This Magnificently Detailed Pilot’s Watch Celebrates Its Family’s Forgotten History
Breguet is one of the most respected names in watchmaking, but a century ago, the French family was a pioneering force in aviation.
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The Breguet family’s deep and significant historical roots within the watch industry are well known, but a subsequent branch of the French lineage pioneered a different field.
A century ago, Louis Breguet was the leading figure in French aviation. He founded an aeronautical design company that built the plane for the first Paris-to-New York transatlantic flight in 1930.
As part of its ongoing 250th anniversary celebration, Breguet is reviving the Type XX pilot’s chronograph and honoring that historical flight in a Breguet aircraft with a hand-engraved bridge on the manual movement.
But the historical appeal of this watch doesn’t stop there, as it intertwines a significant chapter in the watchmaker’s history supplying watches for the French Air Force.
In 1952, Breguet submitted a prototype that met the French Air Force’s specifications for a new pilot’s watch. France’s oldest watchmaker won the contract, along with several other companies, and two versions were created: the Type 20 for military use and Type XX for civilian sale.
Breguet has reproduced variations of the Type XX over the years, most recently in 2024 , but this anniversary Type XX 2075BH comes closest to the original solid gold prototype submitted in 1952.
Going for the gold
The Type XX 2075BH presents the kind of beautiful contradiction only found in the highest tiers of watchmaking. It is built to a standard set for military use in the 1950s, but executed to the highest possible degree of precision in every detail, and consists predominantly of precious metal.
The case, bezel, hands and movement are made of the newly introduced 18-karat Breguet gold, an alloy of mostly rose gold, blended with silver, copper and palladium to prevent tarnishing.
Along with durability, it possesses a unique luster beyond ordinary rose gold, enhanced by a satin brushed finish.
Thanks to the inherently thinner nature of manual movements, the 38mm case is only 13mm thick, including a large domed sapphire crystal. It is topped with a Breguet gold bidirectional bezel marked with an engraved 12-hour scale.
The true artistry of the Type XX 2075BH is revealed on the reverse side. An exhibition case back displays the hand-engraved bridge of the Breguet caliber 7279 manual movement.
Beneath the engraving is a horological work of art, which is true to how chronographs were built in the 1950s. A hand-wound column wheel drives a 36,000 bph high-frequency movement with a fly-back stopwatch complication.
It is worth noting that the “big-eye” chronograph dial at three o’clock only totalizes 15 minutes, which is not visually clear and unexpectedly short. This function has been carried over from the original 1952 design.
A limited edition co-pilot
Joining the regular production Type XX 2075BH is a limited edition Type XX with an updated design that includes a 30-minute totalizer and a tachymeter track.
Along with the solid brushed 925 silver dial and Breguet gold plated applied indices, the limited edition Type XX has Breguet gold plated hands of a completely different shape. It also runs a distinct movement, the Breguet caliber 7278 automatic.
Both new Type XX 2075BH references demonstrate Breguet’s talent for executing classical designs to the highest possible standards. Rather than gaudy displays of obtuse architecture and packed-in vestigial features, these luxury-tier watches display tact and respect for the art.
Availability and pricing
The Breguet Type XX Chronographe 2075BH is available now from Breguet for $43,500.
The accompanying limited edition silver dial Type XX reference, with only 250 pieces available, costs $45,200.
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