Breguet Type XXI Flyback Chronograph

In the 1950s, the Aéronautique Militaire issued a standard for pilot’s watches — the Type 20.

Aesthetically, the Type 20 — with its stark black dial, bold Arabic numerals, and 38mm stainless steel case — resembled other military watches of the era. However, the unique requirements posed by the French military meant that the Type 20 had to be a chronograph with a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and a seconds counter at 9 o’clock. These requirements were inspired by chronographs made by Tutima and Hanhart for the Luftwaffe in World War II.

But the Type 20 went one step further: the chronograph had to have a flyback function — or, in French, retour en vol — that enabled the pilot to stop, reset and start the chronograph again by depressing the bottom pusher just once.

Although Breguet was not the only manufacture to receive the contract, it’s Breguet’s version of the Type 20 that has become an icon, the template from which all other military chronographs are struck. However, their numbers were low — only 2,000 or so units were delivered to the French Air Force in 1954. Thankfully, civilian versions followed, and today numerous brands — foremost among them Breguet itself — make appealing, luxurious iterations of this famous military watch.

This particular Breguet is a Type XXI dating to the 2020s. Housed in a 42mm 18K rose gold case with a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, dual barrel pushers, and a rotating timing bezel, it features a sunburst brown dial with ‘Arabic’ and applied, lumed rose gold diamond-shaped indices, a matching, lumed ‘syringe’ handset, a triple-register chronograph display, an outer minute track, and a date window at 6:00.

Powering this impressive piece is the automatic Breguet Calibre 584Q movement with a 45-hour power reserve and 25 jewels. Paired to a signed, brown leather strap with a signed, rose gold deployant clasp, this handsome take on one of the best tool watch designs of the last century is ready to accompany its next owner on all of life’s adventures.

Strap it on and take it for a spin — we know you’ll love it!

Few companies are so steeped in history that their name has become a byword for a particular type of product or style. Breguet is one such company: Their famously elegant numerical typeface and matching handset is now de rigueur amongst the most sophisticated dress watches, from Patek Philippe to Longines to, of course, Breguet itself.

However, these numerals and hands are but a single innovation in a long list of horological firsts devised by master watchmaker and inventor Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), a Neuchatel-born savant whose Parisian career saw the advent of myriad watchmaking creations that we take for granted today. Indeed, it was Breguet who devised the first self-winding watches, as well as the first gongs for repeating watches and the tourbillon. Not many inventors can claim the king and queen of France as patrons, but indeed King Louis XVI and his bride Marie Antoinette were amongst his admirers.

20th-century Breguet is no less storied: The company’s Type 20 pilot’s chronograph issued to the French Aéronautique Militaire in the 1950s provided a benchmark for military watch design. Its stark black dial and utilitarian look belied the sophisticated retour en vol (“flyback”) mechanism within the movement, which allowed a pilot to stop, reset and start the chronograph by depressing the bottom pusher just once.

More recently, under the current management of Mark A. Hayek, modern Breguet has continued to register new patents and amass a dedicated following. The brand’s “Classique” dress watches from the 1990s and 2000s, for example, feature some of the most striking dials in modern watchmaking, making use of guilloché patterns, blue steeled hands and Roman numerals. While the company’s contemporary offerings continue to increase in sophistication and the number of complications available, it’s surely these simple, gorgeous time-only models that best encapsulate the elegant timepieces of A.L. Breguet himself.

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We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.