Jewellery & Watch News
Last November, in partnership with the Swedish Space Corporation, Fortis launched 13 watch movements into space to determine exactly what conditions a space-intended timepiece would come up against. The movement in question was the in-house WERK-17, a proprietary column-wheel chronograph movement which was strapped 13 times to a special gondola which then rose to an altitude of 30km. Proving that it was built to the extremes, the WERK-17 calibre now debuts within a new series of designs engineered especially for space travel. Meet the new Fortis Stratoliner watch collection…
Fortis have a long and well-established reputation in the world of space exploration. While Omega might be the luxury watch brand that first comes to mind when one thinks of “space watches”, Fortis have established a reputation just as brilliant as their significantly more expensive competitor. In 1962, Fortis presented the Spacematic watch to Gemini astronauts who immediately fell in love with the watch’s timeless and durable style. Later on, Fortis would partner with cosmonaut expeditions and send their first watch into space. Now, some three decades later, the Swiss watch brand have done the same but this time with one of their own in-house automatic winding movements.
The real novelty of the new Fortis Stratoliner watches is the WERK 17 movement housed within. It has been well and truly tested to endure the conditions outside of the earth’s stratosphere, thanking much of its durability to La Joux-Perret who developed the integrated column-wheel chronograph mechanism with a robust shock-resistant traversing bridge to ensure better accuracy and resilience. The movement’s finishing is fairly straight forward, adding to the utilitarian look of the Fortis Stratoliner watches, with brushed and matte parts all around. For performance, alongside the central hours, minutes and chronograph seconds, day and date, and three subsidiary counters for small seconds, 30 minutes and 12 hours, we’re promised a 60 hour power reserve and a frequency of 28,800vph.
Having tried on the Fortis Stratoliner watches on for yourselves, we can attest to the design’s strength. Just sitting on the wrist, the 41mm stainless steel architecture feels solid and robust, giving off a tool watch aesthetic with its angled lugs, inverted pushes and prominent pill box crown. The fixed bezel is adorned with a nice black rubber stripe to disband its otherwise uniform appearance. The screw in crown and case back also assist in a 200 metre water resistant rating, the latter matching the front with a layer of sapphire crystal glass. The glass case back differs from the anti-reflective material used on the front however for its smoked effect, other than a small rounded pane that is left clear so you can see the movement’s column wheel mechanism. Around the smoked glass is the addition of a message which reads “Der Himmel ist nicht das Ende der Welt” translating from German to “the sky is not the end of the world.”
There are several dial colours to choose from in the Fortis Stratoliner watch collection. The Fortis Stratoliner White Dust comes with an off-white backdrop with matching white subsidiary dials while the Fortis Stratoliner Cosmic Grey opts for a medium grey base and darker grey counters. The Fortis Stratoliner Cool Grey is similar but offers a slightly lighter dial with white subsidiary dials. More recently, the Swiss watch manufacturer added to the collection and launched the Fortis Stratoliner Blue Japan which debuts a rich navy blue dial with silver counters and bold red accents. All the dials are grained and display syringe-tipped black hour and minute hands.
If you’d like to learn more about the new 2022 Fortis Stratoliner watches and shop the collection for yourself, head over to the C W Sellors website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at [email protected].
Specifications:
- Case Size: 41mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Fixed with rubber inlay
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Crown: Screw down
- Case Back: Sapphire crystal, partially smoked with clear window over column wheel
- Water Resistance: 200 metres
- Movement: Calibre WERK 17, automatic winding
- Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph, day-date
- Power Reserve: 60 hours
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Dial: White Dust, Cosmic Grey, Cool Grey, grained texture, space blue Superluminova
- Strap: Stainless steel block bracelet or black leather strap
- Buckle: Folding
- Limited Edition: No
- RRP: £4,450 (Leather), £4,750 (Bracelet)
