One of my dream watch (of which I have many.... ), is the Breguet Type XXI. There are a number of reasons why I like the watch and they are:
1. It is one of the cheapest way to get into the world of Breguet (the cheapest being the Type XX).
2. It has the tri-compax design that I like and am looking for.
3. It has the chronograph complication which I like (having the fly-back function being a bonus).
4. I just love the colour of the dial which is one of the most difficult to photograph, the colour being somewhere between copper, brown or coal gray.
The Breguet Type XXI (3810ST/92/9ZU).
Photograph: Breguet
This year (Basel 2010), Breguet introduce the Type XXII. This new watch is just awesome. It has a new heart that beats at an astounding 10 Hertz or 72,000 A/h. This is twice as fast as the fastest available movement. How is this possible? Well it is fitted with a new silicon escapement which requires no lubrication and is very lightweight.
Because of this, the sweep second chronograph hand rotates once every 30 seconds, and this is reflected in the design of the dial. An aperture at the 12 o'clock position shows if the chronograph hand is displaying the first 30 seconds or the second 30 seconds of a given minute. The added cool factor is that the display is a retrograde display.
The elapsed minute is shown by a centrally mounted minute hand. The chronograph has the fly-back function as per the Type XX and XXI. The running second is displayed via a sub-dial at the 9 o'clock position and it also rotates once every 30 second.
A second time zone is displayed via a sub-dial at the 6 o'clock position. The display is a 12 hour display. The sub-dial at the 3 o'clock position shows if it is day or night at the second time zone. There is a date complication (6 o'clock position) and it is linked to the main time display and not the second time zone.
The basic specifications:
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph (with fly-back) and dual time.
Case: stainless steel, 44 mm diameter, 17.30 mm thick
Movement: Breguet manufacture calibre 589F, 28 jewels, 13 1/4 ligne
Water resistant: 10 ATM
The watch is expect to retail for USD 18,200 with leather strap and USD 19,600 on bracelet.
For more information:
The watch (3880ST/H2/3VX).
Photograph: Breguet
So do I have a new dream watch? Well, no. As much as I like the Type XXII, it is twice the price of the Type XXI. So, I think I will stick with my Type XXI.
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