2023-11-23 17:20:34
Last June, Breguet invited us to the Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget to present the new pieces from the TYPE XX collection. The most important aeronautical museum in France was, of course, the ideal setting to display them, but it also allowed the brand to remind us that aviation was an integral part of its history. We cannot dispute the intimate link that exists between these two universes. A look back at a story that takes us off the beaten track.
A family of pioneers
In his time, Abraham-Louis Breguet, a genius watchmaker, succeeded in pushing the limits in his field. Inventor of the tourbillon, he also developed the so-called “perpetual” automatic watch, invented the gong-spring for repeating watches, but also the drop guard, the first anti-shock device, thus revolutionizing all facets of watchmaking. Don’t they say that damn it can’t lie? The passion for conquering the sky was developed by his great-great-grandson. A new way to perpetuate the pioneering spirit that drives the family. His story is less known than that of his ancestor. And yet… First, with his brother, he invented a gyroplane, ancestor of the helicopter, in 1905. Six years later, he founded his company, Breguet Aviation. This activity is far from being anecdotal. In its workshops, the company creates aircraft, notably the Breguet 14 biplanes, used by France during the First World War. They will quickly equip other squadrons and will be manufactured in more than 8000 units. After the war, they will be used for airmail or commercial flights until the next war when other, more efficient aircraft will emerge.
An unknown legitimacy
The collusion between aviators and watchmakers seems quite natural. The former need reliable instruments when they are at altitude, the latter imagine these instruments and have continued to improve them for more than a century. We owe the first aviator’s watch to Louis Cartier who designed it in 1917 for his friend, the aviator Santos Dumont. Others will jump on the bandwagon, or rather the plane, and create, with more or less success, pieces for the civil or military fields. Breguet, for its part, began to design instruments for cockpit dashboards, but also watches for aviators. The first wrist chronographs were presented in 1935.
Type XX in a few lines
According to the archives, the story begins at the very beginning of the 1950s, when the House, already a specialist in the manufacture of cutting-edge products for aviation, learned that the French Air Force was seeking to equip its pilots with a chronograph wristwatch with several requirements: black dial with luminescent numerals, luminescent hands, high-quality movement resistant to pressure changes and accelerations, rotating bezel and, of course, “rewind” function
flight”, to name only the most important. It is the Ministry of Air which gives the future product the name “TYPE XX”. Several companies compete and win markets, which means that several brands will produce TYPE XX. On the other hand, the brands selected for public procurement can also sell the same product to private customers. This is how we will find military TYPE XX and civilian TYPE XX. The prototypes submitted by the House in 1952 were approved, a year later, by the Aeronautical Technical Service. In 1954, the Air Force ordered 1,100 military pieces which were delivered between 1955 and 1959. They had a total of 30 mn and their dial is unsigned. On the back are the official inscriptions “BREGUET — TYPE 20 – 5101/54”. In 1971, the second generation TYPE XX was offered.
It is recognizable by its enlarged polished steel case, its thick lugs and its black bezel. This model is available with or without a 12-hour counter, however its counter is always 15 minutes. Over time, many variations will be offered. The family grew once more, in 2004, with the arrival of the TYPE XXI (ref 3810 in 2010 with the impressive TYPE XXII [réf 3880].
Four years of work were necessary before unveiling the new generation of the iconic TYPE XX, with two versions to meet all expectations, one with a military look, the other inspired by the most beautiful civilian models:
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#watchmaking #excellence #serving #aviation