Breguet Type XX 'Sterile' Dial Flyback Chronograph

Amongst collectors of military watches, the Type 20 is certainly one of the most sought after. 

A pilot’s chronograph, the Type 20 was designed according to a standard that the French Aéronautique Militaire issued in the 1950s. Aesthetically, the watch — with its stark black dial, bold Arabic numerals, and stainless steel case — resembled other military chronographs of the era. But the Type 20 had to have a flyback function — or, in French, retour en vol — that enabled the pilot to stop, reset and start the chronograph again by depressing the bottom pusher just once. Several manufactures produced watches to the Type 20 specification including Vixa, Auricoste, Airain, Dodane, and by the brand who's version is commonly agreed upon to be the most desirable - Breguet.

This particular Breguet Type XX dates to the mid 1950s and has six different FG (Fin de Garantie) engravings etched onto the caseback with each contract servicing — indicating service until approximately 1979.

It features a 38mm stainless steel case with beveled, holey lugs with an acrylic crystal, a bi-directional rotating coin-edge indicator bezel, an oversized 'onion' crown, and barrel pushers. Inside, it has a fantastic matte black dial with 'Arabic' indices, printed white subsidiary registers, a white painted 'sword' handset, and a Valjoux Cal. 222 manual winding flyback chronograph movement.

Watches such as these with genuine military provenance don’t surface terribly often...

... and when you strap it on your wrist you’ll quickly see why collectors are always on the hunt for exceptional examples such as this one.

We are massive fans and are delighted to offer this one here.

Few companies are so steeped in history that their name has become a byword for a particular type of product or style. Breguet is one such company: Their famously elegant numerical typeface and matching handset is now de rigueur amongst the most sophisticated dress watches, from Patek Philippe to Longines to, of course, Breguet itself.

However, these numerals and hands are but a single innovation in a long list of horological firsts devised by master watchmaker and inventor Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), a Neuchatel-born savant whose Parisian career saw the advent of myriad watchmaking creations that we take for granted today. Indeed, it was Breguet who devised the first self-winding watches, as well as the first gongs for repeating watches and the tourbillon. Not many inventors can claim the king and queen of France as patrons, but indeed King Louis XVI and his bride Marie Antoinette were amongst his admirers.

20th-century Breguet is no less storied: The company’s Type 20 pilot’s chronograph issued to the French Aéronautique Militaire in the 1950s provided a benchmark for military watch design. Its stark black dial and utilitarian look belied the sophisticated retour en vol (“flyback”) mechanism within the movement, which allowed a pilot to stop, reset and start the chronograph by depressing the bottom pusher just once.

More recently, under the current management of Mark A. Hayek, modern Breguet has continued to register new patents and amass a dedicated following. The brand’s “Classique” dress watches from the 1990s and 2000s, for example, feature some of the most striking dials in modern watchmaking, making use of guilloché patterns, blue steeled hands and Roman numerals. While the company’s contemporary offerings continue to increase in sophistication and the number of complications available, it’s surely these simple, gorgeous time-only models that best encapsulate the elegant timepieces of A.L. Breguet himself.

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Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

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All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.