the hours and minutes, arrow-shaped for the chronograph seconds, baton-shaped for the continuous seconds, and teardrop-shaped for the 30-minute hand. 

The solid silver dial of the second reference is decidedly richer, even in history. It is in fact inspired by the N°  1780, a somewhat experimental 1955 chronograph that was ideally supposed to be one of the first civil versions of the military Type 20 ordered by the French Air Force to Breguet the year before. Along with two Type 20s with 30-minute counters, that Type XX with a 15-minute counter had a gold case and a graduated rotating bezel with blue enamel numerals. The three watches, however, were never marketed. The Maison managed to get hold of that very Type XX, which is now on display in the Breguet Museum and which provided the inspiration for the reference 2075BH/G9/398.

On this model, the dial has a vertical brushed finish that contrasts with the circular finish of the bezel. At 3 o’clock we find the 15-minute counter, at 9 o’clock that of the continuous seconds. The applied hour markers and Arabic numerals are made of Breguet gold, the same material as the hour and minute hands, with green-emitting beige luminescent paint; the chronograph seconds hand, on the other hand, is in blued steel, as those of the two counters. At 12 o’clock (here and on the other reference), the Breguet name stands out, applied in Breguet gold, and unlike the 2075BH/99/398, the model features a tachymeter scale with a base of 450 around the edge of the dial.

THE FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH MOVEMENT AND BREGUET HERITAGE

The mechanical hearts of the two Type XXs are the hand-wound calibres 7278 (silver dial version) and 7279 (black dial). Essentially, the presence of an extra component in the 7279 (258 versus 257) is what differentiates them, but they have similar characteristics such as the high frequency (36,000 vibrations per hour), a silicon balance spring, silicon lugs and the same power reserve of around 60 hours, guaranteed by the single barrel. The chronograph movement is a flyback, as specified by the ‘Retour en Vol’ engraving on the large bridge, visible through the sapphire back.

As in other fine Breguet watches, apart from the mechanical excellence, the bridge is also a work of art. It is hand-engraved, and those who – like ourselves – have visited the manufacture know that those who make them are true artists. It reproduces the Breguet 19 aircraft that, piloted by Dieudonné Costes and Maurice Bellonte, made the first Atlantic crossing from Paris to New York in 1930. The route they followed and the outline of the European and North American coasts are also engraved on the movement.

The look of the chronographs is completed by interchangeable leather straps, shaded black for the black dial version and shaded blue for the silver dial version. Both are closed by Breguet gold pin buckles. The two watches come inside an original Moroccan red leather case, the same that Mr Breguet himself used in the 18th century, inspired by the case of the time: we have already seen it with the Classique Souscription 2025.

Regarding the prices – €43,400 for the black Type XX, €45,200 for the silver version, limited to 250 pieces – the best way to understand the importance of the collection in Breguet’s strategy is to rely on the words of the CEO, Gregory Kissling: ‘The Type XX line holds a special place in the Breguet collections: born from a rich history linked to aviation, it bears witness to the Maison’s technical expertise in the field of chronographs. Particular attention has been paid to historical design codes for the Type XX models, in order to harmoniously complete the collections and appeal to an audience with a passion about watchmaking and history’. Nothing more to add.

By Davide Passoni