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WATCH
FORTIS
SOLID SILVER
CA. 1970
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Fortis was founded in 1912 by Walter Vogt in Grenchen, Switzerland. A few years later, a collaboration with inventor and watchmaker John Harwood enabled Fortis to present the very first mass-produced automatic watch in 1926.
Since 1954, the company has been manufacturing wristwatches with alarm functions. The Centinela was the first alarm-equipped model, closely followed by the Fortis-Manager in 1956. This model was the first Fortis wristwatch with alarm and chronometer certificate.
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After Walter Vogt's death in 1947, his two sons took over the company and, in 1957, introduced the first sports series called Marinemaster, which is still offered by Fortis today.
In 1962, the Spacematic Automatik space watch was developed and manufactured in such a way as to withstand and function smoothly even under extreme conditions and temperature fluctuations. Before its introduction, the Americans used a prototype for the Gemini program. The serial model Official Cosmonauts Chronograph was first tested in space by Russian cosmonauts, proving that automatic watches are perfectly functional in space.
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Since 1994, Fortis has been the official equipment supplier to the Yuri Gagagrin cosmonaut training center. Fortis chronographs were first worn in space during maneuvers on the US space shuttle Atlantis in September 1994. In 1997, the Official Cosmonauts Chronograph was worn on the Mir space station by cosmonauts on the Sojus TM-196 mission. Today, the B-42 chronograph is the official watch of Russian cosmonauts.
In 1998, Fortis presents the world's first automatic chronograph with mechanical alarm. In 2017, Fortis encounters financial difficulties and the brand is soon after taken over by private investors. This leads to a name change from Fortis Uhren to Fortis Watches.
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Here we present a very rare example, certainly from the Seventies, in a minimalist yet sophisticated style. The whole is solid with a "bark" finish. The deep black dial, quite atypical with its cut sides, literally contrasts with the silver of the case.
The entire case, bracelet and caseback are in solid 925 thousandths silver, except for the original crown, which is in steel. The case bears the old Swiss gentian flower hallmark. The movement is mechanical with manual winding, and the whole weighs a certain perceptible weight compared to steel. The set is sized for men or unisex, but is suitable for a relatively slim wrist.
A singular and elegant piece of jewelry.
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