Breguet
aéronavale type 20 vintage - Type 20 Tribute

Vintage Breguet Type 20 Aéronavale flyback chronograph watch from 1997 with three subdials — a collector's automatic timepiece featuring two pushers and a flyback chronograph function. It houses a Breguet calibre 582Q automatic mechanical movement with 24 jewels, based on the Lemania 1350 calibre, enhanced with a column wheel and a flyback module. It features a small seconds counter, a 48-hour power reserve, and operates at a high frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. The 39 mm stainless steel case is decorated with a guilloché pattern on the side, in the style of Breguet’s manufacture watches — a notable departure from the more austere military case of the original 1954 Type XX, which inspired this model and others like the pilot watches from Auricoste, Dodane, or Vixa used by the French Air Force at the time. With this model, Breguet signs off on a “dressy” pilot’s watch that recalls the elegance of its high-complication timepieces.

The bidirectional rotating bezel is notched and graduated over 60 minutes, with a triangular marker at zero. The white syringe-style hour and minute hands, identical to those on the 1954 model, are luminescent with tritium, as are the numerals and hour markers on the black dial’s railway track. These elements develop a beautiful natural gilt patina over time. The central seconds hand, of Alpha or lollipop shape, and the oversized 15-minute counter at 3 o’clock (graduated every 3 minutes — useful for course changes during aircraft carrier or runway approaches) feature a sage-leaf-shaped hand, just like the issued French Navy Breguet Type 20s from the 1950s.

The screw-down caseback is engraved “Breguet Type XX Aéronavale” along with the model number and serial number, and indicates a water resistance of 100 meters. The watch is also equipped with a screw-down crown. While clearly honoring its military roots, this elegant and luxurious collector’s model is more suited to refined, formal settings than to rugged use on a flight deck — although, to be fair, nothing in its robustness or functionality would prevent it from performing in such an environment… except perhaps the exceptional level of quality and craftsmanship Breguet has poured into its construction, which might make one hesitate to expose it to harsh conditions.