Earlier this morning, the biennial Only Watch charity auction officially revealed the 50 watches that will go up for sale on November 9, 2019. The Only Watch auction, hosted by Christie’s and with the support of the Monegasque Association Against Muscular Dystrophy, happens once every two years with dozens of brands contributing a single timepiece with all proceeds going towards scientific and medical research on neuromuscular diseases with a focus on Duchenne muscular dystrophy in particular. While a large number of the watches on display are iterative takes on existing timepieces, there are dozens of interesting one-of-a-kind watches that are worth discussing and often act as a preview to future production models. The first of these watches that we’d like to highlight is the revival of the Breguet Type 20, the iconic military chronograph originally intended for the French Air Force.
The first thing that is important to note when we’re discussing Breguet’s history of military chronograph production is the difference between the Breguet Type XX and the Breguet Type 20. Within Breguet parlance, the official military watches are referred to as Type 20, while the civilian models that have long been available to purchase are known as Type XX. The Type XX that we know and love today has been a part of the Breguet family over three successive generations and is one of the firm’s most well-known designs.
Breguet’s history of providing tool wa...