We are pleased to present this superb and legendary 1st generation military Breguet “Type 20” pilot chronograph, delivered to the French Air Ministry (the Air Force) on June 1, 1956.
In the early 1950s, the French Ministry of Defense took into consideration the observations of its aviators, notably formulated during the Second World War. German military pilots, equipped with chronographs with a "flyback" function, had a significant advantage over their Allied adversaries, as these instruments allowed them to save time and improve precision when handling their tool watch in flight. Indeed, standard chronographs required 3 operations to be restarted while they were already running: press the chronograph stop button (1), press the reset button (2), and finally, press the button at 2 o'clock again to restart the chronograph (3). This tedious process distracted the pilots and potentially caused them to make errors in calculating position and trajectory. The Germans could stop, reset, and restart their chronograph with a single press of the button at 4 o'clock - thus saving precious time.
Thus, in the early 1950s, the French State expressed its desire to acquire, for various military institutions, approximately 2,500 watches meeting precise specifications, based on the military chronographs produced in Germany during the Second World War and used by Luftwaffe pilots. The first order, which bears the order number 5101/54 (for 1954) requires in particular manufacturers capable of responding to the call for tenders:
• the “flyback” function;
• an accuracy tolerating a maximum of ± 8 seconds of daily variation;
• a case of approximately 38 mm;
• luminescent hands and black dial;
• a mechanical movement with a power reserve of at least 35 hours;
• and the ability of the watches to operate without difficulty after 300 starts and stops of the chronograph function.
Auricoste, Dodane (Airain) and Vixa were among the companies that won the Ministry’s tender — along with Breguet. The Type 20 chronographs were primarily intended for pilots and flight personnel of the French Air Force, the Naval Air Force, and the Brétigny-sur-Orge Flight Test Center. After each service, the case backs were marked with the letters “FG” (for “End of Warranty”) followed by the date of the next scheduled service. Recent research by enthusiasts of the model indicates that the army’s procedures required that watches at the end of their career be destroyed by immersing them in a can of acid. As a result, only a small number of Type 20s in good condition have survived, almost 70 years after the model was first delivered. On the Breguet website, we read: "[The watches] are the property of the French State, which ensures their maintenance until their retirement, and are only given to aviators personally in exceptional circumstances." The success of the Breguet Type 20, a sort of symbol of the aviator's watch, will encourage the brand to respond to the demand of enthusiasts by producing civilian versions of this legendary chronograph: these are the watches in the "Type XX" collection.
The round steel case of our example, with a diameter of 38.5 mm, is recognizable among thousands and very comfortable to wear. Remarkably preserved, it retains its original proportions and finishes, alternating between matte brushed/satin surfaces and others mirror polished, with protruding "chamfers" at the end of the horns. It has a fluted rotating steel bezel, not graduated, and is topped with a typically "vintage" domed plexiglass crystal.
The Type 20 military winding crown is special. Oversized, it is nicknamed "pear" because of its shape, and was intended to allow pilots to use it with their thick gloves, even in flight.
The very well-preserved dodecagonal screwed case back bears the name Breguet, the model (Type 20), the number of the public order that gave birth to this watch (5101/54), its individual serial number (76xx), the mark of the watchmaking workshop approved by the army to maintain it (A), as well as 11 “FG” strikes for “End of Warranty” – markings made by the watchmakers at the end of each revision – the last of which is dated February 1983, meaning that this example was used “in the field” by French aviators for around thirty years from its entry into service in 1956!
The dial of this chronograph is called "sterile", in that it does not bear the name Breguet. It thus corresponds perfectly to the so-called "first generation" Type 20s, military - as opposed to the civilian versions (called Type XX by Breguet) and to certain smaller orders (Centre d'Essais en Vol de Brétigny-sur-Orge, Aéronavale, etc.) whose dials are signed by the brand. Above all, this is an extremely rare version and appreciated by the most enlightened collectors: the dial of our example is shiny, lacquered (also called "Glossy"), and not matte like the vast majority of 5101/54s. Indeed, our research indicates that Breguet, which dubbed the public order for the Type 20s in 1954 “the order of the century,” was, like its usual suppliers, unable to manufacture as many chronographs as ordered without having to call upon a panoply of subcontractors, including dial makers. While the main supplier supplied matte dials, everything seems to indicate that a secondary manufacturer sold lacquered dials, in an incomparably deeper black and with a striking visual effect, as is the case here. The dial of our example has 2 counters: a 30-minute totalizer at 3 o’clock and a second hand indicating the seconds at 9 o’clock, an external seconds graduation with 5-minute indications, and Arabic numeral indexes covered in luminescent material, like the hands. All of this has developed a superb warm and uniform patina, inevitably contributing to the “vintage” and military charm of this French chronograph from the 1950s.
The movement that powers it is a Valjoux 222, a column-wheel chronograph with a flyback function and modified by Breguet at the balance level.
The new Amplitude° bracelet, in black Horween Shell Cordovan leather, was handcrafted and hand-sewn, and comes with a new brushed steel pin buckle.
We warmly thank Mr. Emmanuel Breguet for providing us, based on its unique serial number, with an Archive Extract for this 1st generation Type 20 chronograph that equipped the French Air Force pilots. The Breguet books thus confirm its delivery on June 1, 1956 to the "Air Ministry".
The Breguet Type 20, a true "tool watch" at the heart of the history of French military aviation, is undeniably one of the most sought-after chronographs among collectors. Its unique and balanced design and its reliable movement make it a watch that is perfectly wearable on a daily basis, 70 years after its birth. Our example, one of the rare "survivors" of the destruction planned by military regulations, belongs to the 1st generation of Type 20, has an extremely rare lacquered dial, has remained in superb aesthetic condition, and has been completely overhauled by an experienced watchmaker. A rare opportunity.
