I see a good wristwatch as part of a man's style. Watches have different characters and functions. A simple, slim-cased dress watch is be best worn with evening wear, a chunky diving watch with a t-shirt and jeans.
Many men now own several watches for formal, work, holiday, sport or manual work. This occasional series will show how watches can be styled according to function. I'll give an outline of each watch and show how I might wear it. I start the series with the Breguet Type XXI.
Many men now own several watches for formal, work, holiday, sport or manual work. This occasional series will show how watches can be styled according to function. I'll give an outline of each watch and show how I might wear it. I start the series with the Breguet Type XXI.
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| Wearing the Breguet Type XXI with roll neck and corduroy trousers - simple and functional |
Breguet are an interesting company that has been at the forefront of watchmaking since the eighteenth century when Abraham-Louis Breguet, now considered one of the greatest watchmakers of all time, founded the company. Breguet has been credited with developing the first automatic watch, the tourbillon escapement (which compensates for gravity's affects on the movement), the chronograph and shock resistant movements, among other technical feats. Today Breguet is owned by the Swatch Group and continues to make high quality time pieces.
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| I wear the breguet Type XXI against images of its military ancestor, the French Type XX |
During the fifties Breguet designed a chronograph, the Type XX for the French Naval Air Arm. The company and indeed the Breguet family have many links to aviation to timing equipment for flight. The beautiful Type XX was rugged, legible and extremely functional (and vintage examples command high prices at auction) and it later returned in a civilian form as the Type XXI which has an automatic movement and flyback function.
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| Breguet Type XX as developed for the French military in the fifties |
A chronograph is essentially a cross between and wristwatch and stopwatch. The flyback function allows the stopwatch hand to be returned to zero without stopping the timing. This would enable the pilot/navigator to time arrival at waypoints without having to start and restart the watch. The instant the second hand is returned to zero it starts again so that overall time recording continues, while allowing the intermediate time to be noted. This may sound a technical detail, but this sort of complication makes a watch all the more interesting and I always marvel how a purely mechanical device can operate with such complex accuracy.
The Type XXI which I've borrowed from Breguet is a beautifully made watch which harks back to its military roots although, as a watch designed now for civilian use, it has lost some of the simplicity of design of the original. It feels rugged and the flyback function is a joy to use. The dial is highly legible, as you'd expect from a chronograph with its origins in military flying. This is a watch with real heritage and, for those looking for something a little different, it makes an attractive alternative to some of the more commonly seen brands of chronograph.
I've styled it simply above - this is a watch that doesn't shout out and it deserves to be worn with quiet and sophisticated understatement.
Both the Breguet Type XX and XXI are available in various forms and you can find out more on the Breguet website.
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This feature is unsponsored. I borrowed the watch for a few days from Breguet. all views are mine alone.
