The Breguet No. 1 bis, flown by Louis Breguet in 1909 The Breguet Type XX isn’t what most budding enthusiasts would consider typical of the storied name’s offerings. It doesn’t have many of the popular innovations and details of worksmanship you come to expect from the watchmaking company.
The casework is simple, though it does carry the fluting on the side. The dial shows none of the legendary detailwork expertise for which Breguet has become known and popular, especially if you choose the unique carbon fiber dial that comes with the titanium case. You have no guillochage, no “secret number,” no signature. Even the byword “Breguet hands” only make an appearance on the Chronograph’s seconds hand.
A Type XX from 1954 with flyback and straight line lever escapement. Note the similarity in details with the modern XX, including the shape of the subdial hand at 3 o’clock. Note the differences also, the central seconds hand uses a diamond shape rather than the recognized Breguet circle. Both eschewed Breguet hour and minute hands for functional high legibility hands with luminous capability.Yet it is a Breguet through and through, from how the overall design works perfectly within its aesthetic and mechanical parameters down to the Breguet overcoil that has been in use by almost the entire world. If you take the piece under a loupe or better yet a microscope or macro lens, you will see that the Breguet handiwork is as detailed, well-thought out and functional as ever. There may be no guillochage, but holistically and historically the piece could be nothing but a Breguet.
So the Type XX not only exists, it flourishes. It began life as a tool of the most serious, and used the inventions and innovations of A.-Louis Breguet in a way often connected to another Louis Breguet, a direct descendant who took to the skies in creations of his own.
The Type XX in its first form was actually the type 20, a watch meant to provide aviators with the accuracy, readability and immediacy of change they needed in a cramped, noisy, shaky and often dark airplane cockpit. The Société d’Horlogerie Breguet first provided watches for aviators in 1918, and though these were meant to be installed on the instrument panel they found their way to the thigh and even the wrist via the inventive use of leather straps. The “Type 20” designation wasn’t Breguet’s, but that of the French Ministry of Defence who were looking to supply their airmen with a better, more accurate timekeeper. Criteria included the need for a flyback mechanism, which allowed the seconds hand to “fly back” to zero and begin counting immediately with just one push of a button. This was particularly important for the fliers of the time as their life and death, and accurate delivery of their payload, depended on how well they followed the instructions on their maps. This type 20 request was answered by several makers of the day, including Breguet.
A Breguet 530 Saigon aloft. Note the Air France Livery. Louis Breguet was a founder of the company which eventually became Air France
In 1954, Breguet became an official supplier for the French air and naval forces and delivered the type 20s. These watches were based on the first wristwatch chronographs Breguet brought out in the 1930s, 
The Point d’Interrogation, The Breguet 19 Super Bidon that flew the first non-stop fixed wing flight between Europe and America in 1930. Note the question mark.and included the needed details such as a crown that could be operated even while using gloves, and of course the quick and clear legibility. These earliest watches used Valjoux movements known for strength and stability, and utilized one of the Breguet innovations that had become watchmaking staples, the Breguet overcoil. These watches were considered part of the airman’s kit, and were treated as such. The date of the next service due would be engraved on the case back of each watch, and the pilot’s were not often allowed to take the watches if not on official duty. The civilian version of this watch took the name Type XX (roman numerals), and was released within a year of the military’s. A look at the early and the current versions of the Type XX clearly show a design direction and heritage almost unchanged.
The other Breguet, Louis-Charles the aviation pioneer and 5th generation descendant of A.-L.Different versions of the Type XX were produced, as shown in the example here of a limited run produced with only two subdials and no hour markings on the bezel made specifically for French Naval aviators.
The Breguet Type XX continued to be produced into the 1970s, using the Valjoux movements. The line as we now know it was re-introduced in 1995 with the Type XX Aéronavale ref 3820, a flyback chronograph using the selfwinding Breguet Calibre 582 that was a development of the stalwart Lémania 1340. This was also the first Type XX model which used the fluted case side design, on what was at the time a rather amply-sized 39mm watch. It had a turning bezel, polished to a high gloss, that was calibrated for 60 minutes and which could be rotated in either direction. It was available in steel, as befits a working pilot’s watch, but limited editions have included precious metals. It is still available today in steel.
As the end of the century came, Breguet added the date function at 6 o’clock to their increasingly popular aviator’s watch in the Type XX Transatlantique ref 3820, which uses the Flyback Chronograph Calibre 582 Q. The bezel on the Transatlantique was still movable and marked, but now had a satin-finish border. Case size stayed at 39mm, but the regularly offered materials available now included titanium. What may have been a fashionable choice for some was actually a working choice for Breguet, as the use of material allowed a larger sized watch without the increased weight. Also, while many now connect the lightweight high strength titanium to motor racing, its heritage goes back to the aviation industry. The same goes for the carbonfiber material of the dial. This carbon fiber dial was a particularly questionable choice, as it was not only potentially trendy, 
A Chronograph from 1964 with flyback and straight line lever escapement, from a series of 500 made for the Marine Nationale Aéronautique Navale. Note that there are two subdials instead of three.it in some ways went against the Breguet mantra of brilliantly worked faces and hands. Worksmanship was of the expected quality, and the raw materials of titanium and carbon fiber were used not as decorative facia but as structural and aesthetic platforms. It is interesting to see how surprised people are when they handle the titanium Transatlantique, as many “titanium” watches betray their minimal use of the material by their weight.
The name Transatlantique points to Breguet as well, but in this case to a fifth generational descendent of A.-Louis. Louis-Charles Breguet, born in 1880, made his own name in the aviation industry. He and his brother Jacques developed a gyroplane with flexible wings that made the first ascension of a vertical flight aircraft in 1907. He built his first airplane two years later, and it set a speed record in 1911 which was when he founded the Société des Ateliers d’Aviation Louis Breguet. He built his first hydroplane a year later. He became known for making aircraft developed specifically for reconnaissance, and was a pioneer in the use of both metal and then light weight metals for airplanes. His products were put to use by not only his native France but by the Americans as well. This led to his founding of the Compagnie des Messageries Aeriennes in 1919, which eventually turned into the modern Air France. Louis Breguet passed on in 1955, and his original company was merged with Dassault.
One of his particularly interesting flying boats was the Breguet Br. 521 Bizerte, a biplane made all in metal. A development from his previous designs and from a British Short Brothers S.8 Calcutta, the Bizerte was meant to answer a French Navy need for long range reconnaissance planes with sea landing capabilities. A civilian version was produced in 1935. It was named the Br. 530 Saigon, and used three liquid cooled engines. Only two were built, and they were put into Air France livery.
It is easy to forget, but simple readability and the capture of available light were key elements in working watches of the past, and in keeping their users alive. Note how this five year old Type XX still scavenges light so well
When Breguet the watchmaking group brought out their Transatlantique, Breguet the airman’s flying boats were an obvious inspiration. Even the presentation case of the early Transatlantiques pointed to that heritage, replicating a wing section of those early aviation pioneers. Upon opening of the presentation case, you saw an image of the 521 Bizerte as it was taxiing in the water, with an airman peeking out of the forward hatch at the very front of the aircraft. If you look carefully at the two images we have included of this impressive flying boat, you will be able to see slight differences in the two variants.
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The Transatlantique name has further historical reference, in particular with the numerous records set by the aircraft maker. In September of 1930, a Breguet biplane made the first nonstop east to west fixed wing aircraft flight between Europe and America. Dieudonne Costes and Maurice Bellonte flew from Paris to New York in a Breguet 19 Super Bidon, which was a development of another highly successful airplane, the highly successful light bomber Breguet 14. The record breaking 19, names Point d’Interrogation or Question Mark as you can see in the vintage image, was designed specifically for transatlantic flight. This particular mark in aviation history is also mentioned with the instruction booklet that comes with the modern Type XX Transatlantique.
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Moving back to the horological, towards the end of the century Groupe Horloger Breguet had become a part of the powerhouse Swatch group. Then in 2004, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the original Type XX, the new Type XXI ref 3810 was presented to the world. The biggest difference for the new piece is the bigness itself, as the case size had moved up to a more contemporary 42mm. It uses the Breguet Calibre 584Q, and was now available in both steel and rose gold as a standard offering. It had two new features, a central minutes counter and a 24-hour hand. This meant that the chronograph minutes are more easily read via a slim, dedicated hand mounted centrally along with the chronograph seconds hand, as opposed to in a subdial as in the Type Xxs. The subdial at three o’clock is now used as a twenty four hour counter for the chronograph. The constantly-running seconds subdial remains at nine o’clock, and the date window and twelve hour subdial remain at six o’clock. Flyback operation is as normal.
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The Type XXI is looked to eventually replace the Type XX in the Breguet lineup, but for now all the models are still available. This is good news for many, who find the balance of the older models right to their liking. Besides which, the Type Xxs still manage to have the classic hollow-tipped Breguet hand at least for their centrally-mounted chronograph seconds where the new Type XXI does not.