Breguet Type XX Steel Flyback Chronograph — Slate Grey Dial with Day/Night Indicator | Ref. 3817ST/X2/3ZU

Among Breguet's most storied horological lineages, the Type XX traces its origins to the demanding specifications drawn up by the French Navy and Aéronavale in the 1950s — a pedigree of functional excellence that resonates through every detail of Reference 3817ST/X2/3ZU. The 42mm stainless steel case, with its characteristically fluted caseband and screw-locked crown, carries the robust assurance of a tool instrument built to perform under genuine operational pressure. At 15.2mm in thickness it commands a confident presence on the wrist, while the transparent sapphire caseback invites inspection of the movement within.

The bidirectional rotating bezel — a hallmark of the aviation chronograph tradition — allows elapsed time calculation with a single hand, speaking to the practicality that Breguet's military clients once demanded as standard. The slate grey dial is a study in legibility: luminescent Arabic numerals, a central minute totalizer, a 12-hour counter and date at 6 o'clock, small seconds at 9 o'clock, and an elegant day/night indicator at 3 o'clock ensure that information is conveyed instantly and unambiguously. Luminescent hands and applied dot indices complete a dial architecture that functions as impressively by night as by day.

Powering the 3817 is Calibre 584Q/2, Breguet's self-winding flyback chronograph movement spanning 13½ lignes. The flyback complication — historically prized by naval aviators for permitting instant resetting and restarting of the chronograph without the three-step conventional procedure — remains one of the most demanding to engineer well, and Breguet executes it with characteristic authority. A power reserve of approximately 48 hours and water resistance to 100 metres underscore the watch's instrument credentials, while a supple brown calfskin strap grounds the ensemble in Breguet's enduring tradition of refined finish. At $11,760, this is an entry into serious aviation horology at a remarkably accessible price point.