And now, we’ve finally come to the design choice that you’ve perhaps been chomping at the bit to discuss: the 4:30 date window. Unsurprisingly, this has already riled up many in the online watch world. Date windows have existed on Type XXs since the late 90s (a date indicator was not part of the original military spec for these watches) but they were commonly located at the 6:00 position. In my opinion, the date has never looked particularly graceful on a Type XX, as Breguet can’t seem to hide it effectively – it tends to grab the eye’s attention immediately. This date window execution at 4:30 is tucked away between the 4 and 5 hour markers, and right under the large minutes totalizer, creating a bit of a visual traffic jam in the corner of the dial. Also, the window is color matched to the dial, but the numerals are not matched to the hour indicators, which on the one hand makes everything easy to separate with the eye, but on the other hand creates some color clashes that might not be desirable, especially with the aggressively colored lume on both references. It’s a little all over the place, and I think some people who love a busy dial will not have an issue with it, others who love the Type XX for its clean, simple, and classic design will probably need to avert their eyes.
The other potentially controversial choice with these new references is the case size. The original Type XX was always meant to be a compact and somewhat discreet watch to wear, with a 38mm suggested size. The new Type XX and Type 20 have identical steel cases measuring 42mm in diameter and 14mm thick. Now, that’s far from oversized in the world of contemporary pilot watches, but it betrays vintage references slightly, and Type XX fans clamoring for a slightly more modestly sized version of the watch will not be completely out of line in doing so.
The new Type XX and Type 20 are both available now through Breguet retail channels. The retail price is $18,000. Breguet