A fake Type XX chronograph is a replica of the Breguet Type XX, the French military pilot's flyback chronograph that entered service in the 1950s. Replicas reproduce the black dial, the luminous Arabic numerals and the two-register layout at a fraction of the price of an original. What most of them do not reproduce is the movement, and on a flyback watch the movement is the entire point.
What the Type XX Actually Is
The Type 20 began as a specification rather than a single watch. In the 1950s the French air force and naval aviation asked for a chronograph with a flyback function, a rotating bezel, a black dial with high-contrast numerals, and a case tough enough for cockpit use. Several makers supplied watches to that spec, and Breguet's version became the one collectors chase today. The civilian Type XX followed, and modern references keep the same DNA: a 38 to 42 mm steel case, a 30-minute or 60-minute totalizer, and a lower pusher that resets and restarts the chronograph in one press.
How Fake Type XX Chronographs Are Built
Replica quality is not one thing. It falls into rough tiers, and the tier decides how the watch feels on the wrist.
- Entry tier: quartz movement, mineral glass, printed dial, light stamped case. These look like a Type XX in photos and nothing like one in person.
- Mid tier: Asian automatic chronograph movements such as the Seagull ST19 family or a 7750 clone, sapphire crystal, 316L stainless steel case. This is where most "super clone" claims live.
- Upper tier: Swiss or Swiss-assembled chronograph movements, better case finishing, applied markers, correct bezel fonts, and closer case proportions.
The Flyback Problem
Flyback means the chronograph returns to zero and restarts without the user stopping it first. It requires a movement built for that job. A standard chronograph module cannot do it, so many replicas wire the lower pusher to nothing, or to a standard reset. If you press that pusher while the chronograph is running on a genuine flyback, the hand snaps to zero and keeps going. On a fake that lacks the function, the hand stops or nothing happens. Test this before anything else, because it tells you which tier you are holding.
Details Worth Checking
- Case diameter and thickness against the reference you want to copy.
- Subdial spacing and hand lengths, which are hard to fake well.
- Dial printing sharpness and lume color, which should match across dial, hands and bezel pip.
- Crystal profile, domed or flat, and anti-reflective coating.
- Bezel action, click feel and numeral font.
- Caseback engraving, reference numbers and case serial stamping.
Legal and Practical Realities
Replica watches copy protected trademarks and designs. Importing them can lead to seizure at customs in the United States and many other countries, and they carry no factory warranty and no service network. Resale value is close to zero. Buyers should weigh that against the price of a pre-owned original, which holds value and can be serviced.
Bottom Line
A good fake Type XX chronograph lives or dies on the movement and the case proportions, not on the box or the marketing copy. If the flyback works, the subdials sit in the right place and the case measures close to the reference, you have one of the better replicas. If the lower pusher does nothing, you have a quartz watch in a Type XX costume.