Hemel, a brand focused on creating period-correct bi-compax chronos, has partnered with watch and movement maker Mathey Tissot to create a new Type 20 chronograph that hearkens back to the early days of the French Air Force.
From the release:
The Type 20 is a watch first ordered by the French Ministry of Defense as a pilot’s watch. The watch was a piece of necessary equipment because pilots, at that time, navigated by carefully and accurately timing a flight between various points while in the air. The “flyback chronograph” enabled a pilot to quickly and easily restart the timing function while the chronograph was running. Mathey Tissot pioneered the development and manufacture of the Type 20 in 1954 having experience with “flyback chronographs” going back to the 1934.
The new version has a lot of Breguet styling with one clever addition – there’s a peace sign on the crown – which informs us, with no uncertainty, that this is a watch for a more refined and pacific time.
The manual wind piece runs a “Sellita SW510MBHb hand winding caliber which provides a 63-hour power reserve, 28,800 beats per hour and 23 jewels.” It is very similar to the Air Wing Chrono I checked out a few weeks ago which means it’s a bit on the smaller side – about 38mm – but definitely worth exploring if you’re looking for something with amazing styling at a great price.
You can check out the watches here.
