Why are cosmonauts issued with a mechanical wrist watch? Space and time are intrinsically linked so is it surprising that cosmonauts wear an official B-42 Fortis Chronograph Watch!
While at the Watch Fair in Basel Switzerland, we thought we would take a look at the Fortis factory to see what all the fuss was about. The first surprising thing is that it is still located in the same building, in the Swiss town of Grenchen. where Walter Vogt founded the company in 1912, two years before the First
World War. The place exudes history and craftsmanship.
We watched an alarm chronograph being painstakingly assembled, with over two hundred additional components for the intricate alarm function. Design, testing, quality control and the love of creating an individual timepiece, it was all on display.
The history of this innovative brand is quite amazing, here a few highlights.:
1926 - Production of the world.s first self-winding watch, the legendary HARWOOD.
1937 - 25th Anniversary. First Fortis chronograph.
1943 - First Fortis water-resistant automatic wrist watch.
1987 - 75th Anniversary, Fortis again sets the trend with its Flieger Automatic collection
1994 - FORTIS OFFICIAL COSMONAUT chosen as part of the official cosmonaut equipment.
1997 - Again chosen for Cosmonauts this time for the German-Russian space mission MIR97.
1998 - The world.s first Automatic Chronograph with an integrated mechanical alarm.
2004- Winner of the First European Aviation Watch award: FORTIS FLIEGER CHRONOGRAPH
2011 - To planet Mars with FORTIS,a simulated space mission to Mars.
2012 - 100 YEARS of FORTIS Watchmaking.
At the Watch Fair, we were blown away by the enormous effort and resources invested in the watch industry by over one hundred brands represented. We couldn’t help but marvel at the amazing achievements made by the wonderfully innovative Fortis watch company.
Watches make a statement about those who make them and those who choose to wear them.
FORTIS is the one I want!
What a watch, incredible value, what a story.
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