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Introducing The Breguet Type XX Chronographe 2075

On the first of September 1930. Two French aviators, Dieudonné Costes and Maurice Bellonte, were the first to fly east across the Atlantic Ocean from Paris to New York. A distance of 6200 km, for a total of 37 hours. This was a much more significant (and celebrated) achievement than the poor bloke who flew the same route, in the opposite direction, only three years before. The greater importance is due to the east-to-west route being a more difficult one. Pesky headwinds, apparently. The aircraft they set out in was a modified version of a Breguet 19, called the Super Bidon — built to carry the extra fuel necessary for the trip.

Hang on, Breguet made aeroplanes? Yes, but not the Breguet we know and love. Louis Charles Breguet (Abraham’s great-great-grandson) was one of the early pioneers of French aviation and was responsible for supplying military aircraft to support the French in WW1 and WW2. He also built Gyroplanes, an insane cross between a helicopter, a clothes drying rack and a rusty chicken coop. It’s a miracle anyone survived back then.  

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The Essentials

Watch News

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The Panerai Luminor Perpetual Calendar GMT Platinumtech™

The father and the fighter, the banker and the environmentalist. Tension between two opposites feels more like pleasure than pain to us. Maybe that’s where good watch design lives, in the uncompromising middle. It’s an interesting thought.

Take the Rolex Submariner, for example. On the wrist of a lawyer it’s a luxury item that works in the boardroom, it also works strapped to a wetsuit and exploring a shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea. The lawyer probably wouldn’t ever do it, but he could if the mood strikes. The Rolex Submariner pulls the wearer in opposite directions like a medieval torture device. Perfect for Bond’s first watch before Omega took over.

But, and this is a question I ask myself a lot, what if James Bond was Italian? Would he undo one more button on his shirt and trade in his Martini for a negroni? I would assume so. But what about the watch? Something with equal measure elegance and practicality would be best. Bonus points if you could use it as a weapon.

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The Subdial Academy

In this edition, let’s talk about the little-understood Breguet Overcoil.

The Breguet Overcoil is a specialized hairspring design used in mechanical watch movements to enhance timekeeping precision. Named after the renowned watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, this innovation involves an upward curve at the outermost coil of the hairspring. This design modification allows the spring to expand and contract concentrically, maintaining a consistent center of gravity and reducing positional errors that can affect the accuracy of a watch.

In traditional flat hairsprings, the coils can bunch together or expand unevenly, leading to variations in the rate at which the watch keeps time. The Breguet Overcoil addresses this issue by ensuring that the spring's coils remain more evenly spaced during operation. This results in improved isochronism, meaning the watch maintains consistent timekeeping regardless of the position in which it is worn.

The Breguet Overcoil is often found in high-end mechanical watches, where precision and reliability are paramount. Its implementation requires meticulous craftsmanship and expertise, as the overcoil must be carefully shaped and adjusted to function correctly. This feature is a testament to the watchmaker's skill and dedication to achieving superior performance in timekeeping. The Breguet Overcoil remains a hallmark of quality in horology, symbolizing the blend of tradition and innovation in watchmaking.

A Final Note

Would you insure your watch?

I’ve had this idea to create a watch insurance company for a while. One that allows the user to easily cover their collection based on what they are doing with it, dynamically. For example, if your watch is in a safe, your coverage would be low. But if you’re wearing it out at night, you could bump up your coverage to include accidental damage, etc.

This would keep the cost down while giving you the coverage you need, depending on the situation.

Reply to this email and let me know what you think, would you get watch insurance? Have you got it already? How would you like this process to work?

Thank you!

The power of a recommendation

Cya in the next one x

Time Is On Your Side