Introducing The Breguet Type XX Chronographe 2075

Whenever I write about a watch, or anything for that matter, I like to find a story I can latch on to that will help me explain the significance, appeal, or emotion behind it.

Something that makes it worth writing about not only from an entertainment perspective, but a meaningful one too. This is no mean feat, and I often have to reach deep into the esoteric to find something that interests me. A great example is the time when I compared the Piaget Polo to a bar of Chocolate, or how the Richard Mille RM67-01 reminded me of a book about tea. Other times, however, it’s easy to find that thread to pull. Every so often, the story writes itself, just like this one.

When I think of Breguet, I think of one thing. The Tourbillon. Created by Abraham Louis Breguet in 1795, the whirlwind complication captured the hearts and minds of horology enthusiasts well into the 20th and 21st century. It’s a well trodden path for journalists and copywriters to inject a little magic into the ‘Breguet Story’ and talk about its fabled founder and his complication. However, in the interest of freshness, I want to take a different route. Let’s talk about our mate Abraham’s great-great-grandson instead.

The First Flight From Paris to New York.

On the first of September 1930. Two French aviators, Dieudonné Costes and Maurice Bellonte, were the first to fly east across the Atlantic Ocean from Paris to New York. A distance of 6200 km, for a total of 37 hours. This was a much more significant (and celebrated) achievement than the poor bloke that flew the same route, in the opposite direction, only three years before. The greater importance due to the east to west route being a more difficult one. Pesky headwinds, apparently. The aircraft they set out in was a modified version of a Breguet 19, called the Super Bidon — built to carry the extra fuel necessary for the trip.

Hang on, Breguet made aeroplanes? Yes, but not the Breguet we know and love. Louis Charles Breguet (Abraham’s great-great-grandson) was one of the early pioneers of French aviation and was responsible for supplying military aircraft to support the French in WW1 and WW2. He also built Gyroplanes, an insane cross between a helicopter, a clothes drying rack and a rusty chicken coop. It’s a miracle anyone survived back then.  

A “Point d’Interrogation” (question mark) was painted on the side of the Super Bidon because they weren’t sure if they were going to make it, I presume. Being ahead of its time in design, construction and material use, it was one of the first aircraft to be made from Duralumin, an advanced light weight, age hardened aluminium-copper alloy. This, along with the 5000 Litres of fuel carried onboard, meant that our friends Dieudonné Costes and Maurice Bellonte made it safely across the pond. Headwinds be damned.
Ok, back to watches…. Or I might need to start an aviation blog called ‘The Propeller’…

Introducing The Breguet Type XX Chronographe 2075

Breguet chronographs have always been interesting, not only for their immense historical significance, but their complete aesthetic commitment to tradition. Gregory Kissling, Breguet’s CEO, mentioned at launch; “We wanted to get as close as possible to the original model, and these elements were part of that. So, we’re presenting two products aimed at purists, connoisseurs of the Type XX, who are looking for a worthy heir to the models of the 1950s.” It’s clear that the past is important when it comes to new releases for the brand.

The two new chronographs released for the Breguet’s 250th anniversary are inspired by a watch from 1955. A civilian version of a chronograph the brand produced for the French Air Force and Naval Aviation. Both feature a 38.3 mm case in Breguet Gold, and are powered by the beautiful Calibre 7279.

The 7279 is a manually wound, fly-back chronograph with a 60-hour power reserve and a high, 5 htz beat rate. That’s great, don’t get me wrong, but the real star of the show here is the decoration. Engraved by hand on the main plate is a depiction of the Breguet Super Bidon, complete with “Point d’Interrogation” on its side, the coastlines of Paris and New York and the route plotted out between the two continents. It’s beautifully done, and manages to create a connection to the flight without doing something silly like putting a propeller on the dial.

Some insufferable movement decoration fans will complain about the lack of internal angles or Côte de Genève on the Calibre 7279. To them I say stop taking yourself so seriously. Movement finishing isn’t about ticking off a list of things to include, or a game of top trumps. It’s about expression and how it makes the owners feel when they turn their watches over. I consider a movement to be ‘good’ if I can feel the passion of the watchmaker through the crystal. And that, I’m happy to say, I can with the Calibre 7279.

The two versions of the watch have very distinct dials. One has a black anodised aluminium (Duralumin!?) dial, painted Arabic numerals and the classic “Big Eye” sub-dial at 3. The second comes as a limited edition with a 925 silver dial, blue seconds hand and Breguet gold markers. Both are beautiful, but If I had to choose one, it would be the Big Eye for me.

What Is Breguet Gold?

Continuing on from Louis Breguet’s innovative use of Duralumin in the Super Bidon, The Type XX Chronographe 2075 is made from the brand’s relatively new material ‘Breguet gold’. Released this year with the Classique Souscription, it’s made with a mixture of gold, silver, copper, and palladium. To me, looks like it lands somewhere in between Yellow and Rose gold. It’s a tone that should be fairly stable in the long term, as less copper in the mix means less oxidation.
Material science is a field that brands like Hublot (Magic Gold) and Rolex (Ever-Rose) have been doing for a while. I think it’s an interesting differentiator in this case, and one that Breguet can own and build on in the future. Will we see a Breguet platinum or a Breguet white gold in the future? What about straps made from Breguet cows? Who knows, but I’m here for it.

I often wonder whether it’s a good move for some brands to be so focused on their history. Does it stifle innovation, creativity, or progress? I think it can, and some brands could do with looking more towards the future. Your windscreen is bigger than your rearview mirror for a reason.

With Breguet, however, their past is so rich and full of history that it makes sense for them to look back and draw from it. Like Porsche with their 911 or Martin with the D-28, they got it right back in the 1960s and 1930s respectively. These are products that are so close to perfect that only subtle, incremental improvements are necessary. I consider Breguet to be in the same league. Their innovation made the industry what it is today, and to be able to pay tribute to that is an incredible thing.

The Type XX Chronographe 2075 is, undoubtedly, a beautiful representation of Breguet’s history, and a fitting tribute to the early days of French aviation. With the Classique Souscription, the Tradition Seconde Rétrograde and now this pair of Chronographs, The brand that brought us the Tourbillon is in for a banger of a 250th birthday. I can't wait to see what’s coming next!

Cya in the next one x