4,600 CHF
Breguet «Armée de l'Air», Type 20 5101/54, Ref. 7356, 1950's. Fine stainless steel military wristwatch with «retour en vol» round button chronograph and register. polished, screwed back, waterproof, reeded revolving bezel. black with painted Arabic numerals + auxiliary seconds and 30 minutes register dials. «Skeleton» radiumed hands. Notes Note: The type 20 5101/54 (signifying the number and year of the contract) was usually made with a large ball-shaped crown, enabling the watch to be rewound by a pilot whilst wearing gloves. However, any advantage gained by making the watch easy to wind, was generally outweighed by the problems of the button catching on clothing under rough conditions, and the majority have been fitted with a more conventional winding-crown. The title "retour en vol", refers to the instantaneous fly-back feature of the chronograph work. A single push on the lower chronograph button, zeros the chronograph hand whilst still in motion, which then restarts immediatly, avoiding the need for a pilot to break concentration from the control of the plane.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
1994-10-15
