Home » Baselworld - World Watch and Jewellery Show » Breguet Chronograph Type XXII, the First Series-Produced 10 Hz Chrono Now In Rose Gold
The renowned French watchmaker which bears the name of one of the most important innovators in the history of horology, Breguet, has decided to launch the new version of its groundbreaking Type XXII Chronograph. The watch which had its premiere a couple of years ago in Basel, is the first ever chronograph that oscillates at the rate of 72,000 vph to be launched in a serial production. Its automatic manufacture caliber 589F is likewise equipped with a flyback chrono feature, as well as the second time zone indication and finally, a date display.
Breguet Chronograph Type XXII was unveiled at the Baselworld 2011 event when it was presented in a more modest steel version. This year, the renowned French timekeeper has opted for a more luxurious 18K rose gold housing. Featuring modern material components in its construction, the caliber of the watch has a silicon escapement and a flat balance spring with extraordinary high oscillating frequency of 10 Hertz. All of these traits contribute to the fact that this timekeeper displays the higher precision. Sporting a chrono seconds hand that completes a full revolution in 30 seconds, the Type XXII Chronograph measures time intervals with the precision within 1/20th of a second.
The choice of silicon was caused with the fact that this sort of construction creates lighter components which are not marred with the problems of adequate lubrication which would be needed in a movement with such a high rate. Since the chrono seconds hand completes a rotation in 30 seconds, Breguet designers came up with an innovative way to help the wearer distinguish whether it is the first or the second rotation in a single minute. Type XXII Chronograph has a double seconds graduation with sets of dashes and numerals. Each of the positions on the flange is doubled; there is a set in red and another one in white color. The movement of the seconds hand across the red indication denotes the first rotation, while the path across the white fields means that the chrono hand is in its second half-minute revolution.
As it has been mentioned, the chronograph function includes a flyback feature which means that the chronograph can be stopped, reset and restarted with a single push. Other complication supported by the Breguet timekeeper are the second time zone indication (made along with a day/night display), as well as a date aperture at the very bottom of the dial. Type XXII Chronograph is equipped with a self-winding caliber 589F with 27 jewels which enables each of the listed impressive features. The numbered and signed movement supports a power storage that lasts for around 40 hours.
The new iteration of the watch, whose technical traits are still as respectable as it was the case when the model premiered, comes in a more refine package this time. As it has been mentioned, the watch with the reference number 3880BR/Z2/9XV is packed into an 18K round rose gold housing with the diameter of 44mm. Supplied with round-ended horns, a unidirectional rotating bezel with 60-minutes scale and a screw-locked crown, the construction of the timekeeper guarantees water resistance to 100m. It is our opinion that the combination of the rose gold and a brown dial utilized for the watch looks immensely refine. This is only a preview of the new Breguet model whose detail presentation and the official launch is scheduled for the next edition of the Baselworld watch fair.
