Short answer
A fake Breguet Type XX chronograph is a copy of Breguet's pilot chronograph line. Real Type XX and Type XXI watches run a flyback chronograph movement based on Lemania designs. Most copies use a Seagull ST19, a Valjoux 7750, or a quartz module. None of those movements has a true flyback. Press the lower pusher while the chronograph runs. A real Type XX sends the hands to zero and restarts in one push. A copy stops, or does nothing at all.
What the name means
"Type XX" comes from a French military specification from the 1950s. The French Ministry of Defence asked for a wrist chronograph for the Aeronavale, the naval air arm. Breguet won the contract and delivered the first watches in 1954. The civil version took the name Type XX, spoken as "type twenty".
Breguet relaunched the line in 1995 with the ref 3800. The Type XXI ref 3810 came later. Reference numbers matter. The 3800 and the 3810 differ in case size, dial layout, and movement. The ref 3800 measures about 39 mm across. The ref 3810 measures about 42 mm.
Movements in the real watch
Breguet calibers 582 and 584 sit at the center of this. Both trace back to Lemania. Both offer flyback, also called retour en vol. Flyback lets a pilot reset and restart the chronograph with one push. That function defined the original military spec.
Builds used in copies
- Seagull ST19: column wheel, hand wind, no flyback. Subdial spacing often misses the original.
- Valjoux 7750 family: automatic, 12-6-9 register layout, no flyback.
- Quartz: the seconds hand jumps once per second.
Checks that work
- Flyback test. Start the chronograph, then press the lower pusher once. Genuine: hands snap to zero and the chronograph keeps running. Copy: hands stop, or the pusher does nothing until you stop the chronograph.
- Dial layout. Match subdial count and position to the reference number. A 3800 dial and a 3810 dial are not the same dial.
- Case band. Real Type XX cases carry a coin edge (cannele) band with fine, even fluting. Copies show wide, shallow, or uneven grooves.
- Caseback. Genuine casebacks carry the reference, the serial, and clean engraving. Fake engraving looks shallow and the fonts drift.
- Pushers and crown. Real pushers are round and screw down on some references. Copy pushers rattle and sit off center.
- Dial print. Check the Breguet signature, the Roman numerals, and the minute track. Printing on copies shows thick strokes and uneven spacing.
What photos cannot show
A photo cannot confirm a movement or a flyback function. Ask for a video of the flyback test with the caseback visible. Ask for the serial number and check it against Breguet service records. Breguet does not publish a public serial database, so this step needs a dealer or an authorized service center.
Market context
Fake Breguet Type XX watches are less common than fake Rolex Daytona or fake Omega Speedmaster watches. Listings for a steel ref 3800 sit in the mid four figures to low five figures in US dollars. Copies sell for a few hundred dollars. That gap is the main signal.
Term misuse
Sellers apply "type xx chronograph" to any pilot chronograph with a black dial and Arabic numerals. Read the caseback and the reference number before you treat a watch as a Breguet.