Category: FORTIS

The new Fortis Novonaut N-42 was the piece that still needed to be renewed among the iconic and historic Fortis models, a mission embraced three years ago with the arrival of the brand’s new owner.

Descendant of the B-42 Official Cosmonaut Chronograph that was part of the standard equipment of Roscosmos (Russian Space Agency) cosmonauts, the new Novonaut N-42 is a modern reinterpretation of the old space chronograph, which overall, in addition to preserving the classic design, maintains all previous features as expected but now with a contemporary look.

So on the outside, the Novonaut is presented in a case with a bracelet made of recycled steel with a total brushed finish, 42mm in diameter and 15mm thick, shorter lugs and screws that allow quick release of the bracelet/strap, bidirectional bezel with insert in ceramic and a full-lumed 60-minute scale called ‘Sirius Bezel’. AR-coated sapphire crystal, screw-down crown and 200m water resistance.

The tri-compax dial maintains a 12-hour counter, running seconds and a 30-minute counter at 6-9-12, a double day-date window at 3 o’clock flanked by the two triangles that were also part of the dial’s layout of former B-52 and which serve to indicate the direction in which we must turn the crown to adjust them. Applied Arabic numerals and pencil hands all filled with luminescent material, a lollipop Chronograph centre seconds hand which, like the other two counter hands, comes painted orange and a white minute and seconds track outer ring.

The new space chronograph arrives in three variants, the First Edition is a 100-piece edition that features a black sunray-brushed dial with orange details on the chapter ring and matching tone bezel and is attached to a steel bracelet. The Legacy Edition comes with a matte black dial and bezel, a solid case back (the only one among the three variants) and is available with a black FKM rubber/textile strap or steel bracelet. Finally, the Cobalt Blue Edition comes with a blue sunray-brushed dial and bezel in the same colour and is also available with a blue FKM rubber/textile strap or a steel bracelet.

At its heart, we can find the automatic Caliber Werk 17 movement that also powers the Stratoliner, a column wheel chronograph that reaches 28,800 Vph and offers up to 60 hours of power reserve.

The new Fortis are now available in the brand’s official boutiques and authorized retailers with prices ranging between €4,600 and €5,200.

Read more here.

General Specifications:

Brand: Fortis

Model: Novonaut N-42

Reference: F2040008 (legacy on a bracelet), F2040009 (legacy on a strap), F2040012 (cobalt blue on a bracelet), F2040013 (cobalt blue on a strap), F2040010 (first edition on a bracelet)

Dial: Black, blue

Lume: Super-LumiNova

Case Material: Stainless steel

Case Dimensions: 42 mm Diameter, 15 mm thickness, 51 mm lug-to-lug

Crystal: Sapphire Glass

Case Back: Stainless steel, Sapphire Glass

Water Resistance: 200 Meters

Strap: Stainless steel bracelet, FKM rubber/textile strap

Calibre: Werk-17

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, day, date, chronograph

Winding: Automatic

Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 Vph)

Jewels: 26

Power Reserve: 60 Hours

Price: € 4,600 (legacy on a strap), € 4,750 (cobalt blue on a strap), € 4,950 (legacy on a bracelet), € 5,100 (cobalt blue on a bracelet), € 5,200 (first edition on a bracelet)

Availability: Now

When space exploration began in the 1950s, few would have guessed that 65 years later a new phase would begin, space tourism, although today it is a reality within the reach of few, very soon it will be disseminated, and that is why Fortis has just released a trio (or a quartet to be exact) of purpose-built chronographs.

For this, Fortis redefines the Stratoliner Collection and with it also debuts its new Caliber WERK17, which has been tested by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) in the stratosphere and under severe conditions.

The new WERK 17 automatic movement features a column wheel, a custom traversing bridge that guarantees robustness in space, the highest accuracy and 60 hours of power reserve.

Moving straight to the new Stratoliner S-41, they come in a 41mm stainless steel case with slender lugs, smooth bezel, sapphire crystal on the front and case back, crown with the brand’s logo at three o’clock, two pushers buttons and 200 meters of water resistance.

The dials, in addition to the three central hands, feature a double day-date window at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock and finally a 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock. It is in the tones of the dial that the three variants differ, with the White Dust variant featuring a white dial and counters, the Cool Gray variant with a grey dial and white counters and the Cosmic Gray variant with a grey cool dial and with the counters in black.

The dials of all variants come with some details in sky blue, which in addition are filled with Super-LumiNova X1 also in shades of blue, which is the case of the central chronograph seconds hand, the first 30 seconds of the minute scale (representing 90 seconds), the first 15 minutes and 1 1/2 hours of the respective counters, in a clear allusion to the different phases of Virgin Galactic’s stratospheric flight. Finally, the engraving of the quote “Der Himmel ist nicht das Ende der Welt” on the sapphire crystal of the case back, means “Sky is no limit”.

The watches are offered with a block bracelet with a slide clasp or on an aviator strap.

As I mentioned above, this initial trio towards the end of the year will become a quartet as these three variants will be joined by the special edition “Blue Japan” which, as you can guess from the name, will come with a navy blue dial and counters in white and small details in red and grey, let’s wait.

Our Opinion

Fortis’ connection to the world of aviation and space began a long time ago, and since then it has produced high-quality watches whose recognition is often overshadowed by the limelight of other brands.

That’s why we’re not surprised that this launch comes at a good time when space exploration from a tourist point of view is gaining more and more importance.

The new Stratoliner S-41 not only surprises from the outside, above all for the details filled with lume that promise to steal the attention of its owners at night but also from the inside for its new “heart” WERK 17.

Of the three (four) variants that I liked the most so far is the white one, the white uniformity of the dial with the black and sky blue details seem to match perfectly. And if here a few years ago I was allergic to white dials, more and more I’m starting to develop a special appetite for them… I suppose it’s due to age.

Read more here.

General Specifications:

Brand: Fortis

Model: Stratoliner S-41

Dial: White, grey, blue

Lume: Super-LumiNova X1 with blue afterglow

Case Material: Stainless steel

Case Dimensions: 41 mm

Crystal: Sapphire Glass

Case Back: Sapphire Glass

Water Resistance: 200 Meters

Strap: Black aviator strap or stainless steel bracelet

Caliber: Werk-17

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, day, date, chronograph

Winding: Automatic

Power Reserve: 60 Hours

Price: €  4,950 (on a strap), € 5,350 (on a bracelet)

Availability: Now

A few months ago at the time of the launch of the Flieger F-39 and F-41 “Midnight Blue” models, Fortis made an environmental commitment to start producing more and more watches from sustainable materials, and today with the launch of the reborn Marinemaster collection confirms this pact with the watch cases being produced from recyclable steel. No wonder why the new Marinemaster is all about “nature” and despite not being a diving watch even though it could be a lot due to a generous 300 and 500 meters of water resistance, it invites outdoor activities like fishing, windsurfing, hiking, or camping.

The new Fortis Marinemaster comes in two models in different sizes, the M-40 offered in 4 variants and the M-44 offered in a single variant, let’s move on to the features that define each of the models.

As the nomenclature indicates the M-40 comes with a 40 mm recycled steel case, black stainless steel gear bezel, 3 o’clock crown with crown guards, hidden lugs, sapphire crystal glass, screw-in case back, and 300 meters of water resistance. As we have already mentioned, the M-40 is offered in four color variants on the dial – Rockstone gray, woodpecker green, serenity blue, and snow white. The textured dial with the repeating “O” pattern of the Fortis logo comes with a chapter ring in the same color as the dial, applied hour markers and baton hours and minutes hands all filled with Super-LumiNova, center lollipop seconds hand and a date window at 3 o’clock. Inside is equipped with automatic Caliber UW30 movement based on the Sellita SW 200-1 that offers up to 38 hours of power reserve. All variants are offered with a stainless steel bracelet or a horizon rubber strap in the same color as the chosen variant and which comes with the same embossed “O” pattern as the dial. Prices range from € 2,950 to € 3,300 if accompanied by a rubber strap or a stainless steel bracelet respectively.

The Marinemaster M-44, in addition to coming with a generous 44 mm recycled steel case, is much more than a simple variant of larger dimensions, adding some interesting new features compared to the standard M-40. Starting with the case that features an extra crown at 10 o’clock, which allows you to turn the bezel in both directions through the new patented Fortis Lock System and which also comes with a powerful 500 m of water resistance that is the envy of many diver watches.

The black dial features exactly the same textured pattern with the “O” of the Fortis logo of the M-40 model, but the chapter ring features amber-orange accompanied in color by the minute hand and the rubber strap if you choose this option. Inside lives another novelty, the new and powerful Caliber Werk-11 produced by Kenissi that offers up to 72 hours of power reserve and is Chronometer Certified by COSC.

Prices range from €4,250 to €4,600 if accompanied by a rubber strap or a stainless steel bracelet respectively.

Our Opinion

It seems to us a good addition to the options available from Fortis filling some gap that existed at the field watch level, if from an aesthetic point of view the serenity blue variant was the one that most seduced us, from a technical point of view the M-44 is the which impresses us most with the powerful Caliber Werk-11 and the amazing 500 m of water resistance.

Read more here.

General Specifications:

Brand: Fortis

Model: Marinemaster M-40, Marinemaster M-44

Reference: F8120003, F8120004, F8120005, F8120006, F8120007, F8120008, F8120009, F8120010, F8120013, F8120014

Dial: Rockstone gray, woodpecker green, serenity blue, snow white, amber orange

Indexes: Applied

Lume: Super-LumiNova X1 with blue afterglow

Case Material: Recycled steel

Case Dimensions: 40 mm and 44 mm Diameter

Crystal: Sapphire Glass

Case Back: Recycled steel

Water Resistance: 300 and 500 Meters

Strap: Horizon rubber strap or stainless steel bracelet

Caliber: UW-30, Werk-11

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, bezel

Winding: Automatic

Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 Vph)

Jewels: 26

Power Reserve: 38 (M-40) and 72 (M-44) Hours

Price: €  2,950 (M-40 on a strap), €  3,300 (M-40 on a bracelet), €  4,250 (M-44 on a strap), €  4,600 (M-44 on a bracelet)

Availability: Now