Fortis Stratoliner / Lemania 5100 and a bit of aerospace history.
For a while now I’ve wanted a Lemania 5100 powered chronograph. I particularly wanted a fixed black tachymeter bezel and a black dial with simple white numerals. A while ago I picked up this Fortis Stratoliner from eBay.
https://i.imgur.com/Z7TlO3h.jpg
I took a bit of a chance as the pictures didn’t look great and the seller disclosed that the movement wasn’t hacking during our negotiation. In the end it arrived looking pretty good, after a few days the hacking started to work and its been running at +3spd ever since. I know I should have it serviced but for now I’m just enjoying it. The famous Lemania 5100 robustness seems to be holding up.
I liked the name so did a bit of research on the origins. I know Fortis are popular on the forum but I didn’t know much about the history until I started looking. The first Fortis Stratoliner dates from the 1960’s. https://assets.catawiki.nl/assets/20...ae19328b33.jpg
There was also a Day Date variant. Overall this ‘60s model appears to be a bit of homage to the Rolex Datejust. There is some speculation on the web about the name ‘Stratoliner’ deriving from the watch’s suitability for high altitude reconnaissance flights. That sounds like nonsense to me, although I’m happy to be corrected. I think it more likely that it was a name associated with international travel and the ‘jet set’, as it was originally used for the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, the first commercial airliner with a pressurised cabin and possible the most beautiful passenger aircraft ever made, and then used for a series of Boeing planes up to the 707.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a0/b9/98/a...7cded1514f.jpg
Fortis also had a space connection in the ‘60s with a different watch, the Spacematic. https://uhrforum.de/attachments/dsc_4508-jpg.1357394/ . They were apparently used by Gemini astronauts. The only source for that claim I can find is a Fortis website so any corroboration would be appreciated. This wouldn’t be the last Fortis space collaboration though.
In the ‘80s Fortis launched a new Stratoliner with a Lemania 5100 movement. The original dial had indices not numerals and has a lovely clean look. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/541/1...17c3b62f_z.jpg. The version with numerals like mine looks to me like a transitional version that co-existed with the yet to be launched Cosmonaut.
The Fortis space connection was re-established in 1992 thanks to an art project collaboration with the Russian Federal Space Agency (RFSA) and the German artist Andora. This led to some very nice limited edition Stratoliners like this one belonging to DeepRedDave.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
deepreddave
I guess the Fortis marketing department were behind all this activity. However this successful commercial tie up and subsequent testing by the RFSA led to the development and launch (literally) in 1994 of the Fortis Official Cosmonauts watch.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...5100_cosmo.jpg
You can see how similar the dial is to my Stratoliner. Unscrambling the exact history of the different variants around this time, and what went into space first, isn’t easy so any more information would be very welcome.
Incidentally, Fortis, despite their recent troubles, have an interesting horological history. They launched the first commercial automatic watch in 1926, using a design patented by John Harwood.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John...d_(watchmaker)
http://madeupinbritain.uk/Automatic_..._Watch_Company
They are still going strong with some nice looking chronographs, including a Stratoliner, although now based on the Valjoux 7750.
Fortis Stratoliner / Lemania 5100 and a bit of aerospace history.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mr Curta
That's a very fine catch, it looks great and I really like the handset.
Thanks, nice of you to say so and to notice the handset, which I particularly like, especially the rounded hands and the faded orange on the minute counter.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0e3d7d8e9f.jpg
The guy who owns the one with indices blogged about how he changed the hands to a standard Lemania 5100 set, which I don’t understand. Each to their own.
Your one I really thought about getting, because of the cosmonaut history, but I wanted the black tachymeter bezel. One opinion I read is that the ones worn by the cosmonauts had count-up bezels as this is more useful for a pilot. On the other hand, this one looks more like a tachymeter, although pretty hard to tell.
https://www.nasa.gov/images/content/...21368_high.jpg
Naturally the other visible watch looks like an Omega, no doubt the rest are as well :).
Fortis Stratoliner / Lemania 5100 and a bit of aerospace history.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sinnlover
they have a history of dipping back in the the back catalogue e.g. the flipper and Marinemaster that were sold a few years ago.
I like the Marinemaster, I think someone on the forum has one that they post in the Friday thread sometimes.
Fortis Stratoliner / Lemania 5100 and a bit of aerospace history.
I like the Ducati ones. I bet they don’t come up for sale very often (and definitely not for £750!).
Overall prices of the Fortis 5100s seem all over the place, even the Andora limited editions.
@Foxy100: definitely nicer than a Daytona :).
Fortis Stratoliner / Lemania 5100 and a bit of aerospace history.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Redwolf
That old eh, that’s good as I’m a big vintage fan and that’s bordering on vintage imo.
Cheers mate.
I’m not certain. Doubt it’s much later though. Sweets will probably have a better idea.
Fortis Stratoliner / Lemania 5100 and a bit of aerospace history.
Apparently this is from the first spaceflight that used the original Fortis Official Cosmonauts watch - the Lemania 5100 version derived from the Stratoliner like mine.
http://www.spacefacts.de/graph/drawi...recovery_2.jpg
Flight Commander Yuri Malinchenko on the left seems to be wearing a Fortis, although with a strap rather than a bracelet so difficult to be certain. He spent 125 days in space in 1994 including a lengthy EVA (spacewalk) so the watch got a workout. Although the crew took their watches off for some activities (make up your own jokes).
http://www.spacefacts.de/graph/drawi..._musabayev.jpg
Full details here:
http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-tm19.htm
This is the claim from the Fortis distributor that the Soyuz TM-19 mission used Fortis Cosmonaut watches. Some more interesting background.
https://gevrilgroup.com/watchbrands/...space-watches/
Fortis Stratoliner / Lemania 5100 and a bit of aerospace history.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HappyJack
That hi-res shot of the crew shows a Fortis Chromo with the 7750 rather than the Lemania 5100.
That was well spotted :).
Final link from me for now before I start boring everyone. Fortis published a book in 2012 to commemorate their 100 year anniversary.
http://www.fortis-watches.com/upload...bilee-Book.pdf
Page 54 has a picture of ‘my’ Stratoliner under the heading ‘1992’. The 571.10.142 model I think dates from the late ‘80s although maybe the numerical dial started in 1992 and was then used in the Cosmonaut watch from 1994 onwards. I think that the 7750 versions started from around 2004. I’ve read so many dates in the last few months I may have that wrong :).
Page 80 onwards has a space section with some cool pictures. As ever with the Fortis marketing material, facts and pictures are used loosely to tell a story.
Unfortunately the pictures are not stored hi-res in this pdf. If anyone has a copy of the book I’d be grateful for a look.