THE BREGUET AÉRONAVALE, A PERSONAL STORY

Precious things must have a story, with roots deep into our legacy, so this is mine.

My great-grand father used to be a gifted architect and a wealthy man - at least till the end of WWII - with diverse interest in very different things, such as legerdemain, contemporary paintings, old hand-guns (the latter was revealed after his death even for his family members, who spent a long night at the local police station as a consequence), and the girls at the Orfeum in Vienna, just to name a few.

But his biggest love might have been his airplane, he built with his brother around 1912. Fortunately, from my point of view, at least, it was seriously damaged at the very first intent, after flying a few meters, just a few feet above the ground, and he survived this accident with a few superficial abrasions on his arm and forehead, such as the the world war a bit later when he was the single survivor of his troop in the Isonzo valley.

For me, therefore, it was obvious, when my less adventurous love for watches forced me to find a decent chronograph for my small collection, that I have to find a piece, that my great-grandfather would also appreciate, with his unbelievable sense of style and love for mechanical things. I was born 8 years after his death, and never had the chance to know him, but I have a strong vision about him, through his works and his story. This selection criterion immediately eliminated anything for the faint hearted, with any corners cut, or fancy and show-off things made for the nouveau riche.

The pilot theme was obvious, so my possible choices could be IWC, Hanhart, and since I haven't been truly satisfied neither of them, the type 20/XX.

Even though the predecessor of my watch was released in the 50's, he still lived and worked in those years and he could have known these excellent watches, also somehow popular beyond their purposeful military life. In addition, an onboard Breguet instrument could've served his own airplane, since Breguet was a supplier of such instruments from 1910.

I was also looking for something classy and timeless, not too modern, rather traditional, that already won't age by time, just stands still, preserving its core value, just like the churches, halls and villas he had built, while everything else was deteriorating around.

And now, when the wait is over, keeping this timepiece in my hand, I must say, that my great-granddaddy would be truly impressed!

Finally, I have to thank all of you, for your help in choosing the right timepiece. I'd also like to thank the kind help to the Breguet Boutique staff in Vienna and Baraka here in Budapest. Special thanks goes to KMII for his friendly support, when I had a visit in Vienna, looking forward to meeting you in Budapest (Anyway, this time I skipped the Orfeum, I don't know if it still exists )!