Can you tell us about the Breguet family’s link to aviation because it wasn’t only in watchmaking that they excelled?
The link for people who know the Breguet brand is simply to explain that after three generations, the Breguet family has done other things besides watchmaking, and among these things is aviation. Louis-Clément, a descendant of Abraham-Louis, was a pioneer in the field of aviation and was one of the most important airplane constructors of his era. He built planes that have been a little bit forgotten today, but that were very important for about 50 years, not only in France, but also around the world, and for several decades. He was really one of the manufacturers that counted. The other amusing thing is that the family has always kept links with the owners of Breguet watches, so my grandfather was able to tell the Breguet watch company what they needed to do to meet the needs of the day’s pilots. On that basis, it was a great opportunity for the Breguet brand to have access to this information about the world of aircraft.
When do the first pilots’ watches start to appear?
In the pre-war period, Breguet was already starting to make special products for aviation, but these were not yet wristwatches. They were dashboard clocks because pilots very quickly realized that they needed to know the time when they were flying. So, Breguet made instruments for plane dashboards, as well as some chronograph wristwatches. After the war, more official aviation watches came into being as pilots needed the time on the instrument panel in front of them, but also on their arm as a backup.
During this period, Breguet collaborated with numerous branches of military and civil aviation. What would you say are the three most important?
I would say that it all began with the French Air Force, which commissioned a watch with a black dial and luminescent hands; as well as would be vibration, acceleration, and heat resistant; and would have a flyback function. Development was already underway from 1949 onwards, but it was in 1953 that the French Air Force launched this project called the Type XX. So, it was the Air Force that created the name and not Breguet. There was also the French Centre d’Essais en Vol, which is a much smaller organization than the Air Force, that brings together test pilots who test both aircraft and all the equipment that goes with it. And the third organization that should not be forgotten is the Aéronautique Navale belonging to the French Navy, whose aircraft operate from aircraft carriers. In parallel with these prestigious orders, Breguet produced many other Type XXs for civilian use.
Do these watches turn up at auction?
Interest in these military watches from the ‘50s and ‘60s started quite a long time ago; over the last 15 years that has been in line with the vintage trend. At auctions, there are quite a few Type XXs appearing, and then our role is to retrace their origin in our archives. Generally speaking, Type XXs are of interest to collectors on discussion forums around the world (different variants, models, and details) and collectors are asking a lot of questions. It is for this reason I wanted to write a little book about the subject in which I try to answer these questions.
Over the years, are there any anecdotes that you can share?
There is a lovely story about Jaqueline Auriol, who was a very famous French female pilot in the 1950s. She had a strong rival in the United States called Jaqueline Cochran, and they were both competing for the speed record at the same time. One year it would be Jaqueline Auriol in front and a few months later, Jaqueline Cochran would take the lead. This went on for over a decade and the whole world followed their exploits. My grandfather, who had a lot of respect for Jaqueline Auriol, and was one of the first people outside of the army to buy Type XXs, bought several and offered one to Jaqueline Auriol as a gift.
