Fortis Presents The New Novonaut N-42
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