The House of Breguet will present a faithful re-edition of its renowned pilot’s watch, produced as a one of a kind piece for Only Watch 2021. Following on from the Type 20 military chronograph put up for sale at the 2019 auction, this new model pays tribute to the civilian editions of the Type XX chronograph from the 1950s and 1960s. It meticulously reproduces the visual and mechanical codes of this emblematic Breguet timepiece.
The case for this Type XX chronograph remains loyal to its past, with its contained diameter of 38.30mm as per the original, as well as a typical curvature of the horns embellished by a lateral bevel along with some generously sized pushbuttons. Unlike its military versions, this unique piece comes equipped with a straight crown, as seen in the Type XX civilian use models. The bidirectional steel bezel has been given the same attention to precision on this piece, which comes fitted with a 12 hour scale, along with a luminous triangular marker that is strongly inspired by the first generation of civilian Type XX pieces.
This model is also notable for its rather specific dial the bronze color is a nod to the extremely rare civilian and military models with dials colored in this way that were sold at the time. Following sustained exposure to sunlight or moonlight, black dials may acquire a bronze hue - a patina effect which is highly sought after by collectors today The Type XX Only Watch 2021 chronograph is also notable for its specific architecture, featuring a small seconds subdial at nine o’clock and a 30 minute totalizer at three o’clock with an increased diameter, luminous markers and the teardrop shaped hand that differ from the original military versions. This watch offers excellent readability in all conditions, while the shape of the hands leads them to be colloquially referred to as “ Both the hands and the large Arabic numerals are treated with Super-LumiNova®. The Breguet signature is visible at 12 o’clock, as one would expect on a civilian version.
The historical coherence does not stop at the casing detail. Indeed, the Type XX Only Watch 2021 comes equipped with a Valjoux 235 13-line movement directly derived from the Valjoux 222 14 lines used by Breguet in the 1950s and early 1960s. T his hand wound column wheel chronograph movement has been restored and returned to service by the House of Breguet. In doing so, the Type XX Only Watch 2021 respects the historical functions and proportions of the pieces upon which it is based. Of course, this movement is fitted with the flyback function, without which it could never be a true Type XX pilot chronograph.
As with the original, the Breguet Type XX Only Watch 2021 is fitted with a screwed steel caseback providing water resistance to 30 meters. The eventual owner of this piece will also notice the “Only Watch 2021 Pièce Unique” wording engraved on the caseback. This unique model features a calfskin leather strap with a steel pin buckle and is presented in an airplane wing shaped case.
