Fortis, interesting

[ped]

I've never really looked into Fortis as a company before. I held one of their Flieger watches years ago when I went to buy my Longines Legend Diver back in 2007 and I really liked it and I've always had them at the back of my mind.

I narrowly missed out on a PVD Flieger GMT a while ago, it was quite beaten up but looked great. They don't come up that often so I was delighted to pick this one up from Chrono24 the other week from a private seller - she said it was in great condition.. well it looks unworn.

I love the shape of the case - all dial, 40mm, flat glass, matte dial, very thin. The tiny lugs are cool too. It's a very legible thing; the lume is really creamy coloured and the GMT + Second hand are ridiculously luminous during the day. I think they might be radioactive!! The colours are really hard to capture in a photo, the lume looks much more white below than it does on the watch (I think it used to be white but it's aged)

Anyway when I was looking at their website I read up about the history of the company, and I had no idea about their rich history. They strike me as a noble and quiet company who have more brand heritage than most. It said something along the lines of the fact that Fortis watches have spent longer in space than all other brands combined, and I was fascinated to read how they made the first automatic watch and Rolex had to stop saying they did it first.

On top of that there are some interesting factory tour articles and they seem like a friendly bunch. I don't know - they just feel like a nice company. I didn't even realise they're independent.

Here's a snap of my watch. I think it really suits this strap and it looks really striking on the wrist. Very pleased to have finally scratched the itch, ten years on!

Cheers
ped

[Arcam]

I've never really looked into Fortis as a company before. I held one of their Flieger watches years ago when I went to buy my Longines Legend Diver back in 2007 and I really liked it and I've always had them at the back of my mind.

I narrowly missed out on a PVD Flieger GMT a while ago, it was quite beaten up but looked great. They don't come up that often so I was delighted to pick this one up from Chrono24 the other week from a private seller - she said it was in great condition.. well it looks unworn.

I love the shape of the case - all dial, 40mm, flat glass, matte dial, very thin. The tiny lugs are cool too. It's a very legible thing; the lume is really creamy coloured and the GMT + Second hand are ridiculously luminous during the day. I think they might be radioactive!! The colours are really hard to capture in a photo, the lume looks much more white below than it does on the watch (I think it used to be white but it's aged)

Anyway when I was looking at their website I read up about the history of the company, and I had no idea about their rich history. They strike me as a noble and quiet company who have more brand heritage than most. It said something along the lines of the fact that Fortis watches have spent longer in space than all other brands combined, and I was fascinated to read how they made the first automatic watch and Rolex had to stop saying they did it first.

On top of that there are some interesting factory tour articles and they seem like a friendly bunch. I don't know - they just feel like a nice company. I didn't even realise they're independent.

Here's a snap of my watch. I think it really suits this strap and it looks really striking on the wrist. Very pleased to have finally scratched the itch, ten years on!

Cheers
ped

I like Fortis having owned a couple and that one of yours looks pretty interesting.

Here is one I sold a while back.

[Ray_Singh]

Thanks for sharing. I have seen a few FORTIS watches for sale and never really paid them much attention. Their Wiki page is worth a read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortis_(Swiss_watchmaker)
The company was set up in 1912 with the first automatic watch in 1926. They were the official watch of the Russian Space programme, so a Omega Speedmaster competitior?

They have a lovley selection of watches on thier website and reasonable cost. https://www.fortis-swiss.com/?gclid=...SAAEgIEH_D_BwE

@ped - i love your watch, it looks just right, but too big for my wrist!

[Sinnlover]

I think Fortis are a very underrated watch company and I am a big fan
The cosmonauts Chronograph with a mechanical alarm was the first watch I really wanted. This was back when I was a kid in the 1990s reading Flypast magazine - they were always advertised in there.

I still don’t have the alarm chrono but I do have these 2

[s1wnw]

I think their Mars range was pretty cool, but they are a brand I’ve never bought so far.


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[Onelasttime]

I had the same Fortis flieger GMT but my PVD was far more worn. It had the bracelet as well.






Fortis were really struggling not so long ago so unless they've been bought, COVID-19 could be the end of them, which would be a massive shame.


I currently have a Spacematic




And have had the standard flieger and a flieger chrono. All brilliant watches.

Congrats on the find

[FellBasher]

Have a b-42 cosmonaut I bought from Jura in 2010, it's a cherished beater in my collection. Built like a tank! Wears a little big for my tastes now as the bezel overhangs the 42 mm case slightly.

Great watch OP and I really like the brand.

Jon

[earlofsodbury]

I really hope Fortis survive, they're a little braver and thus a little more original than so much of the "me-too" stuff that's out there - their take on the ubiquitous diver's watch is certainly a mite unconventional, and I seem to be one of the handful of people who actually bought one...



It's one of my absolute favourites in the collection.

[Nealywheelie]

As mentioned above, the Official Cosmonauts/Marinemaster chrono's are built like a tank. I've just run upstairs and put mine on.

Lovely matt black dial and AR coating, and very distinctive case style. More space-time than a 'Speedy'! ha.

[notnowkato]

I love 'em ..

[gcleminson]

I thought they went into liquidation? Did somebody bail them out?

First watch I bought after joining this forum was a B42 Cosmonaut. Paid £350 to CmdrBond if I recall.

[helidoc]

I always liked Fortis, although they have recently started up again after bankruptcy. IMHO Their best models were






And the one I would like to acquire, this:



Dave


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[Low-Key]

Hi

I have kept an eye on Fortis for many years now, but only because I have one some 40yrs old and a friend one even older - mine is a Fortis Army and his a Fortis Marinemaster Chrono - he paid 15£ in 1973-5.

Recent watches (last 20yrs or so) have looked interesting but never quite hit off with me...........they have had some rather nice ones though!

L

[Dr_Niss]

I only have one Fortis but the cosmonaut is one of my favourite watches

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[jmarchitect]

I miss my Fortis B-42 chronograph, lost as a result of the vindictive actions of a nasty ex partner. A cool looking, nice wearing piece was no match for ‘hell hath no fury’!

[murkeywaters]

I have a B42 Cosmonaut, not worn it in a long time, really nice watch, looks big on my wrist here but isn’t too bad, I’m more into 42mm or less now..

[GraniteQuarry]

Very underrated brand IMO, but big and chunky as can be seen so not for the squeamish. The B42 Cosmonauts Chronograph is a belter at under £2k.

[ped]

Very underrated brand IMO, but big and chunky as can be seen so not for the squeamish. The B42 Cosmonauts Chronograph is a belter at under £2k.

Yes some are big but that’s why I like the Flieger; it’s 40mm and really thin.

[docrwm]

When I sold my Rolex (whew!) I bought my Fortis. That was YEARS ago and I still have the Fortis.

[Skip]

As mentioned above, the Official Cosmonauts/Marinemaster chrono's are built like a tank. I've just run upstairs and put mine on.

Lovely matt black dial and AR coating, and very distinctive case style. More space-time than a 'Speedy'! ha.

Chronographs have never really been my “thing” but have to say that looks very nice! I had a Fortis Marinemaster some years ago, so know just how well built they are. I’m still tempted to buy a white Marinemaster that’s in the window of a local AD every time I walk by!

[ollipekka]

At least this one is very high quality in every single way:

[alfat33]

At least this one is very high quality in every single way:

It is indeed very nice. I believe the next evolution of this Stratoliner that I started a thread about last year.


https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...ospace-history

[Neil.C]

I have this Fortis Cosmonaute "diver".

Great watch and a lovely finish on it.

From others I have seen I have found that the PVD wears quite badly on them and their boxes melt!

When I got in touch with Fortis about the melting box they offered me a new one, no Cosmonaute boxes left, for £60 - how generous!

[number2]

At least this one is very high quality in every single way:

Always fancied the "am" version.

[rushroon]

Fortis Cosmonauts Lemania 5100 is a cracking watch. Especially this version with the divers bezel. A real favourite in my collection.




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[sweets]

I've had several Forti (?) over the years, but not for a while. They were all Lemania powered.

One of these



Led to finding a stash of 4 more of them languishing in a Ducati dealership in Leeds.
I then got this older one (oitline hands), and a newer dive bezel version (proper coloured date wheel etc)



But although very good, the lume was awful and I developed a deep hatred of screwdown pushers

I finally had this LE for a while, the best thing Fortis were producing at the time, Ti, 200m WR and Lemania power - near perfect.



It eventually made way for my EZM1 back in 2008, and I have not owned a Fortis since. I have kept the EZM1 though, so that was a good trade.

I have tried a few times to track down an impossibly rare one, the manual wind Fortis cosmonaut with the Lemania 1873 (Speedmaster movement) - like this



No luck yet

Dave

[notnowkato]

I've had several Forti (?) over the years, but not for a while. They were all Lemania powered.

One of these



Led to finding a stash of 4 more of them languishing in a Ducati dealership in Leeds.
I then got this older one (oitline hands), and a newer dive bezel version (proper coloured date wheel etc)



But although very good, the lume was awful and I developed a deep hatred of screwdown pushers

I finally had this LE for a while, the best thing Fortis were producing at the time, Ti, 200m WR and Lemania power - near perfect.



It eventually made way for my EZM1 back in 2008, and I have not owned a Fortis since. I have kept the EZM1 though, so that was a good trade.

I have tried a few times to track down an impossibly rare one, the manual wind Fortis cosmonaut with the Lemania 1873 (Speedmaster movement) - like this



No luck yet

Dave

I bought the Ducati one from you many many years before I heard of TZ UK. On a very wet day as I recall .
Still have it as the 5100 movement is a favourite.
Regards
Tim

[sish101]

I have this Fortis Marine Master. Very quirky.

When I was doing some research before I bought it, there was a degree of controversy around the whole 're-issue' thing and whether they had been re-made by Fortis or if they were good/bad replicas, etc. I'm sure there is a post here on TZ-UK about the Marine Master but I can't find it after a lazy search!

Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves

[sish101]

Another photo of the MM, it's one raised crystal, definitely a scratch magnet for the unwary.

Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves

[rodia77]

Forti (?)

Fortes, I think.

My first 'serious' automatic watch is saying hi.



Bought in 2012, on the brand's 100th anniversary.

[HappyJack]

I'm on my third.

I started with the B-42 Pilot Professional GMT Chrono (reviewed here) - a real stunner that attracted more comments than any watch I've had since. It was big, chunky and very good, but I really wanted a "true" travel-type GMT where the hour hand jumped and the GMT hand stayed at the same time.



I sold it for the smaller 39mm Cosmonaut Chronograph GMT (reviewed here), which had a movement modified to provide the jumping hour hand. Curiously and frustratingly, the date changed with the GMT hand not the running hour hand, which was less than ideal. And I also got frustrated by the screw-out pushers - which were never in the right position when you wanted to use them.


I then spent two years stalking Fortis owners who had the ultimate, the Grail, the Fortis B-42 Cosmonaut Chronograph Titanium. I got pipped to the post on a couple of sales, including by Sweets with the watch shown above, before tracking this on down. I've now had it 10 years, and have never reviewed it, perhaps due to a superstition that if I review it, I'd end up selling it.

They are very rare - only 500 were made, and owners must hang on to them because I've seen no more than a dozen for sale in the last decade. They are a superb watch - big and chunky, for sure, though perhaps less so to modern eyes, given the size of most Breitlings, Planet Oceans etc - but very comfortable to wear thanks to the light weight of the Titanium bracelet and head. And the Lemania 5100 centre minute display and dayglo red Chrono hands make for tremendous, at-a-glance legibility. It's my go-to watch for any demanding physical activity - flying, sailing, even skiing.

I've just put it back on the wrist after a month of wearing my Sinn 140LE - itself a stunning watch with a beautiful radial brushed steel case and panda subdials and the Fortis - simple, utilitarian and unpretentious - stands out as the better tool, even if the Sinn looks better in the Board Room...

[MarkB]

Fortis use day/date a lot. Here are some of mine. Have a few more, so I must like them a lot.

Sent from my Aquaris V with Tapatalk using a small keypad and declining eyesight!

[pstruck]

I have owned a B-42 in the past and liked it a lot. It certainly had a solid almost indestructible feel to it. I sold it as I felt it wore a little too large for me, but seeing this thread makes me wish I hadn’t. I’m sure I’ll own another one day.

[Sunnie]

I have this Fortis Cosmonaute "diver".

Great watch and a lovely finish on it.

From others I have seen I have found that the PVD wears quite badly on them and their boxes melt!

When I got in touch with Fortis about the melting box they offered me a new one, no Cosmonaute boxes left, for £60 - how generous!

Yeah, I've found them very mean with aftercare. A shame as the watches look great. I probably wouldn't buy another one new because of this as I feel I like to buy the company as well as the watch.

Sunnie

[notenoughwrists]

I have had plenty of, maybe a dozen overall, and were my first foray into Swiss watches after Seiko got me hooked on autos.
One of my favourite marks, for sure.

That Ti B42 is fantastic, had that in steel. Was a beast! And the older 39mm cosmonauts with Lem.5100 are something I still regret selling.

I had to deal with Fortis on a recall of the B42 range, to swap out the crown from a screw-down to push fit (or vice versa) and they were excellent to deal with. This was before they were bought out or whatever about 10yrs ago, not sure if that made a difference.

Can’t find any old photos but look at my early threads and am sure there are plenty.


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[notenoughwrists]

No idea where the other photos are!


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[acg]

Really regret selling one of these. (Twice from memory)

Top 3 watch selling regrets easy

Fortes, I think.

My first 'serious' automatic watch is saying hi.



Bought in 2012, on the brand's 100th anniversary.

[rodia77]

Really regret selling one of these. (Twice from memory)

Top 3 watch selling regrets easy

Understood. Mine isn't going anywhere, ever.

[MarkB]

Just recieved the opposite of the lume dail marinemaster, but tapatalk wil not let me upload photos.....

[MarkB]

Now is lets me.

Sent from my Aquaris V with Tapatalk using a small keypad and declining eyesight!

[zelig]

A while back I had this...



I traded in here on SC - and didn't have a PVD watch until today... another Fortis, this time a B42



A fitting replacement I feel...

z

[earlofsodbury]

A fitting replacement I feel...

z

A definite upgrade.

[abraxas]

Wow watches guys!

If anyone wants the book below I put it on the cloud. == Beware it is 29.3 mb ==

FORTIS 100 Years Jubilee Book .pdf == 29.3 mb ==
https://mega.nz/file/1qBh2CaJ#hCokM6...qffg-4PufKRzuM

[Sinnlover]

Wow watches guys!

If anyone wants the book below I put it on the cloud. == Beware it is 29.3 mb ==

FORTIS 100 Years Jubilee Book .pdf == 29.3 mb ==
https://mega.nz/file/1qBh2CaJ#hCokM6...qffg-4PufKRzuM

Nice one, thanks sharing it!!

[earlofsodbury]

Wow watches guys!

If anyone wants the book below I put it on the cloud. == Beware it is 29.3 mb ==

FORTIS 100 Years Jubilee Book .pdf == 29.3 mb ==
https://mega.nz/file/1qBh2CaJ#hCokM6...qffg-4PufKRzuM

Cheers for that

[rodia77]

Nice one, thanks sharing it!!

+1

[Routers]

Also has a B42 Official Cosmonaut which I foolishly sold too cheaply.
A great watch and an excellent bracelet.
Would certainly consider getting another at the right price.

[pstruck]

To keep the Fortis love going I thought I’d post a pic of my B-42 on its new strap. Off with the black leather and on with an inexpensive green fabric strap. Got to admit I really rather like this combo. Super comfy and suits the watch very well IMO.

[zenius]

Looks nice. The hands seem to the dials very nicely.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

[deepo]

I've had my Spacematic Pilot for years, but the seconds hand has faded to yellow. But I still love it because of the incredibly clear dial and crystal!


This image shows the fading better.