After movement testing on rockets launched from the arctic circle, Fortis has released the Fortis Stratoliner, the first to feature the new Fortis Werk 17 movement.
The Release
The Fortis Stratoliner features a brushed 41mm case made of recycled steel (Fortis has pledged to only use recycled steel in its watches). There is a rubber gasket through what Fortis calls a “flat, fixed Orbit bezel,” which is also made from recycled steel. The 21mm lugs are blocky and styled to be discrete from the case, with no steel between the lugs themselves. On the righthand side are the gasketed button pushers and the screwdown crown, all helping achieve 200m water resistance. The watch comes on a steel “Block Bracelet” with folding clasp with microadjustments or a black leather “Aviator” strap with a folding clasp. The watch features a smoked sapphire caseback with a clear sapphire aperture highlighting the column wheel of the Fortis Werk 17 movement. Around the sapphire is a screwdown caseback that reads “Space Resistant 20m.” The movement is an automatic column wheel chronograph, developed with La Joux-Perret with a customized large bridge for additional stability and 60 hours of power reserve.
The Stratoliner comes in four dials: White Dust, Cosmic Gray, Cool Gray, and Blue Japan. They all have a texture Fortis describes as a “dust dial,” which has the appearance of a slightly shimmery frost. The dials feature a classic 6-9-12 layout, with 12-hour counter, running seconds, and 30-minute counter, respectively. At 3 o’clock are the logo and the day and date displays. The hands are stark and simple: pilot style hour and minute, a standard pointed chronograph hand and black hands for the registers. While the hour and minute hands feature white lume application, you’ll notice light blue accents throughout the dial, including the chronograph hand. That’s specially formulated lume that shows blue in daylight and the typical blue-green in the dark. The partial application is a nod to Virgin Galactic’s groundbreaking stratospheric flight: 1.5 hours climb, 90 second boost, and 15 minutes of zero gravity. As a bit of an easter egg, the rehaut (as well as the caseback ring) is engraved with “DER HIMMEL IST NICHT DAS ENDE DER WELT”: The sky is not the end of the world.
Our Thoughts
While there are plenty of watches with space claims, don’t make the mistake in thinking Fortis is new to the game—the brand hasn’t just popped out of the hedges with a random space watch. It’s been involved with the Russian cosmonauts since 1994 and has launched several watches with the Austrian Space Forum’s AMADEE program. This is, however, its first watch to be specifically designed for space, in collaboration with the Swedish Space Corporation, specifically with the Fortis Werk 17 movement. The testing of this movement involved launching thirteen modules into the upper stratosphere and is quite the story. To boot, the design of this watch continues Fortis’ overall utilitarian vibe, with a few exceptions.
I’m of two minds here. First, I think it’s very cool that Fortis has done the extra space testing and launched this watch with unique design queues. That said, the partial lume, the porthole aperture within the display caseback, and the “Space Resistant” text seem too gimmicky—though I understand the urge to do something quirky and special for an initial release. The 41mm case is sure to wear well, as seen in the photos, though the 21mm lugs will induce a number of groans (and has caused my own hesitation with past Fortis models). Gimmicks aside, I like the overall design and what the watch represents: a smaller brand pushing limits. I hope Fortis doesn’t stop here with the Werk 17 or its efforts to build purposeful space watches.
Availability
The Fortis Stratoliner is priced at $4,800 on the strap and $5,150 on the bracelet. While the Blue Japan dial will not be available until July, the others are available now, directly from Fortis.