Lot Essay
Breguet Type XX Chronograph
The first generation, made from 1954 to 1970, is a steel chronograph with a black dial and steel rotating bezel. It was noted for the legibility of the indicators which, for military use, presented a 30-minute counter for the Air Force or a 15-minute counter for the Naval Air Force. Civilian versions such as the present watch were available with a 12-hour totalizer. The Type XX remains the most famous and most widely produced Breguet wristwatch of the post-war era. In the 1950s and 1960s several manufacturers supplied chronograph wristwatches to the French armed forces, originally designated Type XX. One of the requirements of the French Defence Ministry was the ‘retour en vol’ or ‘flyback’ function, allowing to instantly stop, reset and restart the chronograph function with a single press of the lower button. Breguet's Type XX is the most renowned and most desirable of these French military chronographs. It was produced in small quantities until it obtained the official approval of the French services in 1950.
The first generation, made from 1954 to 1970, is a steel chronograph with a black dial and steel rotating bezel. It was noted for the legibility of the indicators which, for military use, presented a 30-minute counter for the Air Force or a 15-minute counter for the Naval Air Force. Civilian versions such as the present watch were available with a 12-hour totalizer. The Type XX remains the most famous and most widely produced Breguet wristwatch of the post-war era. In the 1950s and 1960s several manufacturers supplied chronograph wristwatches to the French armed forces, originally designated Type XX. One of the requirements of the French Defence Ministry was the ‘retour en vol’ or ‘flyback’ function, allowing to instantly stop, reset and restart the chronograph function with a single press of the lower button. Breguet's Type XX is the most renowned and most desirable of these French military chronographs. It was produced in small quantities until it obtained the official approval of the French services in 1950.