When it comes to the appellation XX in the watch industry, there are two models that come to mind. There’s the IWC Mark XX, which recently saw a new edition in the form of the Patrouille Suisse and the Breguet Type XX that was updated in 2023. The Type XX is the civilian counterpart to the military pilot’s watch Type 20 and now they’ve doubled down on its civilian nature by releasing a new edition in ceramic and rose gold, called the Type XX Chronograph 2067.
Taking the watch out of its box, my first impression is that there’s almost something quite aquatic about it. That’s no doubt because of the combination of the blue dial and rose gold case, which is a classic desk diver colourway seen on watches like the Glashütte Original SeaQ Bi-Colour. Although here the display is very much that of a pilot’s watch chronograph with oversize Arabic numerals coated with lume and a bidirectional rotating 12-hour bezel.
The rose gold case measures 42mm in diameter with a thickness of 14.1mm. It has relatively short facetted lugs, classic pump pushers for controlling the chronograph functions and a large, fluted crown. Interestingly this is actually the reduced size crown for the civilian model compared to the huge crown on the miliary Type 20, which is much larger so that it can be used while wearing military pilot’s gloves. Despite being the ‘smaller’ version, the watch still has impressive presence on the wrist, as any tool watch in full gold would have.
As for the ceramic element of the watch, that’s the aforementioned rotating bezel. Ceramic is an extremely hardwearing material that’s all but impossible to scratch. Hence its frequent use on bezels, which are often the part of a watch that takes the most beatings and wear. The 12-hour scale is picked out in curvy Breguet style numerals, which were developed by Breguet specially for use on watch displays. The idea behind them is that most typographies treat numbers linearly as they are read on a single line like 123456789, however on a watch, they’re actually read in a circle, meaning there are different visual requirements.
The chronograph display consists of a tricompax layout of subdials with small seconds at 9 o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 and an oversize 15-minute timer at 3 o’clock. By having the 15-minute subdial larger than the others it draws the eye towards it, which helps in aviation because the 15-minute timer is arguably the most important when performing precise navigation.
Powering it is the calibre 728, a hi-beat automatic movement that operates at a frequency of 5Hz with a power reserve of 60-hours. It’s a flyback chronograph movement, which means that the chronograph function can be stopped, reset and started with a single pusher press, enhancing the accuracy of multiple periods of timing in sequence. You can view the movement through the exhibition caseback with its black, openworked rotor and immaculate finishing that includes sunray brushing, snailing, chamfering and circular graining, all of which is beautiful under the light.
It’s priced at £35,500, which makes sense given the combination of a full gold case and the high-end chronograph movement. It certainly feels luxurious enough to warrant that price. For this pilot’s chronograph, it’s first class or bust.
Price and Specs:
More details at Breguet.
